Defining Culture May Be Employee Retention Tool

What is your company culture?

If you’re tempted to say “awesome,” or “like family,” you’re making a mistake, says one expert. Defining culture in a more tangible way offers opportunities to hire people who will last.

“What you need to develop is a clear model for describing to everyone internally how we do it here,” says Jamie Notter, co-founder and consultant at Human Workplaces. “What is valued? What is not valued? What does a company emphasize and what does it not care about so much?”

He goes on: “When you define your culture, I’m telling you right now, you’ll be drawn to defining if your culture is good or bad at things like these. You have to resist that urge. It’s not helpful to state ‘We are good at being innovative.’”

Something like “innovation” can be broken down into a number of more tangible concepts and practices, he suggests, such as creativity, inspiration, permission to hack, risk-taking and experimentation.

Think about how culture is carried out in the workplace, Notter says. Do you employ a traditional management style, or do you put power in the hands of every individual in the organization? Do you act on instinct or data? Make decisions quickly or slowly? Applicants and employees need to see that picture.              

Source: HR Dive