Company Culture

What is organisational culture and why is it important?

 ‘Culture’ is the shared values, beliefs, norms, and practices that are characteristic of an organisation.  Collectively, it’s the way people think, behave, and interact with each other and in turn what shapes the working environment. It affects everything, including how decisions are made, ultimately how satisfied people are and in turn, how well they perform. There are various types of organisational culture, and we can recognise it in the way the company sets out its mission statement, how leadership looks, the way people communicate, the feel of the working environment, and the behaviour of employees.

What make a company’s culture?

Values and beliefs
Sometimes referred to as a company’s ‘core values’, these are the core principles guiding the behaviour of people in the organisation. They articulate what the company stands for and deems to be important. At Jackson Hogg, our core values are care, trust and respect. They underpin everything we do, and we regularly talk about how we live these out and recognise them in our everyday interactions at work.

Organisational norms and practices

These are generally unwritten, and are the ways people behave and operate, in other words, ‘how things are done around here’.

Symbols and Artifacts

These are physical things which give clues as to the company’s culture. Examples could be the company logo and branding, office layout and furniture and the way people dress. 

Rituals and ceremonies

By this we mean activities and acts which reinforce the culture, such as how meetings take place, team-building activities, social events or award and praise-giving events. 

Stories and legends

These are stories about the organisation and its history. They are usually passed down and described to employees by one another as ways of helping people understand the company’s journey. 

Why is company culture important to job seekers and candidates?

Employees and candidates are undoubtedly increasingly aware of company culture and many people will make a conscious effort to carefully consider the type of culture they want to work in for a number of reasons:

Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Positive culture and alignment between personal and company values generally lead to job satisfaction and engagement at work. This alignment supports people in feeling motivated, committed and productive in their work.

Work-Life Balance: Support for work-life balance is high on the priority list for many organisational cultures which often comes along with flexible working opportunities and wellbeing support programmes. Candidates and employees for whom this is high on their own priority list are likely to find such a culture, and therefore company, attractive.

Career Development: Many organisations will have a strong learning and development culture and commit to providing development opportunities and supporting the career growth of their staff. Many candidates, and successful employees, will put great focus on the extent to which the company invests in their staff through training, coaching and mentoring, and transparent progression routes.

Leadership Styles and Behaviours: Culture is not just the responsibility of leaders in the organisation, but they do play a critical role in influencing it.

Diversity, Inclusion and Reputation: Increasingly seen as a non-negotiable commitment by organisations, candidates and employees who value equality and equity will seek out businesses where there is evidence of staff being treated with respect and offered equal opportunities. Job seekers and employees are also increasingly interested in working for organisations positively contributing to society and the environment.

Company culture is important for your internal customers (your employees) and your target customers (candidates) because it affects numerous aspects of work life. Ultimately, it can be difficult for candidates to get an accurate picture of company culture from outside of the organisation, but many interested applicants will spend time researching prospective employers and looking for the signs and symbols of company culture. Organisations should consider how they express and convey their company culture externally to reach their target audience and importantly, ensure this accurately reflects the reality within the business.