- Jan 10
- 2 min read

10 Tips to Improve Workplace Culture and Employee Engagement in the New Year (Part 2 of 6)

Sheri Bender, Pulse HR Solutions, LLC

🙌Build Solid Relationships with Your Team

Building relationships takes time and effort but is key to better serving customers and meeting organizational goals. As you develop your strategy to improve your relationships ask yourself why people stay or leave your team. Think about how you can develop trust with each person on your team. Reflect on the skills of your best manager/supervisor, how did they approach building relationships?

It's also important to consider what motivates your teammates. Some people need more attention than others and remote / in-person delivery touch points are different. For example: some people respond better when there is direct face-to-face communication whereas for some people this doesn't work. Once you can understand various needs and motivations, you can build on them to develop connections and empower them to reach their potential. While there is much more to building relationships and teams, this is the start to a solid foundation.

Reflect on the skills of your best manager or supervisor, how did they approach building relationships with direct reports?

👍Value What Each Person Brings to The Organization (DEI)

A 2020 McKinsey Study revealed that companies that invest in diversity and inclusion outperform those that did not. This is not news to leaders and managers who have been listening to their employees. In fact, some of the most successful organizations I have partnered with have been inclusive without labeling it. However, over the last few years, many companies have created large diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives with little leadership support which turned in to 'check-the-box' activities, or that might likely be eliminated due to budget cuts and constraints.

For employers that want to continue to thrive and support all employees, these initiatives will remain and are so much more than mere initiatives, they have become staples of the environment, they are what creates safety for employees to speak up when something doesn't feel comfortable; it may be a virtual convening of similar-backgrounded individuals who come together to share life experiences and how to cope with them successfully; or it may be educational efforts to help expand knowledge and openness of peers throughout the organization. Whatever efforts fit for your organization are unique to your situation and show support. It is important that they do not become the flavor of the month like so many initiatives in other companies in the past.

Top leadership needs to model the way by supporting these efforts, properly participating, and showing that they truly believe and support the initiatives which will motivate the culture and engagement of employees. This is Part 2 of a 6 Part Series on 10 Tips to Improve Workplace Culture and Employee Engagement in the New Year. We will explore more tips next Monday. Follow me for leadership advice.

Here's the full list of the 10 tips to improve Workplace Culture and Employee Engagement we will be covering: