So, what exactly is organisational culture and why is a good workplace culture so necessary? A company’s culture is often described as the glue that holds a company and its employees together. It’s the way employees interact with one another, habits, and norms of day-to-day activity that all make up a company’s culture.
It’s the collection of people, vision and values that define the atmosphere in the workplace and influence how much you enjoy coming to work. Some people might say it’s the personality of your organisation.
When people fit in with an organisation’s culture, they are more likely to feel comfortable in the workplace. But how does this impact recruitment?
In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at the link between these two factors…
How can organisational culture affect the recruitment and retention of staff?
How many people consider a company’s culture before applying for a job? You might be surprised to find that the number is extremely high; 77% across the UK, US, France, and Germany. Over half of the workers in the countries mentioned place company culture above salary when it comes to factors that contribute to their satisfaction at work.
Trends suggest that people are not prioritising pay and benefits as much as they used to. Rather, people are looking to work for a company whose values align with their own. By avoiding investing in your company culture you may be missing out on key talent, whilst sacrificing employee retention too!
What does a good workplace culture look like?
The concept of a healthy workplace culture is subjective. What works for one employee may not work for another. However, several key components go into creating a good workplace culture where employees feel happy, valued and safe.
This includes the following:
- Diversity, inclusivity and equity prioritised
- Open communication
- Social outings and non-work-related activities
- Work flexibility
- Zero-tolerance policies
- Transparency
- Clear mission, purpose and core values
- Ongoing professional development opportunities
- Collaboration is encouraged
- Regular employee recognition
- Accessible leadership teams
- A healthy approach to wellbeing
- Empowerment
- Employee benefits (this doesn’t include a ping pong table!)
- Accountability
A good workplace culture attracts good candidates
So, how does this affect recruitment? Employees place a strong emphasis on company culture when applying for jobs. Most people wouldn’t apply for a job at a company that didn’t share their values and many job seekers value culture more than salary. Employees are less likely to have job satisfaction and are more likely to look for a new role when not happy in their work environment.
Candidates can do several things to find out more about a company’s culture. For example, checking out the company website; researching on Glassdoor for reviews and ratings; asking specific questions at interviews and even looking on platforms like LinkedIn to check out company pages.
Applicants are beginning to expect information about a company’s culture before they apply. Many forward-thinking companies now include information on work-life balance, values, priorities and other cultural factors on their careers web pages. By building a reputation for having a positive company culture, employers are likely to attract candidates who value that.
OKRs and recruitment
Those who lead an organisation need to take the necessary steps to create a good workplace culture. They must make it clear to everyone at the company that culture is a priority. This requires not only words – but actions too. Leaders need to tell managers, team leaders and employees why a workplace team culture is important. They should also share their expectations for the company culture.
But that isn’t enough, they also need to act out that culture.
Having leaders that are models of company culture, increases the chances of your employees following suit. When you create a clear process for developing and implementing company culture, employers can ensure that staff are engaged with the organisation’s ideas.
Creating a workplace team culture is such a critical investment for any business that wants to grow. Positive organisational cultures result in people doing their jobs well, productively and effectively. Without that, there is likely to be a significant risk that the aspirations for growth won’t be achieved.
Where do I start?
Here at There Be Giants, we’re experienced at helping leaders create workplace team cultures where OKRs thrive. Implementing OKRs is a great way to create a positive organisational culture. Successful OKR implementation requires psychological safety, a healthy culture, a shared understanding and commitment to values and behaviours and engaging everyone in the team. We’ve got you.
To succeed, you must cultivate a trusting and supportive culture. A positive company culture where your OKRs can thrive. Take a look at our guide that takes you through 7 principles you’ll need to master to create a healthy culture.
Create a culture where OKRs can thrive