Introduction

Company culture is becoming an increasingly important factor for candidates when considering a new role. While salary and benefits remain important, professionals care a lot about company values, career development, support, flexibility and overall company culture.

Whether the culture has been carefully curated, or has developed naturally over time, understanding how your business makes employees feel when they come to work and ensuring it’s a positive experience can go a long way when trying to recruit new employees as well as retain staff.

In this blog we will explore what company culture actually means, why it matters to candidates and how you can communicate your culture throughout the recruitment process.

What is company culture?

Company culture is often described simply as how work feels day to day rather than something you can read in a company handbook.

It includes how people work together, leadership, communication, company values, support and career development.

Leadership can have a significant impact on culture too. When employees feel that senior staff care about them are approachable and collaborative, this can really support a positive working environment. Equally, poor communication or lack of recognition can leave employees feeling undervalued and affect morale and productivity.

How to review your company’s culture

There are a few simple things you can do to get a better understanding of your company’s culture.

To start, talk to your existing employees. Ask them what they enjoy about working for the business and whether there are areas they think could be improved.

Regular anonymous surveys can also be useful. Running these quarterly can help you build up a picture over time and give employees a safe space to share their thoughts and experiences.

It can also be helpful to look at some of the practical signs within your business:

• How long do people tend to stay with the business?
• Why do employees leave?
• Do people have opportunities to progress?
• How well do managers communicate with their teams?
• Is there a good level of trust between employees and management?
• Does the business genuinely follow the values it promotes?

There doesn’t need to be a perfect answer to every question. There is always room for improvement, and culture will naturally change as your business and team grow.

The important thing is to be honest about where your culture is today. It’s much better to recognise areas that could be improved than to make promises about a working environment that doesn’t reflect the reality.

Why candidates care?

Candidates aren’t just choosing a job. They’re choosing where they’re going to spend a big part of their week, who they’ll be working with and what their day-to-day life might look like. So naturally, they may want to know whether the team gets on, whether managers are supportive, whether there’s room to develop and whether the company’s values genuinely match their own.

This can become even more important when candidates are considering more than one opportunity. Two roles might offer a similar salary and benefits, but the working environment and company culture could be completely different.

And candidates have more ways than ever to find out what a business is really like before accepting a role. They can look at your website and social media, read employee reviews or simply ask questions during the recruitment process.

Therefore, your culture can have a big influence on your recruitment success.

Communicating your culture during recruitment process

Once you have a good understanding of your culture, the next step is making sure candidates get a genuine feel for it during the recruitment process.

For many candidates, a job advert is their first interaction with your business, so consider what you’re telling them about what it’s actually like to work there. Rather than simply saying you have a “great team” or a “friendly culture”, try to explain what that actually means.

Is the team collaborative? Do new employees get plenty of support? Are there opportunities to learn and develop? Is the management team approachable? Is there flexibility in how people work?

The interview process is another great opportunity to show candidates what your business is really like.

Think about who they meet, how they are treated throughout the interviews and what they see when they come into your workplace. Even small things can make a difference.

Importantly, you need to be consistent. If you describe your business as supportive and collaborative, but a candidate experiences poor communication, long delays and little feedback during the recruitment process, they may start to question whether that really reflects the company.

You don’t need to present a picture of a perfect workplace. Being open and honest about your culture is much more important to candidates who want to know what they can genuinely expect.

Our perspective

As recruiters, we see the impact that company culture can have on a successful hire.

Skills, experience and salary will always be important when matching candidates with opportunities, but they are not the only things we consider.

When we speak to candidates, we want to understand what they are looking for from their next role and what type of environment they are likely to thrive in.

Equally, when we work with a client, understanding the team and the wider business is an important part of getting the right match.

There isn’t one company culture that works for everyone. Some people will thrive in a fast-paced environment, while others may prefer a smaller, more collaborative team. Some candidates will prioritise progression, while others may value flexibility or stability.

The key is understanding what makes your business and your team work well and being honest about that throughout the recruitment process.

Final Thoughts

Company culture isn’t something you can create overnight, and there isn’t one type of culture that works for every business.

What matters is understanding what makes your workplace work for your people, being honest about where there is room for improvement and making sure the experience you offer matches what you tell candidates.

From a recruitment perspective, culture can make a real difference when it comes to finding the right person. Skills, experience and salary are important, but so is finding someone who will enjoy the working environment, work well with the team and see themselves building a future with the business.

Ultimately, a strong company culture isn’t just good for your existing employees. It can also help you attract the people who will thrive in your business.