These days, culture isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of how teams thrive. It defines how people treat each other, how decisions are made, and what behaviors are rewarded or ignored. A strong culture fuels engagement, trust, and retention. A weak one drains motivation and invites confusion. So, how do you build a culture in the workplace that not only looks good on paper but also lives and breathes in everyday actions? The answer lies in intention. Culture cannot be left to chance. It must be designed, communicated, and consistently reinforced across people, processes, and practices. This guide walks through proven steps for how to build a team culture in the workplace that is positive, inclusive, safe, and deeply trusted. 8 Ways to Build Culture in the Workplace Culture is not something that appears overnight. It is shaped through intentional decisions, repeated behaviors, and the way people experience work every day. If you are wondering how to build culture in the workplace, or more specifically, how to build team culture, a diverse culture, a safety culture, a culture of trust, or a positive culture, it begins with small, consistent actions that align people around shared values. In the sections that follow, we explore eight essential ways organizations can create, strengthen, and sustain a workplace culture that inspires performance, fosters belonging, and adapts as the business evolves. Recognize When Culture Needs Attention Every organization has a culture, whether it is shaped intentionally or not. The signs that may need attention are often subtle at first: quiet disengagement, siloed teams, increasing turnover, or leadership messages that fail to resonate. According to McKinsey, 70% of transformation efforts fail largely due to cultural resistance. 20 Ready-to-Use Templates to Recognize and Appreciate Your Coworkers get templates Clarify and Activate Core Values Building a strong workplace culture starts with clarity. What does your organization stand for? Which values matter most? Too often, values are treated as slogans instead of being tied to real decisions. For culture to be meaningful, it must show up in the way employees are hired, recognized, developed, and promoted. To build a culture of trust in the workplace, values like transparency, respect, and fairness must be clearly defined and modeled by leaders. A Gallup study found that when employees strongly agree that their organization’s values align with their own, they are five times more likely to feel engaged. Align Talent Practices with Culture One of the most effective ways to build team culture in the workplace is through your people’s strategy. Hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and promotions all offer moments to reinforce what your company believes in. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 56 % of employees say workplace culture is more important than salary for job satisfaction. When hiring, evaluate candidates for cultural contribution, not just cultural fit. During onboarding, help new employees understand what your values look like in action. And in performance reviews, consider both what was achieved and how it was achieved. Promote Communication and Psychological Safety A culture where people do not feel safe to speak up or share feedback will never be truly strong. Building a safety culture in the workplace requires intentional effort. Psychological safety is the belief that it is safe to take risks, ask questions, admit mistakes, and challenge ideas without fear of punishment or ridicule. This environment starts with leadership. Google’s internal research project, Project Aristotle, identified psychological safety as the number one predictor of team effectiveness. Managers should hold regular one-on-one meetings, ask for input, and respond to concerns with care. Open communication channels, like anonymous feedback tools or employee forums, allow employees at all levels to feel heard. Why Shift to an Intelligent R&R System? Boost Culture, Leadership & Innovation get whitepaper Recognize and Reinforce the Right Behaviors Recognition is one of the most powerful tools for building a positive culture in the workplace. When employees are acknowledged for actions that reflect core values, it sends a clear message about what matters. Recognition should be frequent, timely, and specific, and not reserved for annual awards or milestones. Peer-to-peer and manager-led recognition both play a role. A Deloitte study found that organizations with effective recognition programs had 31% lower voluntary turnover. Celebrate moments when someone helps a colleague, lives the value of innovation, or goes above and beyond to serve a customer. These recognitions turn abstract values into visible examples. Equip Leaders to Model the Culture Culture is shaped most strongly by what leaders do. Their tone, behavior, and decisions set the standard for the rest of the organization. Investing in leadership development is one of the most direct ways to strengthen culture. According to Harvard Business Review, employees are 55% more engaged when their leaders consistently model company values. Help managers understand their role not only as people leaders but also as culture carriers. Train them to model desired behaviors, give feedback through a values lens, and recognize others in meaningful ways. Your Very Own Manager Agents to Make You a 10x Leader for the Age of AI https://semos.ai/ Foster Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Knowing how to build a diverse culture in the workplace is no longer optional—it is essential. A truly inclusive culture goes beyond representation to ensure that all employees feel seen, heard, and respected. This begins with examining policies, language, leadership representation, and cultural norms. McKinsey reports that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have above-average profitability. Encourage diverse perspectives in meetings, create employee resource groups, and ensure your workplace rituals and benefits reflect the needs of all employees. Create Meaningful Moments and Rituals Culture becomes real in the small, daily moments—how meetings begin, how teams celebrate, how managers check in. Creating shared rituals helps reinforce belonging and identity. Especially in hybrid or remote environments, rituals bridge distance and help employees feel included. BetterUp research shows that employees with a strong sense of belonging experience a 56% increase in job performance and a 50% drop in turnover risk. Mary Poppen on Responsibility for Culture Change: Improvements in employee experience… it’s really a company-wide responsibility. Too often I hear it’s HR’s program, when in reality, it’s leadership’s responsibility to listen and take action.— Mary Poppen, Episode 14, The Winning Intersection: Employee Experience and Customer Experience Measure, Improve, and Sustain Culture To manage culture, you need to measure it. Pulse surveys, listening sessions, and behavior tracking tools can help identify strengths and gaps. But data alone is not enough. What matters most is whether organizations take action on what they learn. A SHRM report revealed that only 34% of HR professionals believe their organization effectively uses employee feedback to improve culture. Culture measurement should be tied to outcomes like trust, well-being, and retention. Culture is not static. It should evolve with your people, market, and mission. Get a personalized demo tailored to solve your unique challenges Request demo Final Thoughts There is no single formula for how to build culture in the workplace. But one thing is clear: culture is a collection of choices. It lives in how leaders respond under pressure, how peers treat one another, and how organizations recognize and reward what they value. The strongest cultures are not the ones with the loudest slogans. They are the ones where employees feel safe, valued, and inspired to contribute. Start with a single action—recognize a teammate, ask for feedback, or revisit your values—and watch the ripple effects unfold. If you are ready to turn your workplace culture into a strategic advantage, begin by embedding it in how you hire, recognize, and lead. The most powerful cultures are the ones people feel, not just the ones they hear about. Related posts Culture Intelligence in the Workplace: Definition, Importance, and HR’s Role read more HRcoreREWARD 2025 Recap: Why Manager Activation is the Missing Link in Total Rewards read more What Is Culture in the Workplace and Why It Shapes Everything read more
