Work culture is the backbone on which any organization is successful. However, it is somewhat invisible; it can be defined only through the actions and behaviors of employees and is therefore difficult to measure or assess.
In order to audit workplace culture and ensure your organization is successful, the following factors should be considered:
- Tone at the top—Good leaders should be aware that their department is only as good as the work of their individual employees. There is a difference between engaged and effectively engaged employees, and the leader is key in making this difference. Employee actions and behaviors, good or bad, are influenced by their leaders. Therefore, the tone of discipline and moral behavior set from the top is extremely important. This can be audited by conducting employee interviews and reviewing incidents of noncompliance to organization policies by leaders and team members.
- Good habits and proactive culture—It is always in the best interest for everyone in the organization to be proactive at work. Being proactive helps achieve the expected outcome while also being prepared for the unexpected. This can be audited by reviewing data on new initiatives implemented by the department and feedback given by managers to employees.
- Reactive habits—Reactive habits are as important as being proactive. Bring mindful, being aware of organizational policies and procedures, and handling moral and ethical dilemmas are some of crucial skills employees need to form good work culture in an organization. This can be audited using data on incident management, customer feedback and surveys.
- Parity—Equality can be seen clearly through the treatment of employees at different levels when crisis situations occur or mistakes happen. Organizational policies should apply equally to all people at all levels, and no employee should get leeway to misuse their position. This can be audited by reviewing data on fraud investigation and attrition rates.
- Employee feedback—Employees should be given a fair chance to share their ideas of areas of improvement and to speak up when they witness actions that are wrong. This empowers them and boosts the morale to work with more enthusiasm and be more productive. This can be audited by reviewing data on employee helplines.
- Risk culture—Risk culture is about having a risk mindset while performing any routine work. It is important to understand what could go wrong, what is one’s role if something indeed goes wrong and what the impact on the organization will be. This will help to manage risk before they are aggravated. This can be audited by reviewing data on risk assessment and risk committees.
An organization and its employees can benefit from a positive work culture that engages employees at different levels to contribute in creating a harmonious and effective environment at work, which can also lead to business growth. Hence, culture plays a vital role in the success of any organization.
Editor’s note: For further insights on this topic, read Sumedha Adavade’s recent Journal article, “Auditing the Unauditable: Ethics and Culture,”, ISACA Journal, volume 3 2023.