Fast-Track to a Genuine Company Culture

5 mins

Whether it’s character, personality, beliefs or behaviours that you measure a company cultur...

By Amy Halls

Senior Marketing & Talent Manager

Whether it’s character, personality, beliefs or behaviours that you measure a company culture by, there are tangible policies and methods that go beyond abstract quotes on a wall or too many beanbags.

From a recruiter’s point of view (internal or agency) the two key benefits of a genuine company culture will be Talent Attraction and Retention. We’ve recently carried out a benefits survey across all our clients; the key benefit is that when reviewing current policies our clients can see where they stand in the market and what the competition are doing. The future benefit of this is that as an industry we can be progressive in our approach to employee happiness and wellbeing.

Here are 5 that I certainly feel would impact the culture and raise morale, interactions, attitudes and most importantly from a talent acquisition perspective – market reputation.


Progression

Your current place of employment is ultimately a tool to progress your career and an employee’s satisfaction regarding their career progression trajectory will directly affect their behaviour and attitude in the workplace – if they adopt a negative stance that toxicity will spread like wildfire.

How can you measure how suited you are to that next promotion? Job function related skills testing showing which employees have exhibited increased capability with visible analysis for all parties? Or a result of client opinion and time spent in the current role?

The more thorough and rigorous the process for earning a promotion is the more satisfied an employee will be. Even if they don’t get that raise, title change or more importantly a change in responsibility – they’ll know why not and how to address those faults. The result will be employees promoted on true merit – on clear paths for those striving to make the mark.


A Commitment to Care

It’s a well-known psychological trait of human beings that the subconscious need for reciprocation is a powerful impulsion. When presented with a grass is greener situation, how can you prepare your employees to avoid temptation and stay loyal? Invest in their well-being and go beyond the norm to ensure that their personal wellness and health – and on a more primal level, safety – is of utmost importance.

Gym memberships, sponsored yoga classes and in-house massages all have their place, and can create a genuine haven away from home – but endeavour to offer something for everyone. Wellness doesn’t just mean your sun-salutations are flawless, mental health should be regarded with equal reverence.

Simply providing employees with a sense of safety and well-being and creating a policy where everyone looks out for each other can make a world of difference.


Communication

Creating an environment where employees will feel listened to and valued is key to a good culture.

No one has all the answers. A company where only management makes decisions is a sure-fire way to send talented individuals to other companies. If you want a culture that promotes and nurtures cohesion – then value those who have a greater purpose at heart than their 9-5. the Google News tool was created by a research scientist at Google named Krishna Bharat.

Creating Google News wasn’t something that came from a management meeting and descended upon Bharat. He invented it after the September 11 attacks because he figured “it would be useful to see news reporting from multiple sources on a given topic assembled in one place.” It came from a problem that he was having; he wasn’t instructed to create it, and yet his opinion and drive was valued and produced a fantastic product.

Do your employees know what the next quarter or financial year hold for the company? Particularly in larger companies making sure everyone knows which direction they’re going is imperative – not just so everyone is on the same page, but so employees feel they can contribute, collaborate or constructively criticise.


Leadership

It goes without saying that the character, personality, beliefs or behaviours of your company should be emulated from the top down, and defended passionately.

A key component to having a good company culture is having a not just a CEO or Managing Director that you can believe in, but by creating a culture of leadership. With multiple leaders being allowed to naturally emerge – whether it be through performance, social standing or vision – you will create a roster of role models that will resonate with your workforce.


Diversity

There has been a huge amount written on diversity and I don’t feel it needs further explaining how important it is – however, what is crucial is that your employer/employees are not just talking about diversity, or preaching about diversity but actively working to change the current status quo across gender, race, disability, age and background. It’s painfully clear when a company lacks diversity – ask yourself if that is indicative of the core values and ultimately, the culture.
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