Best Workplaces, Company Culture, Employee Engagement , Leadership & Management
The manufacturing industry in Canada has had its share of challenges as the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic. Supply chains were disrupted, workplace restrictions limited, or even halted, production, and many manufacturers pivoted their product lines to health and safety related products. Despite the challenges, the Best Workplaces™ emerged strong and resilient. And our Trust Survey reveals this has a lot to do with the elements of culture that underpin a strong sense of pride. As we recognize these Best Workplaces™ in Manufacturing we will visit some of these key pride-inducing elements and examine how they contribute to a great workplace culture.
Why Pride Matters
Pride comes from a sense of satisfaction with one’s achievement of something worthwhile. When your employees are proud of their work and their organization, it motivates them to achieve great results and deliver great service. And when people are proud of their workplace and the fruits of their labour they are more committed to organizational success, they are more engaged, and they have a stronger connection to the work they do. Manufacturers are in a unique position to build pride because the tangibility of their products offers a clear link between an individual job and the end product. The Best Workplaces™ in Manufacturing have done a great job creating this link as employees responded overwhelmingly positively to statements directly related to pride at work:
Pride at work isn’t limited to manufacturing and it’s not solely based on product or service provided. There are a variety of factors that influence pride in the workplace and these Best Workplaces™ have done an exemplary job in these key areas as well.
What Makes Employees Proud?
Pride at work stems from employees believing in what the company does, trusting the leaders of the organization, knowing their ideas are appreciated, and feeling confident the organization is contributing to the community. Combined, these create a common bond around which employees can feel pride in what is being accomplished and want to be associated with it. Let’s look at the factors that contribute to pride and how employees at the Best Workplaces™ in Manufacturing responded to statements that reflect these factors.
Well Defined Organizational Values
Core values define an organization and whether these values are explicitly defined or not, they are what brings a company together. And it’s consistency between values and output that influences pride. Employees want to know what you stand for, they look for reliability and consistency and they want their own values to align with those of the organization.
Connection with the Organization's Purpose
When people can see a clear connection between their work and the goals of the organization their purpose is aligned and they become highly motivated to be successful. You create this connection with a well-articulated mission and a process of goal setting that links individual and team effort with organizational success. This lets employees know their work and their efforts matter and they work harder, solve problems easier, and tackle challenges with a zest to succeed.
Trustworthy Leadership
Nothing incites pride more than knowing your managers and senior leadership team are there to support you and that they have the interests of their people, and not just profits, in mind with every decision they make. They are open, honest, and they treat people fairly and with respect. Trustworthy leaders encourage, they inspire and they motivate. They set an example and they lead by example and their people produce their best work.
Collaborative Work
Knowing your ideas are welcome is a great source of price. By encouraging participation in workplace decisions and being open to suggestions you tell people their ideas are important. This level of validation fills people with pride and they will actively seek ways to improve and be part of the solution as changes and obstacles arise. When you empower employees with the tools and opportunity to produce great results they show up.
Giving Back to the Community
Increasingly, employees want to be connected with an organization that gives back. Corporate social responsibility that reflects the causes they are passionate about instills pride and encourages them to get involved. Giving back is a way to demonstrate that characteristics like integrity, stewardship, and philanthropy are just as important as profits. When you show employees you are committed to leaving the world a better place you create a compelling reason to be proud of the company they work for.
Pride is an important component of a strong and vibrant culture. Pride is also something that resonates throughout an organization and transcends all that employees do; motivating them to work hard and give 100%. The Best Workplaces™ in Manufacturing have done a great job instilling pride in their people and it’s one of the many reasons they have been honored with this distinction.
If you want to know how Great Place to Work® can help you create a strong company culture in 2021, reach out to us about our employee engagement and employer brand solutions.
About Great Place to Work®
Great Place to Work® is the Global Authority on Workplace Culture. We make it easy to survey your employees, uncover actionable insights and get recognized for your great company culture. Learn more about Great Place to Work Certification.
