The Difference Between Workplace Climate and Culture

What is the difference between workplace climate and workplace culture and why is it important to know the distinction?

 

I once heard a manager of human resources mention that even if she tried to change the company culture, she wouldn’t be able to make much of a difference.

 

The problem wasn’t that she was being ineffective so much as that changes needed to be sought out at the top level of management.

 

All she could do as an HR professional is create a “climate” or positive environment where new and existing teams can work in harmony together.

 

A workplace climate is the general feeling that employees get where they enter a certain business establishment. It includes such things as the expression of the staff, how employees interact with each other and with customers, the music played in the background etc.

 

A workplace culture, on the other hand, is the set of values, rules, objectives, etc, that serve as the basis for a certain establishment.

 

While the atmosphere of the business will have an impact on how employees behave and on the kind of work they produce, it is the culture that determines how employees perceive the atmosphere, how they will act around it and how they will eventually perceive themselves as part of the company.

 

If you would like to discuss any aspect of this further, or learn about the ways we can help your company improve both the company culture as well as the climate, please set up a live demo with our team by clicking on the “Live Demo” button.