What does your workplace culture actually feel like — not in theory, but in practice?
Not the mission statement. Not the careers page. The real culture. The one employees experience every day in 1:1s, team meetings, group chats, and project updates. And it matters more than you think. According to Achievers’ Engagement and Retention Report, culture and values fit is one of the top five reasons employees choose to stay or leave their current roles.
A strong workplace culture isn’t built on posters or perks. It’s shaped by daily behaviors, consistent recognition, and the kind of leadership that makes people feel seen. And when it’s working, you can feel it.
This blog is your playbook for building a workplace culture that sticks — one step, one behavior, one recognition at a time. Let’s get into it.
If you want a workplace culture that feels real (not just aspirational), you need more than good intentions. You need a game plan. That means translating lofty ideals into everyday actions, recognizing what’s working, and making it easy for every team to lead with culture — not just talk about it.
Here’s how to build a culture people can truly feel, one step at a time:
Every team says they value things like “collaboration” or “accountability.” But unless you’ve spelled out what those values look like on the ground, they’re just nice words in a handbook.
Start with asking the right questions:
Then, turn them into specific, observable behaviors:
Employees don’t just watch what leaders say. They watch what they do — how they run meetings, how they give feedback, how they handle tension or celebrate wins. That’s why culture has to be a team sport from day one, with great managers leading the charge.
To help them model the right behaviors:
Culture gets stronger when people know their actions matter — and recognition is how you show them.
It’s meaningful feedback that reinforces the behaviors you want to see more of. When people feel seen and appreciated for how they work, they’re more likely to repeat those actions — and their peers take notice.
According to the Achievers Workforce Institute’s (AWI) State of Recognition Report, 91% of employees say they’d put in more effort if they felt valued. That’s your culture-building opportunity, hiding in plain sight.
To build recognition into your culture:
Want to know the fastest way to tank your culture? Ask for feedback… then do absolutely nothing with it.
Listening is how you show employees that their voices matter every day, not just during performance reviews or all-hands. And when it works? It works. AWI data tells us that employees who feel heard and see action on their feedback are 3.4x more likely to be engaged.
Here’s how to build a feedback flow that works:
If you’re not measuring it, you’re just hoping for the best. And culture can’t run on vibes.
To really shape your workplace culture, you need to know what’s working — and what’s quietly going off the rails. That means tracking the signals that tell the real story, not just relying on intuition or the results of last quarter’s engagement survey.
Start with what matters most:
And don’t just track — check in. Monthly or quarterly team-level “culture checks” give people a moment to reflect, share what’s changed, and suggest what’s next. It keeps culture from going stale and makes it easier to adjust before problems snowball.
Company culture doesn’t flip like a switch. It builds over time, through small wins, course corrections, and the occasional “well, that didn’t work.”
Perfect culture isn’t the goal. Visible progress is. And if you want people to keep showing up, you’ve got to recognize the effort — not just the end result.
Here’s how to celebrate in a way that keeps culture moving forward:
No matter the size of your company or the type of work you do, great workplace cultures tend to have a few key things in common. Think of these as the everyday ingredients that make your team a place people actually want to work.
You’ve defined your values. You’ve set the tone. Now comes the hard part: making it all stick.
The truth is that most organizations have a vision. What they’re missing is follow-through. Culture doesn’t live in mission statements — it lives in how people give feedback, celebrate wins, and how teammates show up for one another.
Achievers helps you turn that daily experience into a powerful lever for culture-building.
Culture doesn’t stick just because you had a great kickoff. It sticks when you’ve got the systems to back it up. Achievers makes it easy to recognize people in the moments that matter — and teams that do it regularly see 5x the engagement impact.
Culture doesn’t just happen. It’s built, behavior by behavior, moment by moment. Whether it’s a thank-you, a tough conversation, or a team win that gets celebrated the right way, these are the things your people remember. And they add up. The good news? You don’t have to leave it to chance.
With the right tools, you can make great culture easier to spot, support, and scale — one recognition, one conversation, one team at a time. Achievers helps turn those everyday moments into something bigger: a workplace culture people actually want to be part of.
Because your team deserves more than just values on a poster. They deserve a culture that shows up for them — just like they show up for you.
Wondering what’s driving workplace culture — and turnover? Get the latest data from Achievers Workforce Institute
Explore culture that performs with Duracell, Duck Creek, and Achievers
Workplace culture is important because it shapes how people feel, work, and stay. It isn’t just what’s written in a handbook, it’s what employees experience every day.
Here’s what a strong culture drives:
While the two are closely related, the difference comes down to scope.
Organizational culture defines the overarching values, mission, and norms that shape how a company works at every level. Workplace culture reflects how those values play out in the day-to-day — how people interact, collaborate, and communicate on the ground.
In short: organizational culture sets the direction; workplace culture is how it’s felt.
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they focus on slightly different things.
Company culture refers to the overall identity of an organization — its mission, leadership style, and values across the board. Workplace culture zooms in on the employee experience: the environment, behaviors, and team dynamics that shape daily work life.
Think of it as brand vs. experience. Both matter, but they serve different purposes.
Written by
Rebecca Mattina
Discover how easy recognition can be with Achievers
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