When conducting that all-important job search, you focus on salary, medical benefits, day-to-day duties, as well as consideration of the daily commute. While all of these are important factors to consider, have you given much thought to the company culture? Finding the right company culture is just as important as the other items on your list of job considerations.
A positive company culture promotes a supportive and collaborative work environment where you feel valued, respected, and engaged. The best company culture is one that aligns with your values and provides an environment where you can thrive. Company culture can be subjective and may vary from company to company, so it's important to keep an open mind and gather as much information as possible before making any assumptions or decisions when choosing your next job opportunity.
Understanding the importance of company culture and knowing what to look for in an organization when conducting your job search will help ensure the perfect fit for you.
In this article, you’ll discover:
What is company culture?
Why is company culture important?
How can company culture impact employees?
How do you identify the right company culture during your job search?
What are eight types of company culture?
How is a good company culture built and maintained?
What company culture is most important?
What is company culture?
Before you can decide which company culture best fits your personality and needs, you must learn what a company culture is.
Company culture is the beliefs, values, attitudes, behaviors, and practices that influence the organization's identity and also shape the way it engages with and impacts its employees and stakeholders. The company culture serves as the "personality" of the company: who they are and the unspoken norms that guide the decisions and actions of its staff.
The fabric of the company culture will determine how employees engage with one another as well as with customers, clients, and key stakeholders.
Many different factors can determine and impact the culture of the company, such as the organization's history, leadership, mission, vision, strategy, communication style, and employee diversity.
The company culture will play a significant role in the success of how an organization attracts and retains top talent, especially in a competitive market.
Why is company culture important?
When looking for a job that is perfect for you, look for a job that will challenge you, present you with opportunities to grow inside your career, and give you meaning. If you are going to be a product of your environment, you want it to be nurturing, supportive, encouraging, engaging, and filled with purpose.
When your values match the values and culture of the organization, you feel more aligned with the mission. When organizations emphasize a culture that is inclusive, safe, fun, and concerned about their employees, employees become more than just workers; they become advocates and brand ambassadors of the company.
A strong company culture is vital because it will attract and retain top talent such as yourself and increase productivity and innovation while enhancing its brand reputation. Overall, a positive company culture can create a sense of community, improve employee well-being, and contribute to the success of the organization.
Use the interview to help determine if the company will be a great cultural fit for you by reading: Are you a match with the company? Be prepared for these culture-fit interview questions
How can the culture of a company impact employees?
Company culture can have a significant impact on employees, including their job satisfaction, engagement, retention, work-life balance, stress and burnout, productivity, and creativity.
It is important for companies to prioritize building a positive culture that supports and values its employees.
When conducting your job search, you want to identify toxic work environments early as possible so as not to jeopardize your health and well-being. According to MITSloan Management Review, toxic work environments are driving employee resignations in record numbers.
A positive company culture leads to happy and productive employees. According to an article by Warwick, “Economists carried out a number of experiments to test the idea that happy employees work harder. In the laboratory, they found happiness made people around 12% more productive.”
How do you identify the right company culture during your job search?
The article Everything you need to know about career planning! states that “50% of employees would rather quit their job if their company’s values do not align with their own personal values.”
It is necessary when conducting a job search that you do your due diligence in researching the company and its culture. Researching a company can give you insight into its environment and help you determine if it is a good fit for you. It can also help you prepare for the interview process by knowing what the company values and expects from its employees.
While it can be challenging to identify companies with the best culture that fits your values, here are a few strategies we think will help you.
Research the company’s online presence: Visit the company’s website and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn more about what they stand for and how they conduct themselves.
Search for company reviews on Google, Yahoo, Bing, and other sites to learn what customers along with current and past employees have to say about the company.
Get insight from current and past employees by networking through professional networks such as LinkedIn.
Investigate if the company has been in the news, and if so, for what reason.
Check the employee turnover rate, as this could be a key indicator.
Look for clues in the job posting regarding the company culture as you read the job description.
Observe the work environment when you visit for an interview.
Ask questions related to company culture during the interview.
What are eight types of company culture?
Several different types of company cultures exist, and each type can impact employees in different ways. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a positive and productive work environment. You have to do your research and find the company culture that is best for you.
Here are some examples of different types of company cultures:
1. Hierarchical Culture:
A hierarchical culture is characterized by a rigid, top-down organizational structure with clear lines of authority.
2. Adhocracy or Creative Culture:
An innovative culture that values creativity, experimentation, and risk-taking.
3. Market Culture:
This culture looks to dominate the market through its brand influence.
4. Results-Oriented Culture:
A results-oriented culture places a high value on achieving specific, measurable goals.
5. Clan or Collaborative Culture:
A clan culture emphasizes collaboration, teamwork, and shared responsibility.
6. Work-Life Balance Culture:
A work-life balance culture values the well-being and work-life balance of employees. Companies with this type of culture often offer flexible work arrangements, wellness programs, and other benefits to support employee health and happiness.
7. Ethical Culture:
An ethical culture values integrity, honesty, and transparency.
8. Fun Culture:
A fun culture values a sense of humor, enjoyment, and playfulness in the workplace.
Also remember that an organization can have subcultures supporting the main tenet. For example, a work-life balance culture might weave an ethical culture or a market culture into its overall values.
How is a good culture built and maintained in a company?
There are many factors that contribute to how company culture impacts employees, so building and maintaining a positive company culture is highly important.
From Gallup.com, here are five drivers for a high-performance culture that can shape how employees perform.
1. Leadership and communication – “Only 13% of employees strongly agree the leadership of their organization communicates effectively with the rest of the organization.”
Leadership and communication have to be at the very top when it comes to building and maintaining positive company culture.
2. Values and rituals – “Just 23% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they can apply their organization's values to their work every day.”
When it comes to values, the company must look to be ethically, legally, and socially responsible.
3. Work teams and structures – “Gallup has found that employee perspectives about work structure can dramatically influence employee engagement -- for good or ill. With this in mind, leaders should consistently track employees' perceptions to identify gaps, address barriers, and replicate successes.”
The structure is important to any successful organization and employees want to feel there is fairness and consistency.
4. Human capital – “Changing organizational culture requires leaders to engage their teams in productive ways that help them flourish individually. These days, leaders must see developing their people as perhaps their greatest opportunity--as traditional HR systems are outdated. Leaders have an opportunity to shift to cultures based on performance development--where individuals are able to grow as they achieve outcomes for the company.”
Growth and development are key to employee retention. When employees feel stagnated, they become disengaged. Employees want to be recognized for their accomplishments and contributions.
5. Performance – “Invest to hire and develop high-performing managers. Investment in managers is critical. They account for 70% of the variance in team engagement but an alarming 65% of managers are not engaged or are actively disengaged.”
When organizations train and groom the next wave of managers the right way, those managers are more engaged and able to build and maintain a company culture that is positive and productive.
What company culture is most important?
There is no single "most important" company culture that applies to all companies. The type of culture that is most important will also vary from job seeker to job seeker and what they are looking for in a company.
With that said, there are some common positive company culture traits that successful companies share.
Respect for employees
Effective communications
Trust and transparency
Collaboration
Recognition and feedback
Work-life balance
Diversity and inclusion
Learning and development
Career growth opportunities
These are the things to look for when job searching so you find it easy and enjoyable to go to work every day.
Key takeaways
Understanding the importance of company culture and knowing what to look for in an organization when conducting your job search will help ensure the perfect fit for you.
The company culture serves as the "personality" of the company: who they are and the unspoken norms that guide the decisions and actions of its staff.
A strong company culture is vital because it will attract and retain top talent, increase productivity and innovation, and help to enhance brand reputation.
Company culture can have a significant impact on employees, including their job satisfaction, engagement, and creativity just to name a few.
There are many factors that contribute to how company culture impacts employees, good or bad, so building and maintaining a positive company culture is highly important. It means they want their employees to be successful, enjoy their work, and stay with the company for the long term.
