The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted company culture, according to a poll of 800 workers in the US by healthcare staffing provider CHG Healthcare. It found that 26% say company culture has worsened because of the pandemic while 54% said it remained the same. And 20% said it improved.

Of those saying it improved, 40% attributed that to increased transparency and communication.

“In a year that has thrown curveball after curveball, it is more important than ever for companies to make sure they are taking care of their employees and that their company culture remains a priority,” said Kevin Ricklefs, chief culture officer at CHG Healthcare.

CHG’s survey noted 84% of women and 75% of women have left a job because of a bad company culture.

How do workers define culture? For 41%, it’s the work environment. In addition, 27% say it is how people are treated.

According to the survey, the top five things that contribute to a good company culture are:

• Workplace environment, 16%
• Growth/development opportunities, 13%
• Access to leadership, 10%
• Transparent communication, 9%
• Job has meaning, 9%

When asked who is responsible for culture, 33% said it was managers and 28% said it was the executive team. That was followed by 23% who said the CEO and 13% who said front-line employees. Only 3% said the human resources department.

The survey also asked workers “What impacted your mental well-being during the pandemic?” Its findings:

• Change in work environment (working from home/remote), 21%
• Uncertainty about employment, 19%
• Lack of connection with co-workers, 18%
• Increased workload, 17%
• Poor management, 11%
• Decrease in benefits/salary, 7%

CHG Healthcare also asked about diversity, equity and inclusion. It found that 22% said it was extremely important while 31% said it was very important. Only 9% felt it was not important.

In addition, 60% of respondents felt it was important that companies are involved in social justice causes.

Source: Staffing Industry Analysts