A recent study showed 69% of people listed company culture as the main reason for leaving their current employer.   While salary increases are also a major factor, budgetary constraints may not always allow you as the business owner to be in control of that.  What you can control is how people feel about working for you.   Below are five tips to follow to cultivate a positive work culture for your staff.  

A lot of time is spent at work,  and while productivity is a top priority for all business owners, you should also show your team they're allowed to let loose and have some fun.  Engagement activities can be as simple as getting breakfast for the team, or ordering tacos on National Taco Day.  It's the small things that go a long way in showing your team you care about their well being and happiness.  

Another great way to engage your team is to have a quarterly "Go-Giver" activity, which is aimed toward giving back to your local community.  This is a positive team building exercise for your team, and enforces a positive outlook, making them proud of the organization they work for and their contributions.  These activities can be as simple as making sandwiches for a local homeless shelter or donating coats in the winter.  Do something  your entire office can do collectively and pick a specific cause to get behind that aligns with the core values of your organization.  

Celebrate Achievements with Quarterly Rewards and Recognition 

Recognize the achievements of your team members with awards and reward the whole team with a quarterly reboot or team outing.   You want to recognize the hard work of your team on a quarterly basis, highlighting the key players that have had a significant contribution.  People want to know their efforts are being noticed, and this helps enforce that feeling. 

Reboots reward the team as a whole and should have  an element of team building.  It's about bringing the collective together to do something fun and recognize the great work done by your team as a whole.   You don't need to spend a lot of money, but you should do something that your team will find value in so they truly feel appreciated.  Some ideas include office Olympics, trivia night, or bowling.  Find a way to get your team together in a way that's not related to their day-to-day responsibilities.

It's recommended to do the rewards and recognition and reboot on the same day within the first week or two after the close of the quarter.  It's a great way to bring everyone together to wind down, and get motivated for the upcoming quarter.    

Have Consistent Internal Communications 

Create an internal newsletter that goes out once a month, typically on the last day of each month, to recap everything that's happened within the organization over the last 30 days.  Talk about what's happening within the company, include any corporate documents, videos or marketing collateral that you released, pictures from engagement activities, reboots, or rewards and recognition.  Other ideas can be  including a brief message from a member of your leadership team, inspirational quotes, birthdays, work anniversaries, and new hires.  Anything that gives you the opportunity to highlight the positive things happening within  your organization.   It's an opportunity to be your brand ambassador and highlight all the great things your company is doing.    Be your own cheerleader and spend some time concentrating on what's good, which  reinforces that positive environment.  

Highlight Your Team and Your Company Culture on Social Media

Use social media as an outlet to highlight your team and the core values of your organization.   A great way to call attention to a team member is to have a #TeammateTuesday which highlights someone every week and acknowledges their contributions.  You should also share photos of all your engagement activities, and record testimonials from  team members allowing them to share their experiences working at your organization.    Your employees will respond to seeing their picture on your social media sites, and will appreciate the positive reinforcement not only from you, but from their peers.  

Keep it Consistent! 

The key is to keep it consistent.  Don't start something if you're not fully committed to consistently executing it.  Assign specific responsibilities to members of your HR team to ensure things are done consistently, fairly, and in a timely manner.  Create and outline a plan and stick with it!  Success happens, but it takes time to get everyone behind your culture efforts.  If you're not consistent, you're starting from the ground over and over again.  Consistency will also build  a level of trust and added respect from your team, motivating them to be productive members of your organization.