#AskDesiree: How can I improve company culture for my ecommerce team?

Is company culture within an ecommerce team often overlooked? One ecommerce professional got in touch, hoping to create an improved culture for their team in 2018. What a great new year’s resolution! What they want to know is, how can they achieve this? There’s only one person who can tackle this conundrum…

Desiree, the ecommerce career mentor, is back and ready to go after over indulging on the bamboo over the festive period!

Company culture in ecommerce

Ecommerce teams often have big goals for the year, and sometimes company culture is not engrained in the overall strategy.

Do other departments know what the ecommerce team is doing? Are they supportive of digital functions or does it sometimes feel like the ecommerce function is isolated from the business? (Even though it isn’t when it comes to targets and performance!)

Having the ecommerce function recognised as a major part of the business is important to ecommerce professionals, so it’s important to begin with a plan that allows the team to interact with the company as a whole so they don’t feel like a mere extension of a business.

Do employee benefits improve ecommerce company culture?

Employee benefits and company culture don’t always go hand in hand when it comes to ecommerce teams. Don’t assume that a cool office with table tennis, chill out zones and a beer fridge will automatically make the company a great place to work.

The same goes for team outings and trips – of course it is fun and shows appreciation to your team, but it’s a temporary positive for them.

I’m not saying these things are bad…far from it. But it takes a lot more than this to keep people happy and engaged. Do you know what really matters to the team in terms of company perks? It could be good to find out and write this into your management strategy. Of course, big changes don’t happen overnight, but this will let your team know you are striving for the best!

However, never make promises you can’t keep…if you want to introduce a new incentive or benefit, make sure it’s possible within the company first and foremost.

Check out our #PandaPounds feature on employee benefits in ecommerce for more information on what ecommerce professionals receive.

How can you improve company culture in an ecommerce team?

The main focus when prioritising company culture in ecommerce is having the core goals and values while making sure you know how each individual view these.

• Have definitive values that not only help the team, but helps each individual develop in their role.
• Constantly review your goals, values and mission statement – you don’t want to change these entirely, but they need to be adaptable. Things can change within any business, so you want to be able to bring your values forward while addressing anything that could be changed.
• The above point is very important when hiring new team members – while it is important to use the core values when hiring, it’s important to review them with existing employees too, so you can show them they have continuous input when it comes to company values.
• Little things make a big difference when it comes to company culture – show appreciation to your team, have regular one to one reviews and know what their personal goals are. It means a lot to someone when you not only know what they’re striving for professionally and personally, but want to support it.
• Be a walking example of your core values. If your team don’t feel you are representing the team values, why should they do the same?
• Introduce complete transparency, across all departments. This might take some time, especially as you work with other senior management teams, but you must show how vital transparency is for everyone in the company. It lets everyone know what has gone well and what could be improved. It allows your ecommerce team to show off the great things they are doing and really see the positive impact they’re making.

I think your goal for this year is a great one – it shows you care about your ecommerce team! I hope some of my tips help you with setting up your plan of action…remember, it all comes down to values, the team as a unit and the individual members of it. If you want to talk more about ecommerce teams, find out how we can help!

Ask Desiree – here for your ecommerce career questions!

I am your ecommerce career mentor, so don't be shy...send your questions over to me: desiree@cranberrypanda.co.uk! From job search anxieties to hiring calamities, I am here to help. Look forward to hearing from you, ecommerce friends!