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HR Party of One is brought to you by BerniePortal.

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Every organization has its unique understanding of the proper way

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to behave within the organization. You’ve probably also heard of this as “culture”.

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An organization’s culture is largely based on its strongly held values and priorities.

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Take a look at Amerisleep. Amerisleep is an American mattress company founded in 2010.

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Napping is a huge part of Amerisleep’s company culture. So much so that the CEO

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actually encourages employees to take naps on the clock. Amerisleep executives are big

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believers in the power of a daytime nap and have even invested heavily in sleep research.

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Their culture and resource allocation very directly reflect their organizational values!

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Unless you work for a mattress company, it probably won’t be as easy to instill a culture

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of napping at your workplace, no matter how badly you may want to. But there are certainly other

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cultural norms you can teach employees on day 1 that can help ensure everyone is on the same page.

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In this episode, we’ll discuss: What are Workplace Cultural Norms?

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Examples of Workplace Cultural Norms, and 3 Tips for Establishing Cultural Norms

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in the Workplace Let’s get started!

What are Workplace Cultural Norms?

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-What are Workplace Cultural Norms? Workplace cultural norms are the shared

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expectations and rules that guide employee behavior in the workplace. Cultural norms

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should reflect the ethics, beliefs, mission, and values of an organization. That means– the

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cultural norms you instill at your workplace should help your organization reach its goals!

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Cultural norms can be some of the determining factors in an organization’s success or failure

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because they directly contribute to a team’s ability to work well together.

Setting Expectations on Day 1

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A new employee’s first day at your organization sets the tone for the rest of their time there–

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and it’s likely the first and last time you will have an employee to yourself all day. So,

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there’s no better time to establish cultural norms than Day 1! If you’re really proactive,

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you might’ve already expressed the cultural norms to candidates during the interview

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process. I highly recommend doing so as it helps job candidates decide early on

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if your organization’s culture is a good fit for them. In any case, cultural norms should

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be reiterated and further explained during onboarding or new-hire orientation. Setting

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expectations on Day 1 can save HR from having some of the awkward conversations later on.

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Although cultural norms are typically “unofficial rules”, the important ones

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should still be highlighted in your Culture Guide or Employee Handbook. Here at BerniePortal,

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we read our entire Culture Guide with new hires on their first day. My team

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and I answer any questions employees may have about the company’s culture and new

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employees go into day 2 feeling prepared and knowing exactly what to expect.

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Your cultural norms should be laid out with 2 main purposes in mind:

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Creating a work environment people enjoy going to and

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Creating a work environment that helps your organization achieve its goals.

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Keep in mind that you create the cultural norms at your organization. What works for

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one organization may not work for another. When establishing cultural norms, you can ask yourself:

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How does your culture embody your organization’s values? Let’s look at some examples:

Examples of Workplace Cultural Norms

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Examples of Workplace Cultural Norms

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Office Norms: In our office,

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people are taking client calls, others are writing blogs, or coding for new software

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updates. Because accomplishing these tasks requires a distraction-free work environment,

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we’ve established the following cultural norms for our office:

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Employees may not play music out loud in the office.

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Employees are expected to use headphones when taking calls.

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Especially in a shared or open-concept office space like ours, abiding by these norms is

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crucial to employee productivity. However, at a different company, playing music out loud may

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be very acceptable and even encouraged. That’s why norms like these must be covered on Day 1.

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If a new employee comes from an organization with very different cultural norms surrounding

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office etiquette or courtesy, they may unintentionally cause disruptions to

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your work environment. Other cultural norms that work for our office include:

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Employees are expected to put their dishes in the dishwasher and

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Employees are expected to refill the coffee pot when they take the last cup.

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In order to communicate these norms effectively, as part of onboarding,

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we take new hires on a tour of the office and walk them over to the kitchen area where we

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show them how and when to refill the coffee. This may seem silly, but it helps ensure the team is

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caffeinated at all times! And we all know caffeinated employees are much more productive.

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Communication Norms: Another category of

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workplace cultural norms is communication. You can decide cultural norms around communication

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by considering the kind of communication that is most conducive to your organization’s goals.

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For example, at BerniePortal employees are expected to ask colleagues “May I

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interrupt you?” before asking questions. AND employees have every right to say:

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“I’m in the middle of something right now. Give me a few minutes” or “I’m a little busy right now,

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can you put a meeting on my calendar?” This expectation helps foster a culture

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where employees honor one another’s time and minimize distractions.

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At our most recent Weekdays with Bernie conference, one of our employer clients shared

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that her organization uses tap lights to express availability. Each employee has a tap light

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attached to the top of their desktop that they can change to green for “I am available”, yellow for

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“I am available if absolutely necessary”, and red for “Please do not disturb me right now”.

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This has worked wonders for her workforce because it enabled employees to see for

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themselves how best to communicate with coworkers at any given moment.

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Cultural norms regarding communication also cover

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the level of professionalism expected when communicating with coworkers, clients,

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or customers. This may vary depending on your industry, but it should be addressed.

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Feedback Norms: Continuous constructive feedback is essential to

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any organization’s success as it helps employers make the most of their workforce’s talent. How

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is feedback handled at your organization? Can it be given at any time or is there time set aside

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for it? How frequently should feedback be given and how is it recorded? Cultural norms around

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feedback are especially important for managers. We use BerniePortal’s performance management

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feature to track 1:1 agendas and conversations between managers and their direct reports.

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This time is also just used to check in with employees about how they are feeling about

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certain projects, etc. Setting an hour aside every week to check in with team

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members helps our organization develop a culture where employees feel valued.

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Keep in mind that what’s considered “acceptable” or “relevant” feedback will look different at

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each organization and for each industry. For example, a retail store may set an expectation

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that employees dress nicely to work. In that case, it would be considered acceptable for

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managers to tell someone on the team that they need to dress nicer. However, that might not be

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the cultural norm at a different organization where the dress code is much more laid back.

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Work-Hour Norms:

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These norms describe expectations regarding work hours and should be outlined before

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hiring. What are the typical work hours for employees? Do they have to be punctual,

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or is flex time offered? Are employees working hybrid, remote, or fully in-office?

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Many organizations also establish norms around taking paid time off (PTO). While PTO itself

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should be established as a policy, the attitude around taking PTO can be established as a cultural

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norm. How far in advance are employees expected to inform management when they

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need PTO? Does your culture promote work-life balance and encourage employees to take PTO?

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Again, cultural norms should reflect your company’s values. For example,

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if your organization values work-life balance and implements an unlimited PTO policy,

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you should work to ensure company culture is positive surrounding employees taking

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PTO. Make it a cultural norm for employees to use PTO without feeling guilty for it.

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Additionally, what are the norms around reaching out to employees during their

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PTO? This can vary by industry. Along the same lines, if you have remote employees you

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may want to consider establishing expectations regarding employees zooming into meetings– Are

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employees expected to have their cameras on? What level of employee engagement is expected?

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Team-Building Norms: Cultural norms also help make

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your workplace somewhere employees enjoy going. At BerniePortal, we try to make a good first

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impression having each team take their new hire out to lunch on Day 1. Additionally,

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new hires meet individually with every member of their team during their first week of employment.

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These norms break the ice and help new employees feel welcomed.

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Because we believe that having fun with your team outside of work impacts how the

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team works together professionally, we encourage teams to get together and do something fun when

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they can. Recently, our marketing team went to an escape room during their lunch hour.

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Other teams host frequent trivia nights and our Dev team even has a soccer team!

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Day to day, employees enjoy going on coffee runs or grabbing lunch together. Although

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employees are certainly not required to participate in any of these activities,

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establishing a culture where getting together is “the norm” helps employees feel included and

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valued, which ultimately bolsters commitment and helps your organization achieve its objectives.

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Relationship Norms: Depending on your industry, you

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may also want to set cultural norms surrounding romantic relationships, relationships between

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managers and direct reports, and relationships between employees. Sometimes, cultural norms

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aren’t enough and a relationship policy becomes necessary. Check out this HR Party of One episode.

3 Tips for Establishing Cultural Norms in the Workplace

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-3 Tips for Establishing Cultural Norms in the Workplace

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Lead by example: Cultural norms help promote an environment that’s optimal for success– and

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this begins with leaders. Leadership sets the tone for the rest of the organization. Cultural

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norms are nurtured through repetition, example, and tradition. If employees don’t see managers

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reloading the coffee after they take the last cup, they won’t feel encouraged to do so themselves.

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Build workplace trust: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen

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Covey is an integral part of our culture here at BerniePortal. According to Covey,

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“Trust is the highest form of human motivation. It brings out the very best

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in people.” If employers and managers trust employees to follow rules and expectations,

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employees will feel a stronger sense of commitment to your organization’s

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cultural norms and they will feel a greater sense of belonging within the organization.

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Aron Ain, our keynote speaker at this year’s Weekdays with Bernie Conference,

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encouraged HR pros to harness the power of workplace trust! He shared that his employees

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don’t have to earn his trust, they have to unearn it– meaning that the relationships

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between employers and employees should always start with trust. When employees feel trusted

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from the very beginning, living by your organization’s cultural norms becomes natural.

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Encourage teams to create their own norms: Individual teams can create their own norms

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that work well within the organization’s overarching expectations and rules.

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Giving employees a sense of ownership over their team’s culture will promote teamwork

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and boost retention. Remember—your role is as strategic as you make it!