By JOE CAMBERATO //
I started my company in a spare bedroom in 2007, only a few months before the 2008 financial crisis. It’s been quite an adventure, but with the help of some amazing people, I built that company into a No. 1 Long Island Top Workplace – four years running.
A yearly competition sponsored by Dan’s Papers pits businesses from across Long Island against each other to determine who has the most engaging company culture. Our four straight wins (among companies with 50 to 149 employees) are awesome, but the real proof of our successful company culture is inside our walls.
Technology has undoubtedly changed our industry for the better, but there’s another key component of my business that’s more important than technology – my team. Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The people on your staff are an extension of yourself, and without a solid group of hardworking people behind you, you might find it difficult to accomplish even the simplest tasks.
Finding talent has always been difficult, but keeping talent is a new phenomenon many businesses are struggling to handle. With the Great Resignation still underway, employers are scrambling to keep their teams together.
Joe Camberato: All in the family.
Employees simply don’t want to drag themselves to an office that doesn’t respect them and stifles their creativity. Their bottom line is more than insurance benefits or pay; workers want to feel valued by their employers and want to feel like they’re working toward a purpose.
Company culture has evolved from a corporate buzzword to a powerful employee-engagement tool. At a glance, some of it may seem negligible, but how your team operates in your work environment affects every aspect of your organization.
Company culture is very important to me and my team. We underwent a complete overhaul of our culture in 2017, and since then, we’re all excited to come to work in the morning. It’s improved our productivity and streamlined our processes, but it’s also transformed our team into a family that has each other’s backs, no matter what – a priceless situation for any business.
One way we did this was investing in our employees. Some employers tend to forget about new hires after the onboarding process, but we believe it’s important to provide support and constructive feedback throughout an employee’s tenure. So, we keep a “success coach” on staff who trains new hires and provides ongoing education to keep everyone up to date on industry developments.
Your investment doesn’t have to be a success coach or expensive equipment; it can be as simple as encouraging employees to live healthier lives by providing healthy snacks or planning group physical activities outside the office. By showing you care and investing your time in their lives, your team will be more likely to go the extra mile.
Up high: Camberato (right) is all about office enthusiasm.
Company culture also involves celebrating team successes. By recognizing achievements, you give your team reasons to care about business performance and remind them their role is important. It also provides employees with purpose; an engaged employee doesn’t want to leave that job and search for a new one.
We take every opportunity to celebrate team successes. For example, we have our “All-Star” wall, a trophy case of baseball bats representing team members who have metaphorically “batted it out of the park.”
Another way to foster a contagious company culture is to add some fun into the workplace. We keep everyone motivated through competitions and cultural events – “throwback days” to certain decades, employee milestone competitions, different opportunities to take a break and bring everyone together. The sense of camaraderie across the office certainly translates to other business processes.
Always remember that maintaining your company culture is just as important as creating it. Our workplace didn’t magically become this way overnight; it was long nights, careful planning and constant upkeep. We tried things out, revisited them when they weren’t what we expected, listened to the feedback, gave everyone an opportunity to have their voice heard.
Our culture has helped our productivity, no doubt, But the best reason to foster a positive workplace culture is that your team deserves it. Work doesn’t have to be a drag; it can be an opportunity to collaborate, strategize and succeed with people who become a second family.
You can’t go at it haphazardly. You need to jump in with both feet. If your efforts don’t work as fast as you’d hoped, stick with them. You’ll be surprised by the progress you’ll see in a year, and your team will surely appreciate how hard you’re working on their behalf.
Joe Camberato is the founder and CEO of Hauppauge-based National Business Capital.
