Global pharmaceutical company Takeda takes its Japanese roots to heart, infusing its mission and vision with traditional Japanese values such as integrity, fairness, perseverance, and honesty. Company leaders set the tone for this culture, valuing trust first and foremost, followed by reputation and then business success. These core values are also embraced by Takeda’s employees who, despite being scattered across several continents, in various manufacturing plants, offices, and remote working environments, remain committed to the “Takeda-ism.” Company culture is integrated naturally from the top down.

Amina Lobban, head of HR business excellence global manufacturing, supply & quality at Takeda shared insight into this culture in a panel discussion at From Day One’s recent conference in Boston. Lobban says that the company appoints “values ambassadors” to whom fellow workers can voice concerns that are then trickled up through ethics and compliance. Having employee advocates working side-by-side with colleagues is just one strategy to make workers feel seen, heard, and appreciated.

The panel explored how a workplace culture that supports productivity, loyalty, and overall organizational success is built when employees feel recognized and engaged. Experts from five successful organizations discussed scalable strategies for bolstering workplace culture.

Taking a Much Needed Pulse Check

This is where new technological advancements and software comes in, automating data collection to further employee engagement. Regular surveys allow employers to get a sense of how the team is feeling about workplace issues, company culture, recognition, career advancement, and more. Alexis von Kunes Newton, head of global talent development & performance at online retailer Wayfair, notes that leaders should cross-reference that data with demographics to see trends that might indicate deeper issues tied to culture and identity. “We ask questions about whether they have a sense of belonging,” Newton said. “Can I come to work feeling like I don't need to hide a part of who I am?”

Surveys with open text questions can help employers gain insight into issues they might not have otherwise been aware of or have known to ask about. Newton says Wayfair likes to ask, “What’s one thing you value about your role or team?” and “What’s one thing you would change?” both of which not only help employees feel seen and heard, but can also drive strategy for adjustments to corporate culture.

Jacqueline Fearer, head of global culture & engagement communications at enterprise information management company Iron Mountain, shares that her organization has asked “What’s one thing you wish the CEO could know?” – with surprising results! “We got almost 10,000 comments,” Fearer said. Easy fixes like “the lights are out in the parking lot, there's no coffee in the kitchen” that helped employees feel appreciated, to bigger company-wide cultural concerns like “we need to know the strategy better” or “I don't even know why I'm answering this because nothing is ever done.” The latter lit a fire under management to begin taking even the smallest of concerns more seriously.

Surveys can help leaders bridge the gap to understand and connect with employees with wildly different personalities and performance styles and learn how best to support them. Matt Stone, senior solutions consultant at Attuned, describes an otherwise beloved employee whose communication style was different from his own. “Because of the methodology of a survey, I had better data to understand another human being who's not like me a little bit better, and give him more of what he needs to feel recognized and respected.”

Using Intentional Language

The language used by corporate leadership can have a trickle-down effect on employee morale. Certain words that are part of hyper-modern corporate jargon, for example, may not play well outside of the United States, where nuance or a sense of irony can be lost in literal translation. Iron Mountain used to brag about “obsessing over our customers.” Fearer pushed back on this notion. “Obsess is not even a good word in North America,” she said. “So, if you have someone in Singapore or China who wants to please the CEO, and they look up the word ‘obsess,’ it's not going to go well.”

This careful choice of phrasing extends to how employee recognition is discussed – or not. It’s vital to call a professional development opportunity exactly what it is. Networking opportunities, educational programs, and promotions are all forms of professional development, but employees may not realize that is what is happening and report it as a missing element of corporate culture if it’s not spelled out. “You have to name it,” Fearer said. Such educational opportunities and promotions, Newton notes, are an important form of employee recognition. “Career development is highly correlated with overall employee engagement and retention,” Newton said.

Takeda even offers a career navigator program that can match current employees with other open roles across the company, increasing retention by encouraging those that might want to change their pathway to do so without leaving the organization, Lobban says. Takeda also provides visual career pathways (digitally and even laid out on the walls and floors of its manufacturing hubs) so that employees can visualize the map of their career advancement at the organization.

A Personal Touch Goes a Long Way

Session moderator Paris Alston, co-host of “Morning Edition,” GBH News, points out that sending out finely tuned employee surveys is helpful, but not enough. “Even though we have this reliance on technology, there are some things that can be lost,” Alston said.

One-on-one conversations are meaningful, shares Deborah Merkin, CEO and Founder, GiftCard Partners, a company that provides workplace incentives. “It’s saying, ‘you did a good job.’ It’s saying, ‘thank you,’” Merkin said. This makes a difference especially for companies that are particularly small or fully remote. Fearer shares that one team leader at Iron Mountain sends handwritten postcards to the homes of employees who are excelling, which also means their spouse or children may see the praise too.

Establishing a Culture Across a Hybrid Workforce

Modern employees value a sense of belonging in their daily work life. “Belonging is developing or creating an environment where people feel like I can be who I need to be at work, people understand the challenges that I have, and I'm accepted for that.” Lobban explained.

This can prove a little challenging in a remote working world. Companies with a hybrid model can encourage remote workers to occasionally come in for in-person meetings or community days, while in turn also respecting certain employees’ needs and desires to work mostly outside of the office, if that is what they choose. It all comes down to finding a balance of maintaining personal connection while also respecting each person’s individual identity, preferences, and needs. In a post-pandemic world, companies where remote work is possible should consider, Lobban says, giving “that flexibility for people so that they can live their life and be successful at work at the same time.”

When it comes down to it, leaders and employees need to practice self-awareness and self-acceptance when developing a workplace culture that works best for their team, recognizing when something is wrong and having the humility and dignity to fix it. By developing strategies that incorporate compassion, listening, and relationship-building, companies of all sizes can build a workplace culture that makes employees feel respected and drives the company’s mission forward.

Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost, Honeysuckle Magazine, and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, and CBS New York.