Working productively: Understanding workplace culture

Whether you work in a factory, a restaurant or an office, you need to learn about your workplace culture in order to be successful. Every organization has its own personality and style that influences how employees dress, how they talk with each other, how decisions are made and how each employee fits into the bigger picture.

Why workplace culture is important
Workplace culture can be seen as a set of rules, both formal and informal, that govern workplace behavior. This includes how employees dress and talk as well as more important issues, such as how they set and meet goals, handle challenges, recover from setbacks and advance within the organization.

Understanding your organization's culture can give you a useful framework when you are unsure how to proceed on a project or an assignment. And if you are a manager or hope to be a manager in the future, being able to pass on this knowledge to new employees will be key to helping them succeed.

Finally, understanding the culture of your workplace is also crucial for your personal career development. It's difficult to advance in an organization if you don't have a clear understanding of how to make positive connections with the people in upper management and how to make sure they know about your work.

What's the culture of your workplace?
Workplace cultures can range from casual, performance-based organizations to more rigid organizations where seniority rules.

You can begin to understand your workplace culture by reading and understanding official policies and guidelines, such as the company mission, values statements or marketing collateral. Another aspect that drives an organization's culture is its structure and hierarchy. Who reports to whom, what department reports to what division, and who is able to make key decisions or overturn them all play a role in how a culture develops.

Your company culture also evolves from the unwritten daily "rules" that govern much of everyday work behavior. The hours that employees tend to work, how people dress, how managers interact with employees and how friendly employees are with each other are all examples of factors that informally work together to create the daily culture of an organization.

Adapting to your workplace culture
You don't have to change your personality in order to fit in at work, but you may find that adopting some of the more visible characteristics of your workplace culture can help you get along better with coworkers and managers and allow you to build the kinds of cooperative relationships that are often key to career success. However, keep in mind that most cultures will allow you the flexibility to express your individuality as long as you maintain enough of an overlap with the overall culture to ensure that you are seen as a positive team player.

Dress in a style that fits your workplace culture.
If your organization is fairly conservative, short skirts or casual pants are probably not a good idea. If you're not sure how to dress, pay attention to how your manager and other senior employees dress and copy their style.

Adopt the communication style that is most prevalent in your organization.
If everyone communicates by Instant Message, follow suit. If you notice that managers and employees seem to prefer face-to-face communication, make an effort to communicate this way. If employees walk into each others' cubicles when they talk to each other rather than talking over the tops of the cubicles, you may be considered rude if you ignore this custom.

Try to follow a work schedule that generally matches those of your coworkers.
You don't have to become a workaholic just to fit in, but if everyone tends to be in the office early in the morning, you should try to be there, too. If you need to make different arrangements, be sure to talk with your manager about your schedule before deciding to make changes on your own.

Find out about your company's history.
Some cultural traditions are not easy to understand unless you know a little about how the company has evolved. Pay attention to any shared company stories that are told by employees. Also make it a point to get to know long-time employees who can tell you how the company has grown and changed over the years.

It's worth noting that workplace culture constantly changes and evolves. A change in leadership, a merger or an acquisition or even a change in the marketplace can result in significant culture shifts. It's a good idea to continue to study your workplace culture as it evolves so that you can adapt to changes and stay in touch with where the company is headed.

This article is adapted from Ceridian's LifeWorks Online service. Contact your Ceridian representative for more information about Ceridian's health and productivity solutions.