Let’s take a fresh look early in the New Year at your career path, ensuring you’re working where you’re valued, appreciated, respected, and supported. It’s important not only for you, your family, and your finances, but also your future well-being. If you’re not currently experiencing all those things, it’s time to examine your work culture and perhaps find the right fit. Some refer to this as a “Mission Match” – where your personal values align with your company’s mission and values.
When analyzing your current job and career path, we all have our own criteria of what constitutes a good fit – competitive compensation, must-have employee benefits, elements related to well-being and more. One good fit aspect that’s less tangible is workplace culture. Positive workplace cultures engage employees, so they have a sense the company is valued by customers and the community, evoking the feeling that they’re making someone’s life better through their workplace efforts.
A recent study from LinkedIn found when employees feel good about their work and connected to a “Mission Match” or purpose, both their performance and their commitment to their employer increase. In fact, purpose-driven employees are more likely to:
•Assume leadership roles
•Feel satisfied at work
•Stay with their current employer for longer
•Pursue professional growth opportunities
As you examine your current “Mission Match” career situation, consider the following four questions from business experts.
1. Identify your organization’s core mission and values – do they match yours?
Mission provides the intrinsic motivation which makes employees excited to accomplish great things at work. Values are the ways everyone agrees to work together. If you want a career where employees are passionate, engaged, and productive, begin by identifying your employer’s foundational mission. Then ask – “Is it exciting?”
2. Does your leadership establish trust from the top down by representing those values?
Workplace culture travels from the top down. Leaders create culture and staff take culture cues through the behavior of leaders; therefore, what leaders focus on is critical. If a leadership team is employee-focused, empathetic, and authentic, it sends a calming message that leaders care, helping improve engagement, retention, productivity and even profitability. A strong company culture means having an employee experience that, at all touch points, is reflective of the company’s values.
3. Does your employer have clear and consistent expectations?
Consistency and predictability bring harmony to the workplace. It’s critical staff fully understand expectations to foster a positive work culture. Employees want to know what the rules are, and that they will be applied equally in a predictable way. Otherwise, distrust and discord will destroy culture.
4. Do you feel valued?
Creating a positive work culture is rooted in the staff’s daily “valued” experiences, which in turn shape their beliefs. These beliefs inform their actions, and actions lead to results – either good or bad. Leaders who create positive experiences by consistently offering and asking for constructive feedback, recognizing employees’ efforts during company meetings, and even just saying “thank you” on a regular basis lay the groundwork for a positive “valued” workplace culture.
If you hesitated or answered NO to any of the questions, it may be the perfect time to contact Village Manor in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The culture is centered around “Faith – Care – Family” with a wonderful 140-year history as Kentucky’s largest faith-based nonprofit focused on senior living and healthcare services. A variety of business administration, social services, nursing, caregiving, activities, and facilities related positions help support a vibrant and engaged work culture. Learn more at www.ChristianCareCommunities.org/Careers/ or call 270-796-6643.
-submitted by Village Manor
