Each company, be it a multinational corporation or a small-medium enterprise, has its own unique company culture. At Three Learning, we pride ourselves on being a family-oriented company whereby employees feel a sense of ease and belonging at the office – as if they were right at home. What else does it mean to have a family-oriented company culture? Here at 3L, we define it in 4 ways:

 

1. Having a Shared Purpose and a Common Set of Core Values

Having a shared purpose and a common set of core values is the first key in establishing a strong company culture. All of 3L’s employees share the common mission of providing effective and engaging e-learning solutions to our clients. Despite the fact that our work is largely segmented to be performed by various departments, we work closely as a team to complete our projects and deliver the best services to our clients.

Our tightly-knit team also shares a common set of core values, which guides our work ethic, as well as the way we interact with our clients and each other. By following the principles of integrity, passion and innovation, we engage in our work with excellence and a positive attitude.

Having a shared purpose and a common set of core values definitely enables employees to be on the same page with their colleagues in terms of company objectives and work ethic, which is an integral aspect to having a family-oriented company culture.

 

2. Mutual Understanding, Respect & Cooperation

Besides having a shared purpose and a common set of core values, cultivating a sense of mutual understanding, respect and cooperation for other colleagues is also an essential trait to have when it comes to establishing a family-oriented company culture.

What this means is to have consideration for our colleagues when it comes to matters such as sharing an office space, or sharing our opinions on certain matters. Sharing a common office space means that everyone has to play their part in creating a conducive environment for productive work to be done, and also take up the responsibility of caring for shared facilities such as the pantry.

A family-oriented company culture also gives employees the freedom to share their ideas and opinions, and encourages active discussions on various topics that might concern most people in the workplace. That being said, having mutual respect and understanding for our colleagues entails that we have to not only be truthful, but also tactful in our words, so as to not hurt others unintentionally. While we give one another honest feedback and share our opinions and ideas in a truthful manner, we also respect each other’s boundaries. This is definitely a key trait that Three Learning adopts when it comes to fostering a family-like workplace culture.

 

3. Providing Positive Support

This segues nicely to our third point, which is to provide positive support to our fellow colleagues and team members. Providing positive support could come in various forms, such as encouraging our co-workers when the going gets tough, or by helping them in their work where they need assistance.

Simple gestures such as offering to buy a teammate coffee, getting everyone in the office to celebrate a colleague’s birthday together, or simply leaving uplifting post-it notes on a co-worker’s desk have a huge impact on encouraging those around us during tough times. This definitely helps to create a positive and supportive atmosphere in the office, which goes a long way in cultivating a family-like culture at the workplace.

Providing positive support could also be shown by helping a colleague with his/her work, especially when the workload is high and deadlines are tight – even if this means taking up additional tasks on top of our required responsibilities. Just as Phil Jackson once said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. And the strength of each member is the team.”

Supporting our colleagues in their work takes off some stress from their shoulders, helps us to build better and stronger workplace relationships, and ultimately benefits the whole company. Just like how an ideal family would take turns to help one another out with household chores, a healthy and positive company culture is one that encourages mutual support between its employees, even when it comes to work-related matters. This is definitely one of the traits that Three Learning advocates and adopts at the workplace.

 

4. Non-Stop Team Bonding

Last but not least, fostering a family-oriented company culture means that there is a continual process of team bonding and team building within the company. Team bonding is not limited to any single activity, but is in fact a process that continually occurs both in and out of the office.

At Three Learning, we take the time to get to know one another better by having team lunches and get-togethers at least once a month during our monthly Town Hall meetings. We also have our weekly “Happy Hour” sessions on Fridays, where we get together to play games such as Snakes And Ladders and Uno. We are also planning to kickstart our office yoga sessions, to keep both our minds and bodies active and healthy.

 

Uno session in progress.

 

Team bonding is not limited to the workplace. We also conduct frequent outings outside of work, just like the recent Hari Raya trip to JB where we went on a food tour trying out various delicious cuisines. From time to time, we also participate in more adrenaline-pumping activities together such as go-karting. Bonding with our colleagues is no doubt an integral part of fostering a family-like culture at the workplace. It is a process that happens continually, both in and out of the office.

Christmas Decoration Competition!

 

Fostering a family-oriented workplace culture is one of the hallmarks of a successful company. By creating a workplace whereby all employees feel appreciated, encouraged and supported, workplace satisfaction and productivity automatically increases, and ultimately benefits the company as a whole. To find out more about our family-like culture here at Three Learning, or possible career opportunities, drop us an email at [email protected]. We hope to hear from you soon!