Workplace culture at AU

The senior management team, the Main Liaison Committee and the Main Occupational Health and Safety Committee have launched a long-term initiative concerning workplace culture. This initiative is launched to make AU an even better workplace with collaboration across disciplines and organisational units and to increase our awareness about responsibility, habits, tone of communication, etc.

A good workplace culture must contribute positively to our shared core task and is part of the goals in AU’s strategy 2020-2025.

The workplace culture is embedded in AU’s staff policy (norms for daily working life) and must support a healthy balance between assignments, time and quality for all employees.

A good workplace culture is a prerequisite for succeeding with the further development of the university’s core tasks, and therefore managers, employees, occupational health and safety representatives and union representatives all play key roles in the dialogue about workplace culture.

Culture Check - a dialogue tool

You can use the Culture Check tool to create a common picture of your existing and desired culture.

Download the Culture Check dialogue tool

Managers (and any others) who are going to facilitate a dialogue about culture can find specific inspiration about this in the following procesguide.

Download the process guide to the Culture Check dialogue tool

What is workplace culture?

We create the culture together every day at work, and relations and collaboration are key elements.

The culture is based on our values and is deeply embedded in the way we work together. It is possible to improve results and well-being at the same time by working consciously with culture.

Managers must set the framework for working with the culture and all employees must contribute, e.g. by gaining an understanding of and asking questions about dilemmas, habits and routines in everyday practices, roles, norms, patterns, ways of interacting: Is there a “them” and “us” in the unit? Are we good at expressing appreciation for the efforts of everyone in the team? How do we work in a culture that is competitive and inclusive at the same time?

Some of these things happen automatically and unconsciously, but it is still possible to influence the culture by being aware of our actions and patterns. We all influence the culture, so we must make an effort to promote the culture we want more of – through our conscious actions, reactions and ways of collaborating.

Understanding culture as part of the organisation

Workplace culture cannot be seen or understood outside its context which is Aarhus University. Therefore, it is important to see and understand the culture of the individual unit in connection with AU’s organisational foundation which includes:

Revised 21.07.2023

AU HR, Development and Work Environment, Iben Skrydstrup Vejen