Once the office holiday party comes to an end, many business leaders are checked out from the remaining part of the year. Any discussions of plans or goals are put aside till after everyone returns from the holiday break. However, the pressure to get started, grow or scale their businesses will build up once the ball has dropped in Time Square and the fans have left the Rose Bowl.

The constant pressure to excel in our business endeavors isn’t something that ever seems to go away.

A couple of years ago, I interviewed for a tech company and remember being asked, “We need to hire 100 people in the next 3-4 months. How will you go about doing that?” This leader was under immense pressure (I could tell), and he needed an answer that not only calmed his nerves but assured the company that I knew how to get us there.

I froze, gave a flimsy response, and never heard back from the company again. Today, I can’t remember the company or even the position, but that question still lingers in my mind.

In 2024, many small and midsize companies will experience the same pressure. At Ekipo, we firmly believe that investing in workplace culture isn’t a luxury reserved for the few; it’s the launchpad for your business to speed up growth. It’s the crucial boost that will handle the challenges of scaling in today’s business world.

Here are 5 reasons why this strategic move can support and expedite your scaling process:

Attracting The Right Talent:

A strong workplace culture is a magnet for hiring the right talent. When your organization is known for having a clear purpose, a strong sense of values, and a leadership style that is admired by your team, it becomes more attractive to high-quality candidates. Paying close attention to these elements of your workplace culture will enhance your employer brand and increase your chances of attracting the right talent to support your scaling efforts.

Streamlined Onboarding:

Of course, you can’t just hire a ton of people without having a smooth onboarding process for new hires. This isn’t something that you can leave solely in the hands of HR.

On day 1, it’s crucial that these fresh faces witness a company culture that places a premium on learning and development, managers that publicly recognize/reward employees’ efforts, and fellow employees openly discussing how they’re maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This type of environment ensures that newcomers seamlessly assimilate into the corporate fabric, swiftly becoming valuable contributors.

Don’t underestimate this step.

Being strategic about your onboarding process will enable them to hit the ground running and support your scaling objectives. See below for why forming these bonds early is so important.

Employee Retention:

The formula is easy.

When you invest in workplace culture, employee engagement, advocacy, and commitment will increase, which, in turn, enhances employee retention rates.

Keeping the right employees during the scaling process is crucial for maintaining continuity, knowledge retention, and productivity. Leaders need to ask themselves each day, “Am I giving opportunities to my team to grow or stretch themselves? Am I paying my employees a ‘competitive’ or above-market salary? Are my words and actions creating employee advocates or employee critics?”

How you respond to these questions could be a make-or-break factor in whether they decide to stick around. More importantly, it will determine whether your company will be able to handle this critical growth phase.

Cultural Alignment and Scalability:

By defining and reinforcing the purpose, values, necessary leadership, behaviors, and practices that support your growth objectives, you can create a scalable culture that can adapt and evolve as your organization expands.

A strong culture provides a shared foundation for employees to rally around and supports effective communication, collaboration, and agility during the scaling process. This concept isn’t new; just look at the graph below from 1992.

Long-Term Success:

So as I look back on that failed interview from years ago, if I had a second chance, I’d share the following as my response:

“While the immediate focus may be on scaling in the next quarter, building a solid foundation for long-term success is equally important. Investing in your workplace culture now sets the stage for sustained growth and scalability in the future.”

By recognizing the importance of workplace culture alongside your scaling goals, you can create a supportive and engaging environment that attracts top talent, streamlines onboarding, enhances employee retention, and supports your long-term success.

The top-tier workplaces aren’t just defined by their outstanding products, services, or flashy perks. What sets them apart is their unwavering commitment to their most valuable asset: their people. Sure, that might sound a bit cliché, but when leaders are ready to scale their business, being intentional about how we design the workplace culture will have a far greater impact on their immediate and long-term future.

Article was written by John-Miguel Mitchell who is a Lead Consultant at Ekipo LLC. If you’d like to learn more about how to design and build out the ideal workplace culture for your business, email him at jmitchell@joinekipo.com.