Reasons to Build a Positive Workplace Culture打造積極職場文化的理由

Why does it matter whether your workplace culture is built on a strong foundation？ Why should employers and leaders care？ It turns out that culture matters a lot.

將職場文化建立在堅實基礎之上為什么如此重要？為什么雇主和領導者必須重視？事實證明，職場文化至關重要。

Some people think that building workplace culture or employee morale is a somehow altruistic venture—that we do these things to be good people. This ignores the fact that companies with strong workplace cultures actually perform better.

有些人認為，打造職場文化或提升員工士氣在某種程度上是一種利他行為，即我們這么做是為了當個好人。這種想法忽略了一個事實：擁有良好職場文化的公司確實運營得更好。

Although it may seem like a luxury， a strong workplace culture is what truly sets companies apart. It’s what humanizes brands and pays real dividends.

良好的職場文化雖看似難得，卻能真正讓公司與眾不同。正是它賦予品牌人性，并帶來真正的回報。

Here are seven reasons why building a positive and supportive workplace culture is essential.

打造積極互助的職場文化至關重要，以下是七點理由。

※ It fuels creativity

※ 提升創造力

At its best， workplace culture can be a powerful tool for breaking down barriers and sparking new ways of thinking. It can create an environment" where employees feel free to take risks， experiment and collaborate.

理想的職場文化是破除障礙、激發創新思維的強大手段。它能營造一個讓員工樂于冒險、嘗試和協作的環境。

As a leader， aim to create an environment where new ideas are welcomed， supported and encouraged. Try to instill a sense of pride and ownership in employees and create a culture where everyone is doing their part while working toward the same goals.

作為領導，應該致力于營造歡迎、支持并鼓勵新思想的環境。努力培養員工的自豪感和主人翁意識，打造全員各司其職、奔赴共同目標的職場文化。

When that happens， amazing things can happen.

這種文化一旦形成，美好的事情就會發生。

※ It reduces the risk of employee burnout

※ 降低員工工作倦怠風險

According to the American Psychological Association’s 2022 Work and Well-being Survey， when employees were asked to choose what forms of support they would like employers to offer， 41% chose flexible hours， while 34% chose a culture that respects time off， 33% chose the ability to work remotely and 31% chose a four-day work week.

根據美國心理學會2022年的“工作與福祉調查報告”，當員工被問及希望雇主提供何種形式的支持時，41%選擇了彈性工作時間，還有34%選擇了尊重休假時間的企業文化，33%選擇了可以遠程辦公，31%選擇了一周工作四天。

It’s safe to say that having a workplace culture that values employees’ well-being helps ensure that they don’t become overwhelmed or overworked—thus reducing the risk of burnout.

可以肯定地說，重視員工福祉的職場文化有助于防止員工不堪重負或過度勞累，從而降低工作倦怠風險。

※ It attracts top talent

※ 吸引頂尖人才

A strong workplace culture is often more attractive to prospective employees than higher pay. People want to work for companies where they feel valued—whether it’s through recognition， respect or the prospect of growth.

良好的職場文化往往比更高的薪資更能吸引潛在雇員。人們希望為重視自己的公司工作——這種重視既可以通過對員工的認可、尊重，也可以通過員工的發展前景體現出來。

Invest in team-building activities， offer meaningful rewards and incentives， and recognize employee achievements publicly—these are all small investments that can help a business build a positive culture.

舉辦團隊建設活動，提供有意義的獎勵和激勵，公開表彰員工的成績——這些都是有助于企業打造積極職場文化的小投入。

When employees feel like they’re supported， they’re also more likely to stick with the company， thereby lowering costs associated with turnover.

當員工感受到自己獲得支持時，他們就更有可能長期效力于企業，從而降低人員流動的成本。

※ It creates engaged employees

※ 打造敬業的員工團隊

One benefit of a positive workplace culture is increased employee engagement. Employees who feel empowered and valued in their workplace are more likely to be engaged with the organization.

積極職場文化的一大優勢在于提升員工敬業度。在職場中獲得賦能感和價值感的員工，更有可能主動投入公司事務。

Engaged employees tend to take more ownership of their work， be more productive and be more loyal to the company—all of which benefit the bottom line.

敬業的員工往往對工作更有主人翁意識，工作效率更高，并且對公司更忠誠——所有這些都有利于提升企業盈利。

※ It fosters innovation

※ 促進創新

A company that constantly innovates tends to breed more innovation. When the corporate culture rewards those with new ideas， people naturally begin to offer more ideas. In my experience， employees in these environments start looking for new ideas if they feel empowered and valued. They’re also more likely to take risks and make bold decisions when they know that their work is appreciated.

持續創新的公司往往會孕育出更多創新。當企業文化獎勵有新想法的員工時，人們自然就開始提出更多想法。根據我的經驗，在這種環境中，員工若獲得賦能感和價值感，就會開始尋找新的想法。當知道自己的工作受到重視，他們也更有可能冒險并做出大膽的決定。

We once presented three concepts to a Fortune 100 brand， one of which was created by an intern. The company bought that intern’s idea， so we gave her a full-time job. It’s powerful when you have a framework where good ideas can come from literally anyone.

我們曾經向一家《財富》100強企業展示三個創意，其中一個是由一位實習生提出的。這家公司買下了那位實習生的創意，于是我們給她提供了一份全職工作。如果公司體系允許任何人提出好創意，那是很強的舉措。

To create an environment of innovation， rethink what it means to be someone’s boss. A boss should be there to help people grow， make sure they have the knowledge and experience to contribute workable ideas， and， when needed， decide which way a team is going to go.

要打造創新環境，就要重新思考成為別人的老板意味著什么。老板應該隨時助力員工成長，確保他們具備必要的知識和經驗來提出可行的想法，并在必要時決定團隊的發展方向。

But if you create an environment in which the boss’s ideas are executed by the minions， people pick up on that pretty quickly. No one dares tell the boss when one of their ideas isn’t good， and there’s no point thinking from your own perspective. This will completely kill innovation.

但是，如果打造的職場環境是由下屬執行老板的想法，人們很快就會意識到這一點。沒人敢告訴老板他的想法不好，員工從自己的角度思考問題也沒有任何意義。這將徹底扼殺創新。

※ It generates a sense of belonging

※ 產生歸屬感

Organizational culture is just one factor that influences employees’ sense of belonging at work. This is important because according to Gartner， “creating a sense of belonging in the workplace results in greater on-the-job effort and high employee performance.”

企業文化是影響員工職場歸屬感的一大因素。這一點之所以重要，是因為根據高德納咨詢公司的說法，“在職場中創造歸屬感能夠促使員工在工作中付出更多努力并提升績效”。

※ It can lead to better leaders

※ 造就更優秀的領導者

Having a positive workplace culture also can lead to better leaders as workplace stress can cause people， including desired leaders， to decline promotions.

積極的職場文化還有助于造就更優秀的領導者，因為職場壓力會導致員工——包括那些有望成為優秀領導者的人——拒絕升職機會。

To create a strong culture for honing good leaders， offer training and development opportunities， delegate tasks appropriately and empower those around you to make decisions. Being able to lead by example can help your employees learn how to become better leaders themselves.

要營造有利于培養優秀領導者的良好企業文化，就要提供培訓和發展的機會，合理分配任務，并授予你身邊的人決策權。以身作則會有助于員工學習如何讓自己成為更優秀的領導者。

Remember， your people are what makes your company， so invest in them.

記住，員工是公司的根本，因此要對他們不吝投入。

The Bottom Line

起碼的要求

Cultivating a positive workplace culture takes effort and dedication， but the rewards are worth it. And the cost of not doing so， particularly in today’s tight labor market， is extremely high. My guiding principle is to work daily to build the type of company I would like to work for. That principle has helped me many times in deciding where to invest.

營造積極的職場文化需要付出努力和心血，但回報豐厚。尤其在如今勞動力市場供不應求的情況下，不這么做代價高昂。我的指導原則是，每天努力打造我自己也愿意為之工作的那種公司。這個原則已多次幫助我決定在哪些方面投入資源。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）