This was the theme that our partner Viator asked us for for the 'Guest Blog Post' - Operator Blog

I was thrilled to write about the company culture, it was a pleasure to tell a little of our Living story and how we did it!

Culture is one of the most important assets a company has.

It is one thing to build a strong, people-centered culture, but another to sustain it. I hope this is helpful as we look to 2023.

The entire Living brand was built on my understanding and realization that if we take care of our people, our people will take care of our business. We never underestimate the collective power of like-minded people, all committed to changing business forever and looking out for each other every step of the way.

So the first way to build and maintain a healthy culture is to look after our people and make sure we're hiring the right people. At Living, we look for optimists. We look for people who praise rather than criticize and who are passionate about making the world a better place.

This is particularly important at a senior leadership level, as a mismatched leader can quickly erode the company's culture and beyond. When we hire leaders and managers, we expect and ensure that they understand that the company's first obligation is to our people and our purpose.

Second, you have to walk the walk and talk when it comes to creating a 100% human-centric workplace.

At Living, we pride ourselves on enabling people to bring their authentic selves to work every day - and celebrating our differences.

We also try to be as flexible as possible as we know people have lives outside of work. This manifests itself in many ways across the Living Group, our people benefits range from 25 days annual leave, to shared parental leave, private health insurance as early as 2023; adoption license and surrogacy; flexible work; birth support; we encourage and reward contributions to overall company improvements, award awards for innovation, exceptional customer service and overall team performance measured against our annual targets.

In addition to implementing innovative policies and benefits for people, it is crucial for companies to build workplace cultures that break down the hidden barriers that force many people to suffer in silence. And that they can share their personal and professional difficulties with their direct supervisors and colleagues.

That's why we need to facilitate and normalize these conversations at work and provide a safe place for people to talk about the challenges they face outside of work. Creating a culture based on trust, belonging and transparency is key.

It is also essential to realize and understand that culture is built from healthy relationships.

The unit of any culture is the relationship we have with each other.

Sometimes companies get too caught up in research work and on-the-job training and forget that culture comes from people connecting and creating healthy relationships.

Nurturing relationships the same way we nurture relationships we have with friends and family is a simple way to help each other thrive.

We are all human and at the end of the day, we are always happiest when we create and have healthy relationships.

Finally, it is important to know that when the crop is threatened, it is better to go back to its base.

Purpose and values ​​must underpin everything we do, and if they are healthy, well communicated, and lived out on a day-to-day basis, everything will flow from there.

When values ​​are challenged or discarded and the culture is contaminated, you can't stick your head in the sand. We need to roll up our sleeves, address the core issues, get back to our values ​​and make sure our leaders are shaping and creating the values ​​and behaviors we want in the company.