The importance of healthy workplace culture for a smooth and productive company cannot be understated. Company culture is what makes a company unique, and it can either give employees a sense of purpose and pride or make them dread coming to work each day.
The old-school model of fostering cohesion through team buildings and live get-togethers is no longer viable in the modern workplace. Hybrid work models and fully remote teams have become the new norm, making it more important than ever to find ways to promote a healthy workplace culture virtually.
And even though building a strong and healthy culture within your organization is neither a simple nor a quick task, there are a few key tools that can help you foster the right type of culture.
In this article, we'll be going through the 10 best tools that will help you foster a healthy culture in more than one way.
Lorino
It might seem obvious that communication is the key to healthy workplace culture, and even though every company has at least one channel for internal communication, most of them contribute very little to company culture - and if they do, they might be doing more harm than good. This is where Lorino comes in.
Lorino is a communication tool that is designed to help employees feel more connected to their company and to each other, and it does this by making communication simple, efficient, and fun.
How it works
Lorino helps connect employees not only within one team, but also across teams, and it does this by organizing communication into various topics - such as "Watercooler" for casual conversation, "Projects" for work-related discussion, "Notices" for company-wide announcements and so on - you can literally create as many as you want or need.
Information is shared via posts - written or with pictures attached. Those posts can be assigned to one topic, but users also have the option to add tags in order to make it easier for others to find the info in the future.
This easy form of communication is a great benefit of this app in a lot of ways.
Benefits:
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Short Onboarding: The onboarding process is incredibly short because the app is super simple to use. Everyone who has ever posted something on any social media platform will immediately understand how this works.
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Easy access to shared information: Unlike other communication channels, Lorino stores your posts indefinitely, so all shared information can be accessed whenever needed. Finding them is also a matter of seconds since all you need to do is use the search function and type in either the topic or a related tag to find what you are looking for.
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Transparency: Everything that's being discussed is out in the open for everyone to see, so there are no secrets or hidden agendas. You also have the option to share certain topics with specific teams only, in order to not overload everyone with information that's not relevant to them, but when it comes to shoutouts and company-wide announcements, everyone will see it.
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Inclusivity: This helps create a more inclusive company culture. Because all employees have access to the same information, there is no need for hierarchy or gatekeepers. Everyone can participate in the discussion equally.
Drawbacks:
- Stand-alone app: The only real drawback Lorino might have is that it is a stand-alone app that does not integrate into your existing intranet. While this might not be an issue for some, others might prefer a communication tool that is more deeply integrated.
Jostle
Jostle is a cloud-based collaboration and social networking software that allows organizations to share news, organize teams, invite participants, and reward contributions. Employees may exchange ideas in either an open or closed collaborative setting using the platform.
How it works
As mentioned before, transparent communication is a key factor in any healthy culture really, and Jostle is one of the tools that can help you achieve that. Jostle does that in a variety of ways, as it offers employees the chance to share posts, have open discussions, or contact others via direct message.
While the added functionality makes the tool more versatile, it also makes it a bit harder to use. While some people might prefer to have all that in one place, for some it could get a bit overwhelming and eventually stressful to use.
Benefits:
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All in one platform: Unlike other apps in this category, Jostle could be used as an all-in-one solution for all your internal communication needs, as it provides employees with the means to share posts, have open discussions and contact others via direct message.
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Flexible: You can use Jostle for a variety of purposes, from sharing news and announcements to organizing teams and rewarding employees for their contributions.
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Recognition: The recognition feature is a great way to reward employees for their good work and to encourage them to keep up the good work.
Drawbacks:
- It could be a lot: If you aren't looking for an all-in-one solution, and do not want to be replacing Slack, then Jostle might be a bit too much. No one really likes to be communicating with the same people through several channels - this is not only inconvenient but could also be stressful for some.
WorkVivo
Similar to the previous tools, WorkVivo also aims to improve our company culture by providing a way for everyone to share important information, give and receive recognition, connect with others, and more.
How it works
WorkVivo has a lot of the same features we already mentioned: Information is shared in the form of posts which can be categorized into topics. It offers an alternative to emails and extensive meetings and complements tools like Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams by enabling messages to reach further across the organization and stay available over time
What makes WorkVivo quite different though is that employees can share their thoughts via live streams and podcasts. It also has recognition through public shout-outs, badges, and awards.
Benefits:
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Podcasts and live streams: The ability to share thoughts via podcasts and live streams is a great way to engage certain employees personally - mostly younger generations - who are not keen on reading tons of emails or participating in endless meetings.
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Recognition: WorkVivo has a few different recognition features that are sure to make your employees feel appreciated. These include public shout-outs, badges, and awards.
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Easy to use: The UX is similar to what you would expect from a social network, so most people will be able to pick up on all the fun features quite easily.
Drawbacks:
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It might not be necessary: If you feel like your company culture is already in a good place, and you are mostly looking for a way to improve communication, then WorkVivo might be overkill. You might not need all the bells and whistles it has to offer when a more basic tool would suffice.
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It could get expensive: WorkVivo has a few different pricing plans, and the more features you want to use, the more you will have to pay. If you're not careful, you could end up spending quite a bit of money on a tool that might not even be necessary.
Sprout at Work
If you feel like communication is not the only area where your company culture could use some improvement, then Sprout at Work might be a good option for you. This app has been created a decade ago with the mission to make well-being more accessible to the modern workforce.
How it works
Sprout is a corporate health and wellness platform that allows employees to access holistic health information, tailored suggestions, social networks, challenges, health risk questionnaires, groups, and more quickly and conveniently.
It's a corporate wellness program designed to improve employee health by encouraging them to engage in good health behaviors, and it includes features such as gamification, incentive management, and a wellness portal.
As an online solution with iOS and Android apps, Sprout enables your employees to access health information whenever and wherever - as long as they have internet access.
Benefits:
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A holistic approach to well-being: Sprout doesn't just focus on physical health, but also on mental, emotional, and social health. This is important because all these factors are interconnected, and a problem in one area can affect the others.
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Engaging platform: The platform uses gamification techniques to encourage employees to keep using it. For example, they can earn points for taking part in challenges, and these points can be used to redeem rewards.
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A comprehensive solution: Sprout is not just a wellness app - it's a complete corporate wellness solution. This means that it includes features like incentive management and a wellness portal.
Drawbacks:
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It could get expensive: The price of Sprout at Work depends on the number of employees you have, and it can get quite pricey for larger organizations.
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Not everyone might appreciate it: Even though the well-being of each and every employee should be your concern, not all of them might like your interference in their lives. Some people might see this app as a way for the company to control their behavior and micromanage their health.
Ketchup
Ketchup is a fun team-building tool that will quickly make your team more cohesive, even if most of your employees work remotely. It's a fast, simple, and asynchronous method to truly understand and bring out the best in one another.
As mentioned before, traditional team building no longer suffices when it comes to making your employees feel included, especially if most of them are working remotely. That's where this little tool can come in handy. Ketchup, as it says on their website, is the secret sauce of a functional team.
How it works
The app allows each employee to share information about themselves in a simple, yet very engaging way. They can share their favorite foods, music, and even how they are feeling using a slide bar.
The point of it is to bring the people closer together as they would when meeting in person in the office but without the awkwardness of having to small talk next to the water cooler.
It's a very unique approach to solving a very modern problem of fostering cohesion between virtual strangers who could have nothing in common except for their workplace.
Benefits:
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Fosters cohesion: Ketchup is a great way to make sure that everyone in the team feels included and bonded with one another.
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Fun to use: The app is very easy to use, and it's also quite fun. It's a refreshing change from traditional team-building exercises which can often be boring.
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Simple yet engaging: The interface is very simple, but it's also engaging. It doesn't require a lot of time or effort to use, but it's still effective.
Drawbacks:
- It might not be suitable for everyone: Some people might not like the idea of sharing personal information with their colleagues. Others might find the whole concept too childish.
In Conclusion
There are a lot of different tools that can be used to promote a healthy workplace culture. Each company is different, and so the right tool for one might not be the right tool for another. It's important to find what works for your company and your employees.
The most important thing is to acknowledge that in these changing times, company culture is more important than ever. It's what will make your employees stay with you through thick and thin, and it's what will make them happy and productive.
