Pub. 10 2021 Issue 5

28 Invest in the Health and Well-Being of Your Bank’s Organizational Culture S ocial and economic unrest can test even the strongest of organizational cultures. Is your bank’s culture built to withstand turbulence? Chances are your culture has been put to the test over the past year, and a half due to all of the challenges organizations face with regard to attracting and retaining talent and navigating all of the uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting those or any other organizational difficulties head-on often is made easier when your culture helps place your bank on a solid foundation. Any weaknesses will manifest themselves quickly in times of trouble. For some, workplace culture is an afterthought. However, those who take the time to foster their culture tend to be best positioned to overcome challenges. “Having a strong culture is important at all times for any company,” says Connor Cross, director of human resources for Syndeo, a Wichita-based outsourced HR provider. “However, in times of crisis or challenges, a strong culture may be the single most important contributor in a company’s ability to overcome the challenge or persevere through a crisis.” That’s right, the single most important contributor. Conducting an employee engagement survey at least once a year – perhaps more frequently if needed – can help you test the health of your bank’s culture to determine areas of weakness that should be improved upon. Cross says an employee engagement survey is easy to use, highly impactful and can be deployed whether an organization is embarking on cultural initiatives for the first time or if they are trying to determine the effectiveness of improvement efforts. “The easiest way to get this valuable data is to ask employees,” she says. Employee engagement surveys should be as anonymous as possible because, right or wrong, individuals tend to offer a more honest assessment when they don’t have their name attached to something. Employee engagement surveys also should ask important questions regarding overall satisfaction with an employee’s work environment, pay and benefits. Additionally, those types of surveys should create a channel to gather feedback on things the employer can change, such as job flexibility or division of responsibilities. Ask thought-provoking questions and don’t rely solely on numerical rating scales. Cross says what employers do with the feedback is more important than just asking the questions. Timely action is key. By Josh Heck, Syndeo