by Laura Belyea, COO at Talivest
Corporate culture is the topic of much conversation these days whether it’s a startup bragging about perks or a company struggling to change outdated habits and attitudes. Here is a perspective you may not see addressed much outside of Human Resource circles: What is the goal of our corporate culture?
We all want to work in an environment that is welcoming and rewarding, but companies aren’t created with that goal in mind. At their heart, job creation and company culture run parallel to the goals of the company which usually include a vision for change and the creation of a product or service.
So how can a company align it’s business objectives with its corporate culture objectives? Here are three ways to shift your relationship with corporate culture and decide if your organization is meeting their culture objectives, or paying lip service to them.
Revisit Your Mission Statement
If your organization started with one or two employees working nights and weekends to launch an idea, corporate culture and HR needs probably didn’t take center stage…and that’s OK. You can revisit that mission statement now, and continue to revisit the mission as the company grows and the marketplace changes.
Ask yourselves about company culture and ask your employees. Anonymous surveys and candid feedback about strengths and weaknesses will help realign your corporate culture goals to the realities on the ground.
Culture Begins with Employee Onboarding
There are legal requirements to hiring and employee onboarding but it doesn’t mean you can’t give your newest employees a taste of what your company culture is all about. Switching jobs can be stressful and small steps taken to make the process run smoothly make a big difference. Look for inefficiencies in the process and set a goal to streamline them over time.
The employee onboarding process should segue into your employee communication plan. Taking care of onboarding and then disappearing can be a little jarring for new employees. Circle back at 30 and 90 days. Give new employees a chance to share some feedback on their first few weeks with the company. What would have been helpful to know on day one? What suggestions do they have for improvement?
Corporate Culture = Company Atmosphere
At the beginning of the article we discussed aligning business objectives with corporate culture objectives. Here is where employee onboarding converges with business objectives. If employees–especially new employees–feel appreciated, integrated and valued they are likely to work through difficulties with help from managers and the HR department rather than throw in the towel and switch companies.
Every organization experiences employee churn, so it’s key to ensure you capture the feedback to understand why they are leaving and how your corporate culture can improve.
About the author
Laura’s role is to successfully support the growth and strategy for Talivest, as well as provide product support with her expertise within the HR industry. Previously posts were director of HR & operations in Telefonica, Elizabeth Arden and ICON
