Welcome back to the Pathway Blog!

We’re happy to have you here and, as always, happy to talk about HR and human capital topics that can help your organization succeed. 

This time, we’re talking about company, or organizational, culture. What exactly does that mean? What kind of company culture does your organization have? And how could it be affecting your hiring and recruiting?

What is Company Culture?

A quick definition tells us that “company culture” is a combination of the values, behaviors, goals, and practices that make up a company. This includes everything from the overall mission of the company, down to the way employees and managers treat each other. That’s a lot to cover, but it’s also an incredibly important aspect of corporate and company life that needs to be considered. 

What would you consider your company’s culture to be? Is the environment friendly in terms of the way staff interacts with one another? Are employee expectations clear and realistic? Does the company show a dedicated interest in its employees’ health and well-being through programs and benefits? Does the company have an overall mission that it holds itself accountable to? 

A company’s culture can affect job seeker interest.

As the incoming workforce evolves, we are seeing a dramatic change in its overall career motivations. Quality of life is becoming a substantially larger motivator than salary when potential employees consider where they submit their applications. Basically, job seekers are asking the question: Will this job allow me to feel happy, healthy, and satisfied? And if the answer is “No,” then the trend is to look elsewhere. 

Employees are growing burnt out at an alarming pace — especially in this new, pandemic-influenced world — and well-being is being pushed to the forefront of their priorities. 

A company’s mission and values can also affect hiring interest. Potential employees are now looking at the values held by a company as they decide whether or not they want to apply. Environmentalism and healthcare are hot topics everywhere, and hiring and recruitment is not immune. It’s important to make sure your company’s values are clear and accessible to incoming job seekers. 

A company’s culture can affect career longevity and decrease turnover.

While a lot of this might sound like a benefit only to job seekers, the truth is that companies have a lot to gain from hiring an employee whose values match their own. 

When you approach the hiring process with a “hire to fit” mentality, you’re looking at more than someone’s basic qualifications and experience; you’re looking at how well they will fit into your company as a whole. Plenty of people are proficient in Microsoft Excel or have the required education to do the job… but will they enjoy or feel comfortable with the atmosphere of your company? It’s an important piece of the puzzle to keep in mind.

By hiring someone whose personal culture intersects with your organization’s, you’re taking huge strides toward hiring people who will be at your company for the long haul, leaving you the time and bandwidth to achieve your company’s goals. 

Have you thought about your company’s culture? 

It’s okay if you haven’t; right now is a fantastic time to start!
Knowing the values and personality of your organization — and being upfront about them — can do you a world of good; in hiring, day-to-day operations, and more. If cultivating your company culture is something you’re interested in, but don’t know where to start, we’d love to chat! Simply head over to our contact page and reach out. We can’t wait to meet you!