By Brian Shapland, general manager of turnstone
Startup culture is known for its agile workplaces, passionate founders, and “work hard, play hard” approach to getting things done. But these days it isn’t just Silicon Valley’s latest billion-dollar valuations grabbing headlines—it’s legacy giants like Ford, Cisco, and others looking to activate or awaken a sense of startup culture to snag talent, innovate, and remain relevant in a progressive marketplace.
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What is it about startup culture that has people paying attention? What’s behind the hoodies and ping-pong tables garnering the attention of companies large and small, old and young? Aside from the free food and creative benefits, we believe much of this startup success stems from passionate employee engagement—because invested employees are the ones who stick around to build relationships, take risks, and move the needle.
Employee engagement and the physical workplace
In its recently released 360 Global Workplace Report, Steelcase, Inc. surveyed workers around the globe about issues impacting engagement and worker satisfaction.
One of the most striking findings was that 88% of the world’s most highly engaged employees report feeling empowered to choose where to work based on the task at hand, and 96% say they enjoy the ability to move and change postures throughout the day.
This freedom to move around, choose where to work, and change postures is evident throughout startup culture, and according to the research insights, presents itself in four unique ways.
Ready for startup culture in your workplace?
If you’re looking to boost engagement and activate a sense of startup culture in your workplace, start here:
- Authenticity: Startups herald authenticity as their North Star, leading them to bigger and better things without sacrificing who they are or who they aspire to be. From a day-to-day standpoint, this means employees are accepted for who they really are. There’s never pressure to put aside one’s true self in favor of a more buttoned-up, “office version.” That means jeans and tattoos are fine. And when it comes to work styles, startup culture encourages workers to choose where to work based on the task at hand, contributing to that 88% engagement.
• A 2014 Harris Poll reports that 32% of Gen Y prefer to work in lounge settings, so strive to make them acceptable, available, and supported in the workplace. Additionally, standing height tables and traditional desks should all be included so that people can work in ways that feel comfortable, natural, and that support their unique productivity needs.
- Agility: Maintaining a fast pace and sense of urgency are critical to startup culture, even if that means hacking processes already in place, like those related to vendor onboarding, for example. Workplaces of any size can promote agility in their physical environment by providing easy-to-access collaboration zones and standing height tables to enable quick project meetings. As mentioned, providing this range of postures and supporting workers’ ability to move freely between them is key to fueling engagement.
• The workplace should incorporate plenty of accessible power sources to keep devices charged and keep teams moving forward. Layering in analog brainstorming tools like whiteboards and post-its keep ideas flowing and support digital project creation.
- Passion: Engaged employees care deeply, often adopting the same level of passion as the founder or their team leader. They want to know they’re making a difference and look to leadership for clarity on their mission and vision. Leadership can foster passion within their organization by creating a shared consciousness around group missions like community volunteering, cycling, education, or hiking—whatever their collective purpose centers around.
• Bringing passion into the workplace can also be achieved by incorporating visual reminders of personal hobbies and outside pursuits into the physical space. Giving employees the opportunity to conduct “lunch-n-learns” around those passions or share them in other ways can infuse excitement and enthusiasm into the broader team while boosting culture.
- Personality: Engaged employees in supportive startup cultures are encouraged to find ways to incorporate their personalities into their physical spaces at work. Whether it’s bringing in photos of pets or loved ones, reminders of recent trips, or stickers on laptops, infusing personality puts individuality in the spotlight in a way that contributes to the larger vibe of the group, making your company or team stand out in the sea of sameness.
• Whenever possible, involve your team in your space’s design process, allowing them to contribute ideas for physical layout and aesthetics. Giving them a voice in the process will give them a forum to bring their personality to the table.
Building a robust, vibrant startup culture means that employees must be empowered to make choices when it comes to where and how they work, and should be encouraged to bring their personalities and passions with them to the office.
Efforts to deliver on these freedoms pay off when talent sticks around to build relationships and take creative risks. When workers are engaged and invested in their jobs and their companies, the yield is a satisfied, innovative workforce and a healthy, growing bottom line.
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Prior to his role as general manager, Brian held a variety of sales and sales management roles for Steelcase, calling on clients, dealers, and the design community out of Chicago and around the Midwest for 11 years, followed by a 2-year stint at Steelcase’s headquarters, Grand Rapids, MI, leading a multi-disciplinary sales team. |
Brian Shapland is the general manager of