When Iain Salteri founded his small business, Kttipay, a great workplace culture was a key priority. In this piece, he shares his four underrated tips for creating the best workplace culture possible.
When I first started my business, one of the most important things to me was creating a workplace culture I could be proud of.
Our culture is something I’ve never cut corners on. Everyone in our business is an equal, and everyone comes to work knowing that their opinion and contribution is valued. But a great workplace culture doesn’t happen overnight; it needs to be intentionally built into a business from day one.
In the two years I’ve been running KttiPay, I’ve learnt a lot about what it takes to grow and maintain a great company culture. So here are my four most underrated secrets to creating the best workplace culture.
1. Hire for culture, not skills
While it might be controversial, I believe that hiring for culture is much more important than hiring for technical skill.
If someone doesn’t fit into the workplace culturally, it can lead to massive problems, like communication breakdowns or even resignations. Whereas if you hire someone who is a great culture fit from the get-go, you can develop gaps in their technical experience all while knowing they already have a great rapport within the team.
When we’re hiring, we have a 15-minute phone call with every candidate applying for a role to learn about who they are as a person, so we can see if they’re going to fit in with the existing team. This has allowed us to achieve a team of high performers where everyone in the room has a really strong voice, but also respects and elevates each other.
2. Assume you’re the dumbest person in the room.
By asking really simple – even dumb – questions, my team is encouraged to elaborate on the thinking that’s led them to making a decision. There’s a huge difference between staff educating their leader and getting defensive when questioned by their leader. So in approaching every department like they’re the experts, and I’m not, allows my team to demonstrate their expertise and strategic thinking, without feeling like they need to defend their decisions. This allows them to feel more empowered in their decision-making, which leads to my third tip…
3. Empower decision-making at all levels
If I walk into a room and tell everyone the answer, then why am I paying 15 people to do the job? I’ve hired my team because they’re the experts in their fields, so they need to know that I trust them to make the decisions I’ve hired them to make. If you can feel yourself micromanaging, take a step back, remind yourself why you hired them, and next time you walk into the room, let your employees take the lead. Chances are, they know better than you! Remember, your time is best spent problem solving and removing barriers for them, not creating them.
4. Listen to employees
My most important advice for a fantastic workplace culture. But how do you really listen? Ask more questions than you answer. Most often, your team already has the answers. Encourage them to get there by talking as little as possible and guiding them down the thought process by asking questions.
Also, welcome feedback as early as possible. I take new employees out for coffee when they start, and encourage their honest feedback about the business. I do this with everyone in the team every few months to foster open lines of communication and show them that I’m keen to hear their thoughts, even if they’re negative.
