How to Analyse Workplace Culture in Health and Social Care

Workplace culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that shape how people work together. In health and social care, strong workplace culture supports compassionate care, job satisfaction and good outcomes for those using the service. It emerges from what people feel is acceptable or expected—spoken or unspoken. Culture shapes everything, from how staff relate to each other, to how they treat patients, residents or service users.

Think of culture as “the way we do things here”. It covers formal policies and unwritten habits alike. For example, culture may encourage teamwork, discourage discrimination or prioritise safety. By understanding your workplace culture, you get a clear picture of the environment everyone works within.

Why Analyse Workplace Culture?

Workplace culture affects care quality, staff morale and even staff retention. If staff feel respected, listened to and equipped to speak up, they are more likely to provide excellent care. Inspectors like the Care Quality Commission (CQC) ask about culture, because it carries real impact for the people who rely on you.

Analysing culture helps you:

• Spot strengths you can build on
• Identify problems, like bullying or poor communication
• Find where improvements are needed
• Ensure the service aligns with organisational values
• Protect the well-being of staff and those receiving care

Staff at every level benefit from a positive, supportive culture. Those using the service notice when there is trust and good communication.

Assessing Values and Beliefs

Start by considering the core beliefs that drive practice on your team or in your workplace. Values might include honesty, kindness, respect, safety or inclusivity. These beliefs filter into everyday decision making.

Ask yourself and your colleagues:

• What do we believe is most important when caring for people?
• Do values appear in staff meetings, handovers or training sessions?
• How well are these values embedded in daily routines?

Look at organisational documents and mission statements. Do they match staff behaviour? If people say one thing but do another, that is an important clue about the real culture.

Observing Behaviour and Communication

Observation gives valuable clues—how staff behave can reveal much about the culture even when nobody is explicitly discussing it.

Look for patterns in:

• Communication between team members
• How senior staff interact with junior colleagues
• Response to mistakes—blame or learning?
• Willingness to speak up about problems
• How new starters are treated and introduced

People tend to mirror the behaviour of respected senior staff. If leaders listen, support others, and share responsibility, those attitudes spread. If senior staff ignore concerns or belittle others, problems can take root.

Pay attention to both positive signs (collaboration or praise) and negative ones (gossip or rudeness). Write down your observations over a few weeks to spot trends.

Staff Feedback

Ask staff how they feel about working for the organisation or team. This can reveal opinions or attitudes hidden from managers or outsiders. Using different methods to gather feedback encourages honesty.

Helpful approaches include:

• Anonymous staff surveys
• One-to-one supervision sessions
• Focus groups or team meetings
• Suggestion boxes

Ask questions such as:

• How comfortable do you feel reporting concerns or mistakes?
• Do you feel valued and heard at work?
• Is teamwork encouraged? How?
• What would you change to improve the workplace for everyone?

Anonymous surveys tend to produce more honest answers. If patterns emerge—for example, several people mention feeling ignored—this is significant.

Many staff may raise similar points, which signals areas worth exploring further.

Listening to Service Users and Families

The people receiving care, and their families, see the workplace from a different angle. Their feedback matters just as much as staff perspectives. Service users will often notice things staff overlook.

Look for feedback through:

• Complaints and compliments
• Resident and family meetings
• Surveys and suggestion boxes
• Informal chats with people using the service

Ask about their experience of staff attitudes, communication and responsiveness. Do they feel listened to and respected? Are cultural needs considered? Positive and negative feedback both contribute useful evidence.

Make sure people from different backgrounds and abilities have a voice. For example, some users may not find formal meetings accessible but will share their views in a relaxed chat.

Reviewing Policies and Procedures

Culture can be seen in both what is written down and what people actually do. Review your workplace policies, such as safeguarding, dignity, communication, or whistleblowing.

Consider:

• Do staff understand and use these policies?
• Are people aware of what to do if there is bullying, harassment or a safeguarding issue?
• When was the policy last updated, and does it reflect current standards?
• How do procedures reinforce positive values?

Sometimes policies look good on paper but are rarely read or followed. Where there is a gap between policy and practice, culture is often shaped by daily habits or traditions instead.

Spotting Positive and Negative Culture Markers

Certain signs can quickly indicate the general health of your workplace culture.

Positive signs include:

• Open and respectful communication at all levels
• Leaders who are visible, approachable and consistent
• Honest responses to mistakes, focused on learning not blame
• Support for staff well-being (such as mental health initiatives)
• A clear sense that every voice matters, whatever someone’s role

Negative culture markers include:

• Bullying or tolerance of poor behaviour
• Lack of communication between teams or shifts
• Fear of raising concerns
• Blame or punishment following errors
• High staff turnover or burnout

If you notice any of the negative markers, talk to others to see if these are isolated incidents or part of a wider pattern.

Leadership Style

The approach used by managers and senior staff often has the largest impact on culture. Leadership sets the tone, through both words and actions.

Assess what kind of leadership exists. Is it:

• Supportive and democratic, where staff ideas are welcomed?
• Autocratic, where decisions are made without consultation?
• Absent, where leaders are not visible or approachable?

Staff should feel leaders care bout their professional growth and well-being. Leaders who model the values they promote are trusted more.

Examining Diversity and Inclusion

Culture is healthier when everyone feels included, regardless of background or ability. Examine whether your workplace genuinely values diversity, by asking:

• Are people’s different needs respected and celebrated?
• Do recruitment and progression practices feel fair to all?
• Have there been complaints of discrimination?
• Are cultural and language needs taken into account?

This extends to service users, too. Good culture means adapting to different cultural, spiritual, and communication needs.

Handling Challenging Incidents

How a workplace responds to challenges reveals the true culture. Examine:

• Recent safeguarding enquiries or complaints.
• Near-misses and incidents — whether lessons were learned.
• Support for staff involved in stressful events.

A culture that treats problems openly, sharing learning and supporting staff, develops trust. A culture of secrecy increases fear and stress.

Using Data and Indicators

Sometimes data can complement your direct observations. This could include:

• Sickness and absence levels
• Staff turnover rates
• Numbers and nature of complaints
• Number of safeguarding alerts

A sudden rise in staff sickness may signal low morale. Patterns in data can support what you see or hear informally.

Tools and Frameworks

You do not have to start from scratch. A range of tools exist to help evaluate workplace culture. For example:

• The NHS Staff Survey explores staff views on respect, inclusion, communication, leadership, and support.
• The Care Quality Commission (CQC) uses their “Well-led” inspection key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) to examine leadership and culture in health and social care services.
• The “Culture Assessment Tool” from Skills for Care measures workplace culture based on values, diversity, leadership, support, and other factors.

Using a formal tool can help you structure your assessment and compare changes over time.

Encouraging Continuous Improvement

Analysing workplace culture is an ongoing process. What feels positive today may change in months, as staff leave or new leaders arrive. Commit to regular reviews rather than one-off checks.

Ways to support ongoing improvement:

• Review culture at team meetings or away days
• Encourage open, two-way feedback channels
• Celebrate improvements, even small ones
• Ask staff and service users for ideas about what helps them feel included

Keep analysis practical—act on what you learn.

Creating an Action Plan

Once you have a clear picture of the workplace culture, decide what should change and what to protect. Action plans bring focus and help track progress.

Steps may include:

• Holding more regular all-staff meetings so everyone feels involved
• Improving induction for new starters and including guidance on core values
• Providing leadership training with a focus on communication and support
• Appointing ‘well-being champions’ or peer support staff
• Updating policies around whistleblowing or inclusion

Regularly revisit the action plan, adjusting as you learn more.

Final Thoughts

Culture is not about posters on the wall or policy documents, but about how people actually feel and behave. In health and social care, the best cultures value kindness, honesty, and strong teamwork. The people using your services, and the staff themselves, feel the effects each day.

By bringing together observations, staff and user feedback, data, and formal tools, you can build a clear picture of your workplace culture. Keep testing your understanding, involve everyone, and take regular steps to strengthen the sense of community, inclusion, and safety.

With the right approach, workplace culture becomes the strongest support for care, well-being and trust.