For many years, the great majority of us have worked eight hours a day, five days a week, in an office setting. As a working adult, you must still go to the office to complete your task, regardless of whether you need less time to complete it or not or even if such hours are negatively affecting your mental and physical well-being. Nowadays, many people are seeking jobs left and right, especially in light of the recent Covid-19 epidemic, which has had a significant impact on both the business sector and people’s financial situation.
Most people look for an environment that supports their primary, goals, objectives, and values through a positive work culture when determining where to apply for jobs. Every organization has a distinct culture that develops over time through interactions among its employees. It’s crucial to look for a place of employment where you feel there is room for advancement because workplace culture can impact employees and vice versa.
Your organization’s culture determines its personality, environment and character. It is what distinguishes your company from others and is made up of all of its interactions, behaviours, attitudes, and ideals. Performance is influenced by workplace culture, which eventually influences engagement, enjoyment, and satisfaction at the same time. Every aspect of your company has an impact on its personality. Culture is heavily impacted by leadership, management, workplace procedures, rules, and individuals in general. The more large error businesses make is not going to define their desired workplace culture before allowing it to spontaneously develop.
How frequently do you hear the phrase “workplace culture” used in conversations about work but have no understanding of what it means? Not just you, either. Numerous individuals from various companies continue to be perplexed by this workplace culture. Generalizing what you observe, how individuals act, and how they communicate with one another can give you a good idea of workplace culture. However, it is important to note that workplace culture goes well beyond this superficial notion.
What is actually a workplace culture?
The workplace atmosphere is made up of a variety of beliefs and behaviours collectively referred to as work culture. Healthy workplace cultures take individual well-being into account and integrate employee behaviours and corporate policies with the organization’s overarching objectives. Work culture affects a person’s capacity to establish productive working connections with coworkers and how well they fit into their new setting.
The workplace culture has an impact on your attitude, work-life balance, prospects for professional progress, and quality of work life. Every business has a similar office structure, interactive and interactive interior design, and high-end office supplies like those from Ohana Office Product Net 30. However, it is proven by many that different companies from different industries, and countries possess different workplace cultures. Some are very unique and some are just a weird combo of workers’ attitudes. This is not saying that one culture is more hard-working than the other. It demonstrates how the workforce is made up of a wide variety of people with various personalities and worldviews.
In an organization, employee performance and satisfaction are highly correlated with workplace culture. One of the important elements that applicants take into account when seeking employment is the character and culture of the company.
What influences culture in a workplace?
- Communication
The way that people communicate at work has an impact on the culture there. For instance, strong workplace culture is likely to exist if employees are free to openly share their thoughts and opinions with their supervisors and managers. The workplace culture may be harmful if there isn’t this open communication between coworkers, employees, and superiors.
- Rules & Policy
A healthy workplace is frequently produced through friendly policies. Most people value working with companies that respect their traditions, beliefs, and values. Therefore, it is important for employers to establish policies regarding the employee’s well-being, such as the dress code and working schedule.
- Leadership
One of the key determinants of workplace culture is leadership. The way leaders interact and communicate with employees, what they say and emphasise, their future vision, what they honour and value, what they anticipate, the narratives they tell, how companies make decisions, how much people trust them, and the beliefs they uphold are what influences culture in a workplace.
What does the workplace culture in Europe look like?
- Punctuality
The Europeans value timeliness as well as punctuality highly and they would like to stick to deadlines most of the time. Since they dislike surprises, they are expected to notify their supervisors in advance if they will not be able to finish the task by the deadlines.
- Communication
Most European nations have English-speaking populations, and their English is probably of a high grade. Although it is not required, knowing a few greetings in the person you are meeting’s native tongue will help you make a good first impression. Furthermore, the direct and forthright communication that characterises European office culture is well known. Even though it sounds unpleasant, they are fairly direct in their communication and do not like to beat around the bush.
- Greetings
In all Europe countries, shaking hands is the customary greeting for business. You should always shake hands with everyone in the room when you arrive for a business meeting. Likewise, when bidding everyone goodbye, shaking their hands is also a must. In the workplace culture of Europe, greetings must be made with eye contact and a firm handshake. It’s also crucial to mention people’s titles, first names, and last names while greetings.
- Working Hours
Unlike any other countries around the world, some countries in Europe tend to have shorter working hours on average. A typical workweek in France could last 35 hours, while in the Netherlands it might only be 29 hours. Additionally, they don’t work during their lunch breaks or check their emails after work.
- Business dining
Getting a business lunch invitation is more customary in Europe than being invited to a business breakfast. In most of Europe, discussing working matters during dining is customary, but if you’re in Italy or Greece, wait until your host strikes up a conversation before doing so. Moreover, it is disrespectful to deny alcohol provided during meals, but do drink responsibly.
