Culture Isn’t Just a Buzzword—Here’s How to Make It Real

Culture is one of those buzzwords lately. “How do we improve our culture?” is a question many organizations have found themselves asking time and again in recent years. The truth of the matter is, there isn’t just one answer. It’s a recipe with multiple ingredients—some of which I may not mention here—but all are equally valuable in creating a culture of happy, thriving, and successful employees.

There are many different ways to engage with your employees and create a culture where people actually enjoy coming to work and even look forward to hanging out with their colleagues. Weird, I know.

Team Building

If you want team-building activities that mean something—plan something. I’m not just talking about your weekly one-on-ones. I mean, really plan something. Some of the best organizations I’ve been a part of (both remotely and in-office) have engaged employees in several ways.

The first is a weekly team meeting where the leader shares business updates, the team shares anything they’d like with each other, and once that’s out of the way—you shoot the breeze. You have to be there anyway, right? Why not have a meeting where you get to know each other? Catch up on what’s really happening in life. That show you all love? That book? Did you see that game?! What’s everyone doing this weekend? Has anyone ever traveled to…? You get the idea.

This is how relationships are built. You get to know the team around you—truly—and as a team, you’ll support each other through ups and downs, both personally and professionally.

You may be saying, “Isis, be real. We need to focus and keep people engaged at work.” And you’re right—but having a strong, unified team learning how to work together while doing good things also fills your cup, builds camaraderie, makes memories, and reflects well on your organization.

You can plan things out as a team, have leaders plan them, or take inspiration from the interwebs. For example, I recently saw someone post something about Earth Day—and since I’m writing this blog in April, I thought, wow—a team-building activity where everyone gathers to plant trees for the environment? Or maybe something a little more low-key and less exertive: get a conference room, some pots and flowers from your local hardware store, and a few supplies to share. Add some drinks, good (office-appropriate) music, and great conversation.

You could also do brain games, like the beloved egg drop from our youth. Brain games are great for remote teams too—think Jeopardy with pop culture references, BINGO, Mad Libs, Office Trivia (keep the gossip out, please), a scavenger hunt (yes, even remotely—get creative!), a meme-off, or Pictionary.

Technology has made virtual and hybrid gatherings feasible and easy to manage. These activities help build a dynamic culture that encourages connection and growth. A strong team culture leads to lower turnover, more engaged employees, and a thriving workplace.

These activities can work regardless of your organization’s size. They can be organization-wide or kept within a department. You can theme them around holidays and have competitions and fun events—decorate gingerbread houses, costume contests, holiday trivia, and more. I think you get the idea.

Acts of Service

One of the best ways to build a sense of community and connection among your team is through acts of service. These kinds of activities give people the chance to do something good together, and they say a lot about who you are as a company. A culture of giving speaks volumes—and it feeds directly into your core values.

You can even make it a little competitive. Turn it into a fundraiser where everyone’s entered in a raffle, or award prizes to the teams with the highest participation and the biggest donations. People love a good challenge—and it makes giving back fun.

Some ideas to get you started:

• Book bag and school supply drives

• Prom dress donations for teens who might not have the opportunity otherwise

• Toy drives or giving trees around the holidays

• Food drives or volunteering at the food bank

• Clothing and hygiene drives (the homeless need hygiene too!)

• Partner with a local shelter so employees can volunteer as a group

These moments matter. They build memories, bring your team closer together, and reflect what your organization stands for. And let’s be honest—who doesn’t want to work somewhere that shows up for its community?

Career Development / Succession Planning

Most employees have some idea of what their life will look like in five years when they start a new role. Will they still be in the same job? Will they be on a path to the C-suite? Are they following another passion? Or maybe they’re just starting their career and figuring it out.

Have those scary, open conversations with your employees about what’s next. Even if you don’t have an immediate opportunity, open the door. It helps them stay motivated and work toward something—even if it’s not available yet. Coach them, train them, and help them succeed. And hey, if they leave for an opportunity you helped prepare them for (outside your company), they’ll never forget that you built them up. Maybe they’ll come back one day when the right role is available.

When you develop employees, you build your bench. You’re preparing the next generation of leaders. Yes, some employees will leave. But what happens when you don’t listen, and all the good ones leave anyway?

So have the conversation. Learn what their dream job is. Help them move in the right direction using the tools you both have access to. Create a development plan and chart their—and your—path to success.

One-on-Ones

Now, I can’t talk about employee engagement and culture without talking about regular employee check-ins. Yes—it’s so important, I’ve mentioned them in multiple blog posts. You cannot have a good culture if employees don’t feel heard.

Have regular one-on-ones with individual team members. Schedule time to go over current tasks, progress, concerns, and performance. And make sure it’s a two-way conversation. They’re doing the legwork—so listen to their wins, their struggles, and their ideas. Offer your support and insight where you can.

Take time to talk about their goals. Learn what drives them. How do they like to be recognized? How do they want to receive feedback? What management style helps them thrive?

You don’t have to change yourself ten different ways to suit ten different people—but keep in mind, you’re managing individuals. You’ll need to be a bit of a chameleon.

Also, let them know your preferences—how you like to communicate, how you prefer to be told about an issue, and your management style. Relationships go both ways, and if you don’t offer a piece of yourself, they likely won’t either.

When you wrap up your conversation, send a recap of the relevant topics discussed. And it’s totally okay if you got off-topic—that’s relationship-building. No need to document every tangent.

Engagement Surveys

Engagement surveys are another wonderful tool to gauge employee satisfaction and yet another way to help employees feel heard. There are many tools out there you can use to conduct an employee survey. You can create your own, use a platform that specializes in employee engagement and feedback, or even your HRIS system. But before you jump into these surveys with both feet, there are a few things I’d like you to keep in mind before you ask yourself:

• Why are we doing this survey — are we doing it for the betterment of our employees and their work environment? Are we willing to—or can we even—adjust the benefits we offer? Do we really want to know the state of our company and employee satisfaction, or do we just want a trophy?

• What do you plan to do once you have the survey results in hand? Are you going to implement change, adjust benefits, or do a cost/benefit analysis based on the feedback?

• How will you ensure confidentiality? The reality is, people don’t like participating in these surveys because they think the confidentiality is a bunch of malarkey.

• How will you make the results digestible for leaders?

• Are you planning to share the results with employees? This helps greatly with transparency.

• How often will you be doing these surveys? Will you have regular pulse checks? Progress reports?

  
  

The bottom line is, engagement surveys could be a huge asset to you and your organization. If done properly, you’ll get a wealth of data from which you can create action plans, build goals, and come out on the other end with a stronger team. There is always something to improve upon, right? If you’re genuinely curious but can’t make any changes to something (benefits, for example), I caution against asking about it. And if you aren’t planning to do anything with the results — don’t bother doing the survey at all.

It’s hard enough to get actual participation for these kinds of surveys. Violating someone’s trust and/or doing nothing when they poured their hearts out is discouraging and can have the opposite effect of what you were aiming for.

Employee Recognition

Employees do a lot to help your business succeed. The least you can do is recognize their efforts.

Not everyone likes public recognition—so if you're planning a celebration, check in first. Let them prepare mentally. If they love being celebrated? Great—surprise them!

Recognize individual and group wins in team meetings. Highlight hard work from everyone involved.

Traditional awards like Employee of the Week, Month, or Year are great. So is recognizing tenure and milestones. But you can also try:

• Leadership Award

• Mentorship Award

• Outstanding Collaborator

• Employee Choice

  
  

And please—give a tangible reward. PTO, a trip, cash—something.

On the flip side, don’t call someone out for errors in a public setting. That can create a toxic environment and break trust. Everyone’s watching how you treat others. That matters.

Townhalls / All Hands

The last item I’ll mention — and it’s a big one — is to have regular All Hands meetings, also known as Townhalls. These are a must-have if you want to keep the lines of communication flowing in both directions. You can’t expect employees to share their concerns, ideas, or ways to improve the organization if you’re not also being transparent with them about the health and direction of the business.

Talk about company goals, wins, losses (yes, you win and lose as a team), and any upcoming events. Don’t just keep this high-level either. Let different leaders speak on their areas and share relevant updates. Go into as much detail as you can on upcoming initiatives. Employees want to know what’s going on — and more importantly, they want to know why.

Open the floor to questions. And here’s the key: make sure someone is actually available to answer those questions. And if you don’t know the answer, be honest about it. Don’t make something up on the spot just to fill the silence. Let employees know you’ll find out and follow up — and then actually do it. This builds trust.

Townhalls are also a great time to connect the dots between departments, build camaraderie, and let employees feel like they’re part of the bigger picture. When you create a space where people feel comfortable speaking up, asking questions, and getting clarity, you build a culture of transparency, trust, and shared purpose. That’s how strong organizations are built.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, what it all comes down to is communication. Effective communication is your most powerful tool. Whether it’s through a game, a one-on-one, a survey, a celebration, or a town hall—communicate with empathy and the intent to understand.

When you create space for ideas, listen with intent, and genuinely care about your people, you foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and innovation.

Okay—I’m tired of writing. GO forth and implement some of these ideas in your own workplace. And hey, feel free to reach out if you need anything!