03 Aug What happens when you don’t invest in the health of your business
The health of your business determines its success.
A workplace with good health and culture means your business will be profitable, your team will be productive, and you will all be invested in the same core behaviours, based on the principles and values YOU have instilled in the culture of the business.
A business that has a poor health will do the polar opposite.
Let’s talk Beer. Take BrewDog – Beer for Punks! This is their tagline.
BrewDog was founded by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie in an Aberdeen shed in 2007. It has grown to have breweries in the UK, US and Australia including a carbon-negative brewing and bar complex at Ellon near Aberdeen.
To an outsider BrewDog looks like a business with good health, with loyal customers and shareholders, a business that you would probably want to work for!
What do you think your business looks like to an outsider?
But in June 2021 BrewDog were accused of ‘promoting a toxic culture of fear in the workplace’ by a group of ex-employees – not very Punk!
Even worse when you consider that one of their core beliefs is:
‘We believe in being a great employer’.
James Watt publicly apologised through a series of videos and statements, but the kick back on social media meant that there was nowhere to hide. Especially as these behaviours were in direct contradiction of BrewDogs stated values, leaving people to call into question the health of the business.
Clearly an unhealthy workplace culture is costly. What is even more costly is saying you have a healthy workplace culture when you don’t.
Build a healthy workplace culture in your business, but make it real, be sure to establish a set of values you want your business to live by and then have everyone in your business live by those values! Don’t fall short like BrewDog! In this social media world of information being everywhere, there is no room for cutting corners and your business will suffer if you do.