Strategies for Bettering Your Brewery’s Culture

Developing and fostering a positive company culture can be important and outside of dollars and cents, it can be a vital continuation of your brewery.

“A positive company culture enhances the daily experience for team members and is worth investing in, for both employee mental health as well as retention,” said Kelly Putnam of Lawson’s Finest Liquids.

When employees feel valued and supported, they are more apt to be motivated to contribute creatively.

A positive environment can translate to better customer service, as happy employees tend to deliver exceptional experiences and a strong company culture attracts top talent and ensures alignment with the company’s values and mission, driving overall success.

“I think that there can be a negative light cast on the idea of business or business ownership, and probably for good reason,” Adam Mills tells Brewer Mag. “There are numerous stories we hear in the news and in our daily lives that expose instances where businesses take advantage of their employees in one way or another.”

However, Mills — the Sonder Brewing‘s Director of Operations — said in proper context, a businesses can have a massive positive impact on their communities.

“People want clear expectations at work,” he said. “They want to see that their employment offers them opportunities to grow. They want to be heard. Those are all the obvious things.

“Also, people like boundaries and ultimately respect honesty. A manager/business owner’s goal should always be to recognize the dignity of the people they employ.”

It’s important to have metrics to understand how team members are experiencing and perceiving a company culture to know where an organization stands currently, Putnam said.

It can help identify what’s working well and where to make improvements.

“There are great third-party services that can facilitate an employee engagement survey, providing anonymized feedback from both the company-wide and departmental perspective, giving the opportunity for targeted and impactful change,” Putnam pointed out. “Beyond an anonymous survey, providing numerous avenues for feedback and suggestions from team members is essential — whether an open Q&A at an all-staff meeting or carving out time during a weekly team meeting.

“When talking with team members, you might find that simple solutions can go a long way, such as the freedom to use a pilot system creatively, paid breaks, or a comfortable outdoor space to enjoy lunch.”

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