Company culture is a major factor when it comes to attracting top talent to your business. It’s the reason that companies like Google and Facebook are some of the most sought-after employers on the planet – they offer their employees a work culture that provides a keen balance between enjoyment and fulfilment, for both the employee and the company.
Developing a company culture takes a lot of time and effort. Google didn’t start out on the massive campus they currently reside in, instead they deliberately constructed a culture that they realised would make people want to work for them.
Harnessing your company culture
There are a lot of factors that contribute to the experience of working for a company.
Benefits, salary, office location, working hours, and relationships between management and their employees are all critical to making your business a desirable destination.
What some companies fail to account for is the impact that your employees can have on how potential hires and business partners see your company.
At the end of the day, your employees are a massive part of how your company is perceived and can influence your ability to attract the best of the best.
There are a number of ways that you can get your employees involved in developing an attractive culture for people to work in and help you attract talent in the long-term.
Find out what your employees want
Communication is key. It’s something you hear often in all walks of life, but it’s especially important in the world of business.
Something as simple as finding out what your employees value in their work life or what would make them feel more comfortable in their working environment can give you invaluable insights into how things could be improved.
Another effective way to get your employees involved is to find out how they perceive the current company culture. This information can give you a better understanding of where your company stands in the eyes of its employees, and what can be done to improve.
Put them in charge
No, this doesn’t mean handing over the reins of your business to Mike from Accounting. Rather, it means getting your employees involved in things around the office in a more meaningful way.
If there’s an office function or an exciting new project, putting an employee in charge can make them feel more valuable to the organisation and give them the confidence to work hard.
Be more social
Most people cringe when they think about company social media groups, populated with all of their co-workers they have to see every day.
When used properly, however, social media can be an effective way to create comradery amongst your work force and encourage them to interact with each other.
Use Facebook or WhatsApp to co-ordinate group events or extra-curricular activities to build rapport and create a more familial vibe around the office.
Hire selectively
Finding new employees is a critical function for any company that has more far reaching consequences than affecting company culture, but it can be highly beneficial in attracting even more top talent to your organisation.
When interviewing prospective new employees, be sure to pay close attention to their character and whether or not you feel like they would be a fit for the existing company culture, as well as if they could improve it in any way.
Take people out on company time
Sure, time is money, but so is your employees’ wellbeing and their feeling of value to your company.
It’s no secret that productivity drops as days pass by, and by the end of the work day on Friday you’re lucky to squeeze anything out of anyone.
Use these informal periods of downtime to take employees out on the company tab. Whether it’s a casual lunch or after-work drinks, this is a sure fire way to improve employee happiness and get people talking about your company culture.
