Leanne Kemp on why strong workplace culture is your backbone in times of crisis

It’s something Kemp says businesses of pretty much any size need to be wary of if they intend to grow sustainably.

“At Everledger we have six operational centres in different time-zones and countries around the world,” she says. 

“We are fortunate to be a truly diverse company and we embrace what makes us different as much as what brings us together. Our culture is driven by our shared values, which we articulated as a company and which serve as a springboard for how we make decisions – from onboarding staff to keeping us aligned to our core business. 

“Culture is more than drinks on a Friday afternoon, especially in a global company: it’s a sense of belonging and unity.”

Yes, we’re all living a global health crisis. But when any crisis hits – from pandemics to disasters to downturns and more – Kemp says culture is a deciding factor in how businesses emerge from the other side, or if they emerge at all.

She says Everledger went all in on communication and connection, and only through already fostering that culture did it succeed in keeping things cool, calm and collected.

“We did what a lot of startups did – we increased our virtual contact with an increased schedule of standups, all-hands meetings, and lots of communications across the company be it on big issues, fun stuff or small wins,” she says. 

“We were already skilled up with a high level of virtual literacy – our staff already knew how to conduct Zoom meetings and we had processes and systems in place to have continuity of workflow despite not being able to meet in person. 

“The culture of working remotely was already entrenched so it meant we didn’t lose time in skilling up the company by creating new processes or finding enough equipment to adequately work from home – that was all done and part of our culture. This gave us what looked like a headstart on those companies that had to build this from scratch at a difficult time.” 

And the data shows having that positive cultural headstart is vital in maintaining business success. In an analysis during the pandemic late last year, researchers from MIT found that the top 500 companies ranked for excellent business culture became even more popular among workers, and their success was put down to a handful of things: great communication from leaders, honest and transparent communication with colleagues, acting with integrity, and leaders having the strength to resolve difficult issues quickly.

Kemp says wanting to build the right culture is the first step towards having the right culture. But be warned – there’s no one-size-fits-all for business and it’s a marathon, rarely a sprint.

“I don’t think there’s one right way to go about this. It’s a word that gets bandied about a bit too much these days,” she says. 

“But culture has to be genuine and authentic. If it doesn’t align to the values of the company, it won’t work. For culture to work, people have to want to be a part of it.”