Isn’t it time you got serious about Company Culture?
Company culture. Organisational culture. Corporate culture. Whatever the name, there used to be a time when you could take one look at the name of a business, the sector it operated in, and its owner, and make some fairly safe assumptions about its “culture”. If you were applying for a certain type of job, you could be relatively sure of what it would be like to work for the company too, for better or for worse.
So what is company culture?
A company’s culture is usually an evolution of its practices over time. As Investopedia puts it:
“Often, corporate culture is implied, not expressly defined, and develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of the people the company hires.”
The above may remain true in some sectors, but the smartest businesses are becoming wise to the importance of developing and promoting a clearly defined company culture based on business needs, in order to achieve their long-term goals. After all, what can be better for attracting and retaining the best talent than ensuring your employees share the values and behaviour of your company? While job abundance isn’t yet back to pre-2008 levels, the office landscape has changed and candidates are looking past just whether they tick the boxes and if they get a company car. While you are checking out their references, they’re checking out yours: social media accounts, Glassdoor and even Google Reviews give candidates clues as to whether you are a good fit for them.
What is the best culture?
Clients ask me all the time: “What is the best company culture?” There is no right answer to this question. There are potentially as many cultures as there are companies. Even in the same market, what’s right for your nearest competitor may not be right for you. More often than not, the culture a company develops comes down to the individuals put in charge of shaping and implementing it. This can happen at any level, whether it’s CEO, Human Resources, or in larger companies, even Team Leaders or Managers themselves.
While there are vast differences in cultures between companies, those who are successful all share one thing in common, and that is having clearly defined principles around what their culture should look like. Once these principles are in place, it’s about designing a recruitment strategy that will attract the individuals required to make the desired culture a reality.
Attract the best candidates
The benefits of having a clearly defined culture are tremendous. Confidently project your culture, and you are more likely to attract more qualified candidates who are eager to work for you. Even better, carry that projection over and give your employees the environment that you designed and that they expect, and watch your team productivity soar and turnover rates plummet. When it comes to company culture, a well-recruited, motivated workforce is a self-perpetuating machine: the proof is in the metaphorical pudding for anybody joining the team.
At Carson Recruitment, we understand this crucial aspect of recruitment. We connect with our clients to ensure we understand their company goals and values, and ultimately, their culture. We don’t stop until we are 100% clear on the direction you wish to take and the type of candidate that will help you move that step closer to achieving your long-term organisational goals, and offer consultations to any employer looking to establish their own ‘best’ culture ahead of a recruitment drive.