Escape the Soul-Sucking Workplace: 9 Best Practices to Create a Culture that Rocks

Success in a world moving past the pandemic starts with taking care of our most valuable asset – our people! And a great workplace culture is the best place for that. It leads to engaged employees who stay longer, increases productivity and profits, and leads to loyal customers. 

According to Built-in Beta:

  •  46% of job seekers cite company culture as very important when applying to a company.
  • 47% of active job seekers cite company culture as their driving reason for looking for work.
  • 91% of managers in the U.S. say a candidate’s alignment with the company culture is equal to or more important than skills and experience.

As leaders, creating a culture of engagement is no longer a luxury; it requires our full focus and dedication in all organizational activities. This type of culture is critical for the success of any organization.

Barrel Health Call Centers, for example,  strive to create an uplifting and family-friendly atmosphere. The Head of Human Resources, otherwise known as the ‘Queen of Fun and Laughter,’ jokes that it’s like a challenge to get hired by them! 

They pay attention to who fits into their culture when recruiting supervisors. They gauge this by taking potential candidates to lunch, believing that how one interacts with waitstaff, canines, and children gives insight into their personality.

Michael Kerr

Michael Kerr

Canadian Hall of Fame Speaker and Business Coach Michael Kerr knows all too well what it’s like to work in a toxic environment. After negative experiences of his own, he has made it his life’s mission to make workplaces more enjoyable places to be. He believes that fun isn’t just a bonus – it’s a necessity.

Kerr summarizes what organizations that really rock and stand out from the crowd have in common. 

1. Their leadership is self-aware of the “CEO disease” and avoids it at all costs.

Leaders of positive workplace cultures are cognizant that creating a culture of engagement has to begin at the top – with them. This so-called “CEO disease” is that tendency to be unaware of how your words and actions impact the people around you.

Kerr states, “Being self-aware and open to feedback is the first step. You can’t fix a problem you don’t know you have. So you’ve got to be really honest with yourself.”

2. Their leaders are purposefully living out and supporting their culture and values out loud.

Leaders of high-impact workplaces take the time to get out into the field and show their commitment to the organization and its customers. This could mean interacting with customers, getting hands-on in the manufacturing plant, or even taking part in activities like picking up trash in the parking lot—anything that models how they live their values.

“I think there’s a huge disconnect. There’s that knowing-doing gap. Everyone knows that culture is important, but are they really backing that up through their actions? So again, it’s about being intentional,” explains Kerr.

3. Invest in talent strategies to get the right people.

Often, companies make the mistake of slapping bandaids to address an ailing need–specifically, in this case, a labour shortage. “Get me a warm body.. As long as the person has a pulse..” only leads to higher levels of turnover. It can be costly and stressful to put the wrong person into the wrong role. 

“You’ve got to hire relentlessly with your culture in mind. You’ve got to hire first and foremost for attitude, for emotional intelligence, for culture, not just culture fit, but culture growth,” says Kerr.

Mitigating unconscious bias is an absolutely critical step. Most of the time, we tend to recruit individuals who make us feel comfortable — usually people that resemble us in some form. To move forward and take your business to the next level, hiring someone who offers unique insights, has a knack for innovation and can help you diversify your culture is imperative.

Watch Marc’s Full interview with Michael Kerr

4. They relentlessly focus on asking questions that bring out the person’s character, personality, and attitude.

Kerr outlines that in his research of organizations across the US and Canada, they often have eight to ten touchpoints before selecting a new hire. “And they always do a separate culture screening.”

Companies that nail recruitment invest in determining a person’s character and good attitude. As Kerr says, “Everything else can be taught and trained, but it’s tough to transplant somebody’s attitude.”

5. They have a service-first mindset within their culture.

I grew up in the service industry with the adage, if you are not serving a customer, you damn well better be serving someone who is!” Some of your most important customers are internal customers. Foster a culture of service: Encourage a culture of customer-centricity by prioritizing the needs of your team members and valuing their feedback and input.

How to Be the Unparalleled Leader Your People Want You to Be

6. They bring humour into the culture.

Humour in the workplace helps us drive a better, more positive culture.

“If you, first and foremost, build that positive, respectful culture, full of trust and open and honest communication, then guess what? Your humor is going to be respectful and positive for the most part. And so, time and time again, they say, you know what? It’s never an issue,” says Kerr.

It all comes down to your employee’s mindset when interacting with customers and team members. Are they ready to go the extra mile and make their approach entertaining and authentic? As a leader, you can ensure that you communicate in a way that resonates with people, injecting lightheartedness into your words. Aim to be helpful, informative, and fun!

7. Their leaders know that communication is everything and everything is communication.

Kerr emphasizes that when making decisions for the organization, we must ensure that they align with our desired culture; each decision should be considered through an “impact on culture” lens. We must stay conscious of how our choices shape and reflect the culture we envision.

8. They stand out from the herd and get heard, attracting more quality employees and clients.

Successful leaders build their great rocking culture to resonate and attract the best employees and clients.

They champion their culture on their website, social media, and job posts to attract the best talents and clients. They sing it on their website, promote and talk about it. They make it come to life, conversational and humorous, to stand out from the herd and be heard.

“It’s important to create a culture known as fun, positive, ‘service first’ and a great place to be an employee. Then guess what? You don’t have to go hunting for employees. You become the hunted,” says Kerr.

9. Leaders intentionally find ways to bridge the gap and build trust.

Outline the best practices of one particular CEO, Kerr tells the story of how the CEO is a master of connecting his employees, whether they are working from home or on-premise. Every week he sends out an engaging video with updates on what’s happening in the office, including celebratory news like Mary’s recent engagement! 

Demonstrating our faith in our remote workers creates trust and a sense of belongingness in the workplace—a critical element for success. Showing your team that you believe in them keeps morale high and builds confidence even when they’re not physically present.

Roadblocks and potholes

According to Kerr, one of the challenges in creating a more positive and enjoyable work environment is the tendency to hold preconceived notions that it is not possible, especially in a serious or conservative business. 

“It’s about taking ourselves lightly in order to take our customer’s needs seriously and our work seriously. And there’s a world of difference between those two things,” explains Kerr.

Using humour in a balanced and self-aware way can enhance the work environment and prevent people from taking themselves too seriously. Ultimately, having a sense of humour can help create a more human and relatable workplace.

————

About Michael Kerr

Michael Kerr is a Canadian Hall of Fame speaker who, in pre-pandemic times, travelled the world researching, writing, and speaking about inspiring workplace cultures, inspiring leaders, and businesses that leverage their humour resources to drive outrageous results!

Michael’s ideas on building inspiring workplaces have been featured in hundreds of publications worldwide, including Forbes, Fast Company and Business Insider. His Inspiring Workplaces blog has been listed as one of the top 30 workplace blogs in the world. He is also the creator of the Culture Leadership Academy, one of the most comprehensive culture leadership online programs available.

Michael’s most recent books are available here.

  • The Jerk-Free Workplace: How you Can Take the Lead to Create a Happier, More Inspiring Workplace
  • Hire, Inspire, and Fuel Their Fire: How to Recruit, Onboard and Train New Employees to Live Your Culture Out Loud
  • The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank

Connect with Michael

www.mikekerr.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkerr3/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeaRB1AE5C_RWBjK87wwRYg

——–

About the Author

Marc Haine is a Service Expert and a Master of Experience. He is a sought-after speaker and trainer working with businesses that need to attract and engage their best customers. Driven by his passion for creating experiences that rock, Marc has worked with retail, casinos, hotels, associations and municipalities to help them design jaw-dropping experiences that get them noticed.
Marc knows what it takes for businesses to exceed experience expectations–The first step, each day, as you open your doors to the public, have you and your staff yell, “IT’S SHOWTIME!”
Marc is one of the world’s foremost authorities on customer journey experience touchpoints and is the author of LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION! Business Operational Excellence through the Lens of Live Theatre (Check out the new way of looking at your business HERE).
Marc is offering a free 30-minute brainstorming session with you and your team. Click Here to book a time that works for you on his online calendar.
Dare to be the exception™

Marc is a service expert and a master of experiences. He's also an author, speaker, facilitator and coach. He will help your teams ignite their passions, enable your leaders to recentre their focus, and drive continuous improvement through connected and engaged employees. This will allow you to realize your competitive advantage with a connected purpose and consistency of customer experience across your brand. He will dare your people to cultivate a generous attitude and lead with love and kindness first.

Shared Experiences

Lyndi Hamon

Marc gave a really great presentation. He was engaging, relatable and has a great sense of humour, I was laughing throughout the presentation.

He seems to understand the clientele well, what to expect, and how to find points of improvement and relatability.


Overall I would give his presentation high ratings, I think this kind of client-focused training is important for any business to learn.
Lyndi Hamon, Electrologist, Event Attendee
Dr. Danie Botha
"Marc’s Leverage Design Thinking for Your Next Live Event workshop was a real game changer. Going into the 3-hour session as a “skeptic,” I left a “believer.” The fast-paced, hands-on approach and Marc’s enthusiasm, insight, and knowledge helped our group change how we now prepare for our next live event."
Danie Botha, Physician, Author, Speaker
I recently attended a brainstorming session that Marc conducted for the CAFP. Not only did Marc structure it in such a way that within an hour we had a list of valuable takeaways that I had thought would take at least three hours to uncover, but his level of engagement and energy, and use of humour meant that we ended up with excellent outcomes AND had a lot of fun along the way.
Kim McQuaite, Kim Communications
Marc’s breakout session was very informative, enjoyable, and presented in a humorous way. I recommend it highly.
Eva Bencsik, Mr. Printer
I thought his presentation was very informative and provided a lot of insight into problem-solving in regards to some of the issues our industry deals with, specifically with clients.

He was a great speaker and enjoyed it very much, I feel as though Marc has had a lot of experience in the business industry and is genuine in wanting to help others with their businesses.

He had a few funny moments we all enjoyed too! I felt there was value in his presentation/training because I was able to relate and use it towards both of the businesses I have, Electrolysis and my Skincare line.
Susanne Bodevin, Director
I just came out of Marc’s session on how to become an empathetic leader. I chose his session because as a manager, I get so caught up with my day-to-day responsibilities, that I have not been present with my team. Marc’s session today gave me strategies and systems to help me be more present, and more sensitive to the needs of my people.
Tracey Durant, South-Side Sobey’s
A few years ago I attended one of Marc’s workshops with a number of my front line employees. We found the session helpful not only with dealing with difficult customers but our people felt they also applied the techniques to their everyday lives and with fellow staff members in resolving conflicts. Marc made the group feel comfortable enough to share stories and experiences as well as tactics that had worked for them in the past. I have attended many similar events where people were never as forthcoming as we experienced here. The material was pertinent and topical and Marc was able to make it relevant to everyone in the room. I have always prided myself on being a good conflict arbitrator and still today find that I am able to utilize many of the ideas and techniques we learned in Marc’s session.
Jeff Millar, IGA Garden Markets
Marc's Dealing with Difficult People strategies and content were so valuable I was able to successfully put them into practice the very next day while dealing with an irate citizen. He was happy, I was happy - made for a great day!
Tracy Preece, Bylaw Officer (former), Town of Devon
Marc Haine is emerging as one of the best motivational and inspirational speakers in Alberta. He is a masterful presenter and engages his audience with a positive and uplifting message. His trademark is "Dare to be the exception", and for groups and organizations that need to think - and act - "outside the box" should not hesitate to have Marc as their keynote speaker
Judge Brian Stevenson, Past International President, Lions Clubs International

Client Highlights

Transform your level of service

Let’s explore what Marc can do for you and your organization.

Book A 30 Min Consult

Book Marc for your next event

Discover which one of Marc’s topics will be the best fit for your event.

See Marc's Speaking Topics