How your fleet company performs is directly correlated with how well your employees think and feel about working there. When they are proud of their job, the entire organization will benefit from this positive feeling. The opposite is true when they don't really like working at your company.
With 51% of Americans reporting being satisfied with their workplaces, this number can be too small to drive the kind of impact you would want your company to have. One thing that is at the root of this problem is the work culture.
How then can you improve the situation for the other 49% of your fleet company?
Find out what exactly you would want to see and hear at your workplace. Defining your work culture is the best way to begin instilling it. Take a look at your core values and attributes, and then amplify the ones you want to see practiced more often. Once you have them in place, now communicate them to all workers.
Break down the values into bits that can be easily conveyed and absorbed. In this way, your employees become your advocates and ambassadors.
Powerful yet open communication is the heart of every functioning relationship. Poor communication habits at the workplace lead to strained relationships which affect performance. An effective work culture is heavily dependent on how you talk. It's not just a matter of how many times you communicate, but rather, the quality of those interactions.
It involves using the right channels to pass messages. The wording matters, as well as the tone of voice and body language. The timing and setting of the communications also have to be well thought out. This way, your staff won't get perplexed when you introduce new systems and ideas to them.
A whopping 63% of employees do not feel appreciated at their places of work. Imagine how much more dedication you can get by simply praising your employees for the great job they are doing. Won't you have a fleet organization working flat out?
Start by reinforcing positive habits, since every worker will respond to whatever form of praise. Some like to be told they are doing a remarkable job while others appreciate a simple note or card. You can also empower your drivers to work on fleet safety with you by involving them in decision making.
As you dedicate your time to improving the work culture, also pay attention to the people involved. One outstanding way of doing this is to listen. Additionally, few things are as powerful as showing empathy to another human being.
Empathy plus respect goes a long way towards enhancing your work culture. When you do it, your employees will follow suit and repeat it amongst themselves. This not only improves relations between employees but also uplifts the work culture.
While it is impressive to have a diverse workforce, sometimes those you hire may not be right for the kind of work culture you want to foster. As a company that relies heavily on your fleet, you wouldn't want to have risky drivers giving you sleepless nights.
Have a sit down with such drivers and try to get to the bottom of the misalignment. If they are not happy with their current role, a change may help them fit in, and even improve their performance. When the said people are not willing to embrace changes such as your work culture, they could be problematic; in which case, you should go your separate ways.
Establishing a functional work culture takes a lot of trial and error before landing on a formula you can embrace. If you are just starting, you won't have to go through all these motions.
At Wilmar, we specialize in fleet selection and management solutions since 1980. We know how to get your enterprise up and running while also fostering a work culture that suits your fleet company. If you would like to know more, get in touch with us now.