7 Ways You Can Use Your Core Brand Values to Build a Productive Work Environment

Approximately 90 percent of U.S. businesses say that they have a set of core brand values. However, the majority of these businesses aren’t doing a great job when it comes to teaching these values to their employees.

In fact, when HR reps were asked what percentage of their employees know the company’s core values, only one in 10 said that 80 percent or more of their employees could recite them.

If your employees know your business’s core values, they have the opportunity to use them to be more productive at work.

Read on to learn about seven specific ways you can start communicating and leveraging your business’s core brand values to establish a more productive and positive workplace.

What Are Core Brand Values?

Core brand values are a collection of statements that make it easy for workers and clients alike to understand what is most important to your company and what separates you from other brands. The right core brand values help you to create the right kind of company culture and make it a place where people want to work hard and help the business grow and thrive.

Why They Matter for Modern Workers

Strong core brand values are essential for modern companies and modern workers.

Research shows that companies that have strong core values that their employees share are more likely to have higher rates of customer satisfaction. Companies that openly list their core brand values are likely to see better financial returns as well.

When you have clear core values that resonate with your employees, they’re more likely to want to show up and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. They’re more likely to stick around long-term, too.

Not only does this help you company to be more profitable, but it also helps to attract better employees who will continue to carry out your core values long-term.

How to Use Your Core Brand Values to Encourage Productivity

Clearly, core brand values matter. It’s not just about having a good set of core values, though. It’s about communicating them to your employees and encouraging them to stick to those values in a way that promotes a better workplace.

The following are some effective ways that you can leverage your core company values to ensure that your workers are happy and productive:

1. Make Your Brand Values Clear

A great starting point is to ensure that everyone at your company knows and understands your core brand values.

Remember, the majority of employees have no idea what their company even stands for? How are they supposed to put their best foot forward when they don’t even know what that looks like?

To ensure everyone knows the core brand values, be sure to display them in a prominent location. Print out a poster and stick it on the wall in the main part of the office, and be sure to feature them on your website as well so clients know what to expect when they work with you.

2. Reward Those Who Are Demonstrating Them

When you notice employees who are going above and beyond when it comes to carrying out your business’s core brand values, reward them for that behavior. This could be as simple as a shout-out in your team’s Slack chat, or you could offer them a certificate or even a small prize.

3. Use Them for Talent Optimization

Use your core brand values to help guide you when it comes to talent optimization, too. Keep them in mind during the hiring process to ensure you’re bringing the right people onto the team.

If you use your core values as guideposts, it’ll be easier for you to find the people who are most likely to make the workplace better and more productive.

4. Lead by Example

Make sure you’re demonstrating your company’s core brand values yourself, and encourage other managers and supervisors to do the same. You’ll get much better reactions and work from your employees if you’re walking the walk.

5. Reinforce Them in All Forms of Communication

It’s important to reinforce your core brand values across all forms of communication. Make sure you’re demonstrating them when you talk to employees, when you send emails, or when you send out company newsletters.

6. Incorporate Them into Performance Reviews

Incorporate your core values when you’re creating a rubric for performance reviews, too. Consider whether an employee is demonstrating each of these values while carrying out their job and contributing to the workplace. If they’re not, work with them to figure out how they can start.

7. Focus on Continuous Improvement

Finally, evaluate your approach on a regular basis and looks for ways in which you can improve. Nobody gets anything 100 percent right the first time around. That’s why regular reviews are so important.

Every quarter, sit down with your team and talk about how well your employees are demonstrating each of your core values. Find out if and why people are struggling with a particular value and ask for feedback on how you can help make it easier for them to carry it out.

This will show your employees that they work in a supportive environment, and they’ll be more inclined to continue striving to be better if they know that you have their backs.

Start Using Your Core Brand Values

Now that you know more about the importance of core brand values to your company, as well as how to use them to encourage productivity in the workplace, it’s time to get to work.

Use this information to guide you when it comes to communicating core brand values and ensuring that they’re helping your employees to do their very best work.

When you notice employees demonstrating core brand values or taking other steps to make your business a more productive place, be sure to celebrate their good work.

Use KudosBot to easily praise employees and provide them with feedback through your Slack channels. You’ll be amazed at how effective a simple message can be when it comes to improving the workplace for everyone on your team.