Culture Without Compromise Business Summit Takeaways

The Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Summit this past September 22, 2021.  This year’s theme was Culture Without Compromise. The core message of the summit is that your business can create a positive culture without compromising profitability or productivity.  This one-day summit explored this business foundation.  Here were my key takeaways from this year’s summit.

1. Great work cultures over perform in terms of profitability. Great Places to Work Canada compared their list of highly ranked businesses to the industry average and their list was three times as profitable as the industry standard..
2. Develop company values that are meaningful and hire based on these values. Copper Branch has attracted and retained many employees who believe in the corporate values.
3. Work from Home has disrupted the office environment. Employees are demanding more flexibility in terms of work-life balance, career ambitions and life-long learning.
4. Creating a sustainable culture means setting the foundation for an engaged workforce. Enable an environment where employees are engaged and contributing to the culture.
5. Every new hire matters. As your organization grows it gets more difficult to know every new hire well. As a leader of a team, check in with each new hire.
6. Corporate policies need to be based on the values of the organization. As a business grows, corporate policies can also grow. Any created policy needs to be grounded in the company’s values.
7. Culture is everyone’s responsibility. Any staff member can contribute to a positive work environment regardless of title.
8. Surround yourself with people who are different than you. A hiring bias can prevent a company from selecting the best candidate.

Make sure you stay turned for future Chamber business events.  In particular, The Business Summit is an annual one day event each fall season that addresses core business practices.  Great content has always been delivered at this Summit.  You may walk away with new business contacts and leads too.

– Daniel Van Kampen, Economic Development Officer at the Town of Whitby