Why does it matter whether your workplace culture is built on a strong foundation？ Why should employers and leaders care？ It turns out that culture matters a lot.

将职场文化建立在坚实基础之上为什么如此重要？为什么雇主和领导者必须重视？事实证明，职场文化至关重要。

Some people think that building workplace culture or employee morale is a somehow altruistic venture—that we do these things to be good people. This ignores the fact that companies with strong workplace cultures actually perform better.

有些人认为，打造职场文化或提升员工士气在某种程度上是一种利他行为，即我们这么做是为了当个好人。这种想法忽略了一个事实：拥有良好职场文化的公司确实运营得更好。

Although it may seem like a luxury， a strong workplace culture is what truly sets companies apart. It’s what humanizes brands and pays real dividends.

良好的职场文化虽看似难得，却能真正让公司与众不同。正是它赋予品牌人性，并带来真正的回报。

Here are seven reasons why building a positive and supportive workplace culture is essential.

打造积极互助的职场文化至关重要，以下是七点理由。

※ It fuels creativity

※ 提升创造力

At its best， workplace culture can be a powerful tool for breaking down barriers and sparking new ways of thinking. It can create an environment  where employees feel free to take risks， experiment and collaborate.

理想的职场文化是破除障碍、激发创新思维的强大手段。它能营造一个让员工乐于冒险、尝试和协作的环境。

As a leader， aim to create an environment where new ideas are welcomed， supported and encouraged. Try to instill a sense of pride and ownership in employees and create a culture where everyone is doing their part while working toward the same goals.

作为领导，应该致力于营造欢迎、支持并鼓励新思想的环境。努力培养员工的自豪感和主人翁意识，打造全员各司其职、奔赴共同目标的职场文化。

When that happens， amazing things can happen.

这种文化一旦形成，美好的事情就会发生。

※ It reduces the risk of employee burnout

※ 降低员工工作倦怠风险

According to the American Psychological Association’s 2022 Work and Well-being Survey， when employees were asked to choose what forms of support they would like employers to offer， 41% chose flexible hours， while 34% chose a culture that respects time off， 33% chose the ability to work remotely and 31% chose a four-day work week.

根据美国心理学会2022年的“工作与福祉调查报告”，当员工被问及希望雇主提供何种形式的支持时，41%选择了弹性工作时间，还有34%选择了尊重休假时间的企业文化，33%选择了可以远程办公，31%选择了一周工作四天。

It’s safe to say that having a workplace culture that values employees’ well-being helps ensure that they don’t become overwhelmed or overworked—thus reducing the risk of burnout.

可以肯定地说，重视员工福祉的职场文化有助于防止员工不堪重负或过度劳累，从而降低工作倦怠风险。

※ It attracts top talent

※ 吸引顶尖人才

A strong workplace culture is often more attractive to prospective employees than higher pay. People want to work for companies where they feel valued—whether it’s through recognition， respect or the prospect of growth.

良好的职场文化往往比更高的薪资更能吸引潜在雇员。人们希望为重视自己的公司工作——这种重视既可以通过对员工的认可、尊重，也可以通过员工的发展前景体现出来。

Invest in team-building activities， offer meaningful rewards and incentives， and recognize employee achievements publicly—these are all small investments that can help a business build a positive culture.

举办团队建设活动，提供有意义的奖励和激励，公开表彰员工的成绩——这些都是有助于企业打造积极职场文化的小投入。

When employees feel like they’re supported， they’re also more likely to stick with the company， thereby lowering costs associated with turnover.

当员工感受到自己获得支持时，他们就更有可能长期效力于企业，从而降低人员流动的成本。

※ It creates engaged employees

※ 打造敬业的员工团队

One benefit of a positive workplace culture is increased employee engagement. Employees who feel empowered and valued in their workplace are more likely to be engaged with the organization.

积极职场文化的一大优势在于提升员工敬业度。在职场中获得赋能感和价值感的员工，更有可能主动投入公司事务。

Engaged employees tend to take more ownership of their work， be more productive and be more loyal to the company—all of which benefit the bottom line.

敬业的员工往往对工作更有主人翁意识，工作效率更高，并且对公司更忠诚——所有这些都有利于提升企业盈利。

※ It fosters innovation

※ 促进创新

A company that constantly innovates tends to breed more innovation. When the corporate culture rewards those with new ideas， people naturally begin to offer more ideas. In my experience， employees in these environments start looking for new ideas if they feel empowered and valued. They’re also more likely to take risks and make bold decisions when they know that their work is appreciated.

持续创新的公司往往会孕育出更多创新。当企业文化奖励有新想法的员工时，人们自然就开始提出更多想法。根据我的经验，在这种环境中，员工若获得赋能感和价值感，就会开始寻找新的想法。当知道自己的工作受到重视，他们也更有可能冒险并做出大胆的决定。

We once presented three concepts to a Fortune 100 brand， one of which was created by an intern. The company bought that intern’s idea， so we gave her a full-time job. It’s powerful when you have a framework where good ideas can come from literally anyone.

我们曾经向一家《财富》100强企业展示三个创意，其中一个是由一位实习生提出的。这家公司买下了那位实习生的创意，于是我们给她提供了一份全职工作。如果公司体系允许任何人提出好创意，那是很强的举措。

To create an environment of innovation， rethink what it means to be someone’s boss. A boss should be there to help people grow， make sure they have the knowledge and experience to contribute workable ideas， and， when needed， decide which way a team is going to go.

要打造创新环境，就要重新思考成为别人的老板意味着什么。老板应该随时助力员工成长，确保他们具备必要的知识和经验来提出可行的想法，并在必要时决定团队的发展方向。

But if you create an environment in which the boss’s ideas are executed by the minions， people pick up on that pretty quickly. No one dares tell the boss when one of their ideas isn’t good， and there’s no point thinking from your own perspective. This will completely kill innovation.

但是，如果打造的职场环境是由下属执行老板的想法，人们很快就会意识到这一点。没人敢告诉老板他的想法不好，员工从自己的角度思考问题也没有任何意义。这将彻底扼杀创新。

※ It generates a sense of belonging

※ 产生归属感

Organizational culture is just one factor that influences employees’ sense of belonging at work. This is important because according to Gartner， “creating a sense of belonging in the workplace results in greater on-the-job effort and high employee performance.”

企业文化是影响员工职场归属感的一大因素。这一点之所以重要，是因为根据高德纳咨询公司的说法，“在职场中创造归属感能够促使员工在工作中付出更多努力并提升绩效”。

※ It can lead to better leaders

※ 造就更优秀的领导者

Having a positive workplace culture also can lead to better leaders as workplace stress can cause people， including desired leaders， to decline promotions.

积极的职场文化还有助于造就更优秀的领导者，因为职场压力会导致员工——包括那些有望成为优秀领导者的人——拒绝升职机会。

To create a strong culture for honing good leaders， offer training and development opportunities， delegate tasks appropriately and empower those around you to make decisions. Being able to lead by example can help your employees learn how to become better leaders themselves.

要营造有利于培养优秀领导者的良好企业文化，就要提供培训和发展的机会，合理分配任务，并授予你身边的人决策权。以身作则会有助于员工学习如何让自己成为更优秀的领导者。

Remember， your people are what makes your company， so invest in them.

记住，员工是公司的根本，因此要对他们不吝投入。

The Bottom Line

起码的要求

Cultivating a positive workplace culture takes effort and dedication， but the rewards are worth it. And the cost of not doing so， particularly in today’s tight labor market， is extremely high. My guiding principle is to work daily to build the type of company I would like to work for. That principle has helped me many times in deciding where to invest.

营造积极的职场文化需要付出努力和心血，但回报丰厚。尤其在如今劳动力市场供不应求的情况下，不这么做代价高昂。我的指导原则是，每天努力打造我自己也愿意为之工作的那种公司。这个原则已多次帮助我决定在哪些方面投入资源。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）