Fostering a strong company culture is key to the success of all channel businesses. But it is no quick win – it takes proper time and investment in the people that run the organisation in order to work effectively.
A winning company culture stems from having a clear aim and purpose backed by a well communicated strategy for how to achieve those goals, as well as creating an environment in which employees are highly motivated and driven to succeed.
“A strong company culture comes from the top,” said Cherie Howlett, CMO, Jola. “It’s a shared belief system that everyone works to, is recognised for and rewarded against. It is a shared ethos, absorbed and replicated by the team. Culture is consistent and managed like every other aspect of the business.”
Charlotte Goodwill, CEO, the Institute of Telecommunications Professionals (ITP), said, “Businesses often put the spotlight on salary, bonuses and perks like discounts, healthcare or pension plans as part of their employee value proposition. While these benefits certainly help attract talent, they don’t build the kind of company culture that keeps people engaged and loyal in the long run.
“A truly strong culture requires more than just perks – it’s about understanding what motivates your employees, fostering transparency and building strong, supportive teams.”
Open communication
So, how do companies go about creating and developing a long-term, sustainable company culture? The first step, according to ITP’s Goodwill, is to understand what motivates your employees, beyond simply financial rewards. Other factors that are fundamental to keeping staff engaged and productive, she said, include career development, recognition and a sense of purpose.
“It’s important to create a culture where people feel they belong,” said Goodwill. “When employees genuinely feel part of something bigger, it builds loyalty and strengthens teamwork – both of which drive business success.”
It’s also vital for the leadership team to be fully transparent with employees. When they are open about the company’s goals, challenges and successes, workers feel listened to, valued and aligned with the company’s vision, thus creating stronger relationships and greater trust and collaboration across different teams and departments.
“Open and honest communication enables information to flow freely, encouraging employees to share ideas, feedback and queries to foster a culture of belonging and trust,” said Bev Markland, chief people officer at Agilitas. “This links to embracing diversity and inclusion, respecting others and creating an environment where employees can be themselves creatively.
“Continuous learning is also crucial to a strong company culture of improvement and growth as businesses that invest in training and professional development will better engage with employees and, therefore, improve retention.”
Alison King, managing director at Bespoke HR, said, “A strong company culture isn’t made up of just one thing – it’s several interconnected elements. At the very heart should be a strong set of clear values that are genuinely lived and demonstrated by managers and leaders.
“Companies should strive to create a culture of open communication, where staff feel safe to share their ideas, concerns and feedback without fear of reprisal. It goes without saying that workplaces that prioritise wellbeing are also the ones that see higher levels of staff engagement and retention.”
Kathleen Pai, chief HR officer, N-able, whose company became independent from SolarWinds in 2021, said, “When laying the foundation for a strong culture, it’s important for executive leaders to be aligned on the philosophy of what this new culture will look like.
“For us, that came to life in the form of what we call our culture concepts, where we aligned on key concepts that would shape our culture, including positivity, leaders who walk the walk, belonging and more.
“In addition to alignment at the leadership level, providing opportunities for your employees to lean in and help create the culture they want to be part of its very impactful. This allows for buy-in across the organisation, where everyone can work together to create a culture where they believe they can thrive and build their careers.”
Reviewing your culture
As a starting point, companies need to look at their key HR metrics such as employee turnover rates, absence data, engagement scores, productivity indicators and exit interview feedback. This will provide them with valuable insights into the current culture, identify any issues and encourage the sharing of ideas.
Listening to feedback is key, especially given that more than one quarter (27 per cent) of people said they have quit a job because they didn’t feel comfortable expressing themselves – up from 16 per cent in 2024 – according to research by Randstad. A further 42 per cent said that they would leave a job if their employer failed to support their career ambitions.
Businesses should also carry out regular check-ins with staff, either one-to-one or team meetings – not just to review work outputs and career development, but also to spot any signs of stress or burnout before they manifest as bigger problems.
Added to that, they should conduct employee engagement surveys, focus groups, forums and town hall meetings, and HR drop-in sessions where staff can voice concerns and/or make suggestions, to identify any cultural issues and, most importantly, follow up on by taking decisive action.
“At Gamma, we encourage managers to engage with their teams and identify areas for improvement before they become issues, but we know that this doesn’t happen in all situations,” said Jeremy Bennett, reward director, Gamma. “As such, our employees also have the opportunity to give their feedback through our regular confidential engagement surveys. In our most recent survey, employees left over 10,000 comments which have given leadership valuable insight.
“A key responsibility of our senior leadership team is to ensure Gamma’s strategy and corporate goals are turned into tangible, daily deliverables and communicate accordingly. This way, employees can understand how their work is aligned to larger corporate goals.”
Meanwhile, Agilitas has devised its own culture canvas, a visual tool used to map, assess and evolve its culture. By identifying key issues and areas for improvement, it has been able to foster greater alignment, collaboration and a shared understanding of its culture.
“Regularly canvassing feedback from all levels of the business informs leaders what employees really think,” said Howard Stevens, CEO, Nebula. “Focus on fostering a company culture where employees feel their opinion is valued and provide a safe space to raise concerns and proactive improvements without fear of retribution.”
A prime example of this is Evolve IP’s regular lunch and learn sessions, where everyone comes together to share ideas, and it also reinforces the company’s values, vision and mission. Every month, it also nominates staff for their work that’s aligned to those values to inspire others.
ITS has also established a whole-person philosophy, which prioritises staff wellbeing to create a supportive and positive work environment. It covers training and development, reward and recognition, health and work-life balance.
“It’s vital to our company’s health that we continuously strive to make it a fantastic place to work, that we attract the right people, and that people want to stay with us for the journey,” said Claire Davies, people and culture director at ITS.
Engaging third parties
Companies should also engage third parties to hold exit interviews in order to get unbiased feedback from leavers. External consultants are more likely to garner honest feedback and provide more objective insights.
“Every business is going to have people leave and it’s important to try and understand why,” said Sam Harper, partner account executive, Evolve IP. “There are many reasons and maybe even lessons to be learned. A good culture has to grow and change based on the industry as well as individual needs. It can’t stay the same.”
Craig Messer, managing director of VeloxServ, said, “Engagement with your colleagues and your customers is key. What are they telling you about the type of business you are? The biggest measure of whether a company culture is positive or not will come from answering the question – do people still want to do business with you and, ideally, do they want to do more business with you?”
Employers also need to keep an eye on any changes to or new employment laws, particularly the Employment Rights Bill, which has implications for flexible working arrangements and other policy changes. As a result, they must also regularly review and update their policies in line with this.
Career progression
Career development is a key element to building a strong company culture. Employees need to have a clear career path in order to keep them motivated and focused on a set target or series of targets. If they don’t, they’re likely to be less productive and/or leave the business.
The most successful employers are those that manage to align their business needs with staff skillsets, goals and interests. They build their roles based on employee experience, rather than rigid job descriptions.
“Clear and explicit communication ensures everyone is on the same page and understands the aims and objectives of the company, especially through times of change,” said Nebula’s Stevens. “It’s important to foster a strong team dynamic across all areas of the business so that everyone understands their role within the company and the part they have to play in its success.”
VeloxServ’s Messer said, “Each employee should be part of a company because of the skills and expertise they bring to their role. If that expertise is taken for granted then it’s demotivating. A strong company culture comes from every member of the team feeling empowered to properly harness the skills and experience that they bring.”
By implementing initiatives such as mentors or leader open-door policies, workers can feel more supported, connected and that their voices are being heard. That also makes them feel empowered and they are then more likely to become brand ambassadors, which, in turn, can help to attract others.
“Workers can become evangelists and represent the brand,” said Evolve IP’s Harper. “A great company reputation helps attract more talent as well as improve revenue and productivity. If people feel valued and listened to, their engagement is so much more optimised.”
On a management level, businesses need to invest in ongoing leadership training. Particularly with the move to hybrid and remote working, managers must be equipped with the necessary skills to nurture culture, regardless of where employees are based.
“Working from home has impacted the speed of culture adoption,” said Jola’s Howlett. “In the office, you see how the team interacts and solves problems and gets a chance to adopt the same behaviours. Hiring during the lockdown and working-from-home policies have made managing culture more challenging. Clear communication, positive feedback and mentoring have helped the culture to grow with the business.”
Natalie Hailey, people services director at CAE Technology Services, said, “Evaluating processes and policies can help to identify outdated structures and ways of working that can hinder company culture. Leaders play a crucial role by modelling what good looks like. Most importantly, organisations must take action on their findings, continuously refining their culture to ensure it evolves in a meaningful way.”
Barriers to implementation
When implementing a new company culture, one of the biggest hurdles that has to be overcome is initial resistance to change. Given that employees may be happy with the existing culture, they are often reluctant to embrace new ways of working.
“When implementing a new culture, business often face challenges, especially when it comes to employee buy-in,” said Markland of Agilitas. “In some cases, employees may feel comfortable with an existing culture, fearing any change or the unknown. They may also not understand why the change is happening and what it means for them, which could lead to them feeling uncertain about their job security.
“We ensured when introducing our new culture canvas that our employees were involved from the outset. Having introduced our new values in December 2024, we met with managers and employees to talk about the behaviours and culture we were seeing in our company, what we liked and what we didn’t like. We then started to map out what we wanted to do more of, what we felt we wanted to do less of, and also how we could empower and give our employees a voice.”
Roberta Terranova, chief people officer, Wildix, said, “Changing culture in a remote, international environment is complex. Different regions, time zones and backgrounds make alignment harder, requiring clear, consistent, frequent communication. Without a strong ‘why’ and a structured plan, change breeds confusion and resistance. Employees need to understand the purpose and path forward.”
Another issue is lack of planning and inconsistency in applying cultural changes across an organisation, largely because of a disconnect between HR and senior leaders. For a new culture to work, leadership at all levels must model the desired behaviours.
“Educating existing staff is critical,” said Hailey of CAE Technology Services. “People need to understand not just what the desired culture is, but how the changes being made bring the organisation closer to that goal. Without proper communication and reinforcement, even the best cultural initiatives can struggle to take hold.
“Overcoming these barriers requires intentional leadership, alignment between words and actions, and a commitment to living cultural values into every aspect of the business.”
Then there is the problem of insufficient resources such as time, budget or expertise. But, by being creative, often companies can work within these limitations to focus on the key aspects and/or initially bring about change on a smaller scale.
For those companies that already have a strong company culture in place, the bigger issue is maintaining that during growth periods. As they scale up, it’s key that they stick to the core principles that have enabled it to reach that point.
Transformation opportunities
A key advantage of embracing cultural change is it will make a business more attractive to top talent. It will also help them to retain employees, reduce turnover, and create more opportunities for business growth and partnerships.
“A culture of transparency and inclusivity strengthens teamwork and sparks innovation, which is crucial in the fast-moving channel industry,” said ITP’s Goodwill. “Finally, revisiting and reinforcing core company values during cultural shifts can align employees and leaders with a unified mission, ensuring consistency and quality service delivery.”
Undergoing a culture change also enables companies to adopt new ideas and adapt to new and more effective working practices. A fresh perspective and willingness to implement new working ways can provide the business with a greater impetus and staff motivation.
Inevitably, as AI and technology continues to evolve and be adopted at an increasingly faster rate, so employees’ remits will change and, therefore, company culture too. Businesses, therefore, need to be responsive and agile enough to tweak their working environment and practices to reflect this.
Goodwill said, “To ensure company culture remains effective and continues to evolve, businesses should regularly monitor its health. Tools like pulse surveys, regular check-ins and tracking overall performance can help businesses identify areas for improvement and adjust their cultural initiatives as needed.
“Leadership development and recognition programmes are also needed to reinforce the desired cultural behaviours, keeping the culture growth-driven and supporting a thriving, engaged workforce.”
This feature was included in our May 2025 print issue. You can read the magazine in full here.