If your workplace feels more like a haunted house than a thriving hub of innovation, it’s time to grab the defibrillator.
A struggling company culture can show up in all sorts of frightening ways—disengaged employees, high turnover, low morale, or a general sense of “why bother?” But here’s the good news: culture isn’t a ghost story. With the right attention and action, you can revive it and bring your workplace back to life.
Reanimating Employee Engagement
When engagement drops, you can feel it. Meetings go quiet, collaboration dwindles, and absenteeism starts creeping up. The causes are often familiar—burnout, lack of recognition, poor communication, or unclear goals—but that doesn’t make them any less damaging.
To revive engagement, start by listening.
- Create regular touchpoints where employees can share feedback and see that it’s taken seriously.
- Empower your team with autonomy and opportunities for growth.
- Celebrate the wins, big or small, to remind people that their work matters.
If morale still feels sluggish, bringing in new energy can help. Partnering with a staffing firm like Westphal Staffing introduces fresh perspectives, and new talent if needed, that can reignite motivation across your team.
Exorcising Toxic Behavior
Every company has its “ghosts” … gossip, micromanagement, favoritism, or poor communication. Left unchecked, these behaviors can haunt even the healthiest teams. That toxicity can linger for a while if employees fear confrontation or don’t feel supported by leadership to address it.
Banish those behaviors by setting clear expectations and holding everyone (leaders included) accountable. You can do this by creating safe ways for employees to speak up, whether through anonymous feedback tools or regular one-on-one check-ins. This is also a great time to invest in leadership and communication training to build emotional intelligence and trust throughout your managers.
Breathing Life Back Into Your Core Values
If your core values only exist on your website or in a dusty employee handbook, they’re as lifeless as a skeleton. To breathe life back into them, take time to think about what those values truly mean in practice. Ask yourself if they are reflected in how you hire, reward, and promote people.
This is also a great time to invite employees into the conversation, so your values feel authentic and shared. Collaborating with employees is instrumental in ensuring your message doesn’t come off as generic words passed from the top down.
Once your values are in place, recognize and reward behaviors that bring them to life. For example, if “innovation” is one of your pillars, celebrate creative problem-solving and thoughtful risk-taking, even when the outcome isn’t perfect.
Sustaining a Culture That Thrives—Not Just Survives
Reviving culture is one thing but keeping it healthy takes ongoing care and monitoring. Start by using open and transparent communication to keep your teams aligned. You can do this by regularly checking the “pulse” of your organization through surveys or one-on-ones helps you stay ahead of emerging issues before they take root.
When it’s time to grow your team, make sure new hires align with your cultural values. Staffing partners like Westphal Staffing can help you find candidates who not only have the right skills but also the right mindset to strengthen your culture long-term.
Bring Your Culture Back to Life with Westphal Staffing
Don’t let your workplace turn into a ghost town. Westphal Staffing can help you hire, develop, and retain the people who will keep your organization alive, thriving, and full of energy—not eerie silence. Ready to start? Let’s talk. 715-845-5569