Culture Managers, People Officers, or the more unconventionally named “COolture Coach” at Clark Outsourcing, are all tasked with the same job: the creation, preservation, and support of company culture and the staff.

While culture may still seem like a buzzword to many companies that have and continue to thrive without having a dedicated professional in the culture manager position, the companies that do have one have reaped the benefits and have seen success.

Success may be measured in different ways depending on the culture of the company, but generally, there are a couple of items that denote success. Measurables such as decreased turnover rates and increased productivity can be directly impacted by the work a culture manager puts in.

What Does A Culture Manager Do?

With so many different titles for a job that seemingly has the same job description, the question is, what does a culture manager do, and why are they important to organizational success?

A culture manager deals with all things culture. This is a broad idea because the job has a wide scope of responsibilities. All of their tasks involve building, growing, and maintaining a specific type of culture within an organization that lines up with the goals and beliefs of said organization. A culture manager’s job is more of a marathon than a series of sprints, as the long-term goal is to get the culture to a good place and keep it there.

Daily tasks consist of managing, monitoring, and overseeing staff. They need to collaborate and have the support of the top people in a company in order to be effective. As a culture manager has to have their fingers on the pulse of the company, they should have a high level of emotional intelligence and socialize whenever possible. They analyze and report their findings to upper management in order to help make the right decisions in order to steer the company in the right direction.

Decreasing Turnover Rate

Culture plays an important role in employee turnover. Companies known for having a healthy culture have lower attrition rates in relation to other companies in the same industry as them. Adversely, companies with a toxic culture have a higher turnover rate and produce higher attrition numbers when compared to compensation-related attrition.

A culture manager can help lower attrition in the sense that the culture will be defined. This defined culture will help stave off applicants who don’t work well in that type of culture. On the flip side of things, a well-defined culture will attract people who work well in that specific type of environment. Matching employees to the culture results in long-term employees who are generally more engaged.

Culture managers can directly affect your bottom line. Their work can set the culture that will keep your top talent in the company and prevent high levels of attrition. In the US, replacing an hourly employee costs an average of $1,500, and with a high attrition rate, this number can get out of control quickly. Culture managers can help make important decisions that will impact the culture in a big way, these decisions can be deal breakers or makers for incoming and current talent. With their finger constantly on the pulse of the culture, culture managers can make the best decisions for the company, culture, and people.

Increased Productivity

Businesses see an increase in productivity when their employees enjoy the culture they work in. This feeling of engagement in the workplace is what many younger employees are looking for. The more connected an employee is with their workplace or its culture, the higher the productivity levels are.

This is where culture managers come in. Their work directly attributes to the engagement levels in workspaces. They can shape the culture to be more positive, which leads to more benefits for the employers, employees, and the overall bottom line. Culture managers help raise collaboration levels, which in turn creates a supportive work environment. This support should be felt throughout all stages of the company, as it makes the affected parties feel like the company cares about them and that they’re part of a human team instead of just a cog in the machine.

They can also help eliminate micromanaging in the workplace. With direct access to upper management, they can suggest giving autonomy to employees. This works in a two-fold manner, employees get more freedom in how they work and managers will have more time to do pertinent tasks instead of peering over their staff all day. This level of autonomy allows employees to feel closer to their work as it becomes more personal because it’s now “their work”.

The Wrap Up

Culture managers have grown in importance with the changing workforce. As more and more people are looking for a working environment where they fit in and can stay long term, having someone manage the culture and keep it in the right direction helps attract and retain the talent businesses need. This attraction and retention of talent help businesses succeed both monetarily and in terms of productivity. Less attrition means less company waste, which the company can reinvest in more useful ways.

The cultural manager bridges the gap between employees, employers, and the culture of a company. Their success means the success of everyone else in the organization. Don’t neglect the culture of your company, it’s only getting more important as newer generations of employees have put a premium on company culture and actively seek out jobs with a culture that fits them.