How Leaders Can Change Their Company Cultures By Changing Themselves

Once upon a time, employers could consider (and treat) employees as if they were disposable. This attitude, fueled by a belief that anyone was replaceable at any moment, flooded employees with enough fear to keep them around. That nightmare never should have existed and now has been revealed for what it was: inconsiderate, at best, and borderline abusive, at worst. But a happy, collaborative workplace doesn't have to be the stuff of fairytales.

Employees Today Are Less Loyal Almost Immediately

A new report by Qualtrics found the "honeymoon phase" for new employees is over almost immediately. Even new employees frequently look to leave when unhappy, whereas, in the past, they would remain at an elevated level of engagement for at least a year after taking a new job. Another survey by the American Psychological Association in 2023 found that 55% of workers strongly (21%) or somewhat (34%) agreed their employer thinks their workplace environment is a lot mentally healthier than it actually is; and 77% of workers reported experiencing job-related stress in the last month.

Of those surveyed by the American Psychological Association, 57% indicated experiencing negative symptoms due to work-related stress, which are sometimes associated with workplace burnout. These include emotional exhaustion (31%), a lack of motivation to do their very best (26%), a desire to keep to themselves (25%), a desire to quit (23%), lower productivity (20%), irritability or anger with coworkers and customers (19%), and feelings of being ineffective (18%).

Further contributing to current employer-employee tensions are ongoing debates over remote vs. in-person or hybrid work models. Earlier this year, for example, a leaked video revealed WebMD's CEO "threatening" employees who refused to return to the office. And, while many employees are pushing back on returning to an in-person work environment, employers are simultaneously up against a shaky economy that is impacting their ability to hire and retain great talent.

Employee Loyalty Is Inspired by Employers' Loyalty

The first step to reclaiming and improving workplace culture, which then inspires employee loyalty, is to adopt a top-down leadership mentality that sets the tone for the rest of the company. They say the best leaders are people who don't inherently want to lead, and I think that's true. Bossy people rarely make great bosses.

Servant leaders, on the other hand, inspire others to follow them because they have employees' best interests at heart — and they make this obvious to their staff. These are the directors, managers and executives that employees will follow to the ends of the earth because they trust those leaders are looking out for them, rather than trying to use them. They are also the ones who do not let their own unresolved traumas, moods and psychological hangups spill out onto everyone else. Instead, they strive to find healthy ways to contain and resolve any negative emotions they have to protect their colleagues from inappropriate or unprofessional outbursts.

Servant leaders also tend to make visible and actionable corrections, when they misstep or make mistakes, in the spirit of improving themselves and the company. This shows employees they are also free to make mistakes in the same spirit of ongoing self-improvement — and to improve the company.

Three Tips to Improve Company Culture and Boost Employee Loyalty

Here are three ways today's leaders can help increase employee morale and loyalty.

• Combat Toxic Norms

Many companies in the past embraced a cut-throat culture that encouraged employees to vie for promotions and power. This led to a "crabs in a bucket" phenomenon, where employees would tear each other down while trying to climb to the top. But this approach doesn't encourage teamwork or collaboration, and it can lead to a competitive workplace where the least kind and most cunning employees rise to leadership positions.

While this approach weeds out anyone not up for the job, it also eliminates exceptional employees who may not want to become ruthless to succeed in their professional lives. In addition, it can destroy authentic mentorship, which is vital to developing talent and sculpting the next generation of leaders.

• Cultivate a Considerate Culture

It's important to focus on creating a considerate culture that embraces the Golden Rule. Company leaders who were mistreated by those above them in the past should be discouraged from "paying it forward." Instead, they should be rewarded for becoming the kind of bosses and mentors they wish they had themselves.

Embrace a zero-tolerance policy for blaming, shaming, infighting, gossiping, and backstabbing within the company. In addition, welcoming employees from all walks of life can further increase the team's trust that they are free to be themselves in the workplace. It also inspires greater creativity and productivity, along with the team's ability to address clients and customers with diverse backgrounds and needs.

• Take Care When Hiring and Firing

It's important to ensure all new team members are aligned with the company's culture and values. Many companies have systems in place to do this, which can help maximize team cohesion and reinforce the brand. Every new team member becomes a brand ambassador and should be hired with this in mind.

It's equally important to consider the company brand and values when taking on new clients and/or strategic partners, who also become de facto brand representatives. If employees, clients or partners are not a great fit for the company culture or are somehow threatening to derail the otherwise carefully crafted team spirit, it's equally important to know when to part ways with them. Preserving the considerate culture in place is as important to long-term success as profitability.

When leaders stand up for their teams like this, they demonstrate a commitment to protecting their employees from toxicity. Similarly, when dealing with unreasonable or unkind customers or clients, it's just as important to safeguard employees from off-brand behavior to ensure their well-being, happiness, and ability to deliver excellent results.

This is the time for tomorrow's leaders to step forward and take the reins of their company culture to ensure the workplaces of the future are actually a fairytale — not a nightmare.