Company Culture: It Ain't No Joke
Ever hear the phrase, "It's not just a job, it's an adventure!" and think to yourself, "adventures are overrated." Well, maybe that's because you've never had a job with an amazing company culture.
Creating and maintaining a strong company culture should be every organization's number one priority (after turning a profit, of course). Why? Because happy employees lead to satisfied customers. Happy customers lead to more sales. More sales lead to more employees. More employees lead to more happy customers. And so on, and so on.
You see where I'm going with this. Strong company culture is the key to a successful business. But what exactly is company culture? Let's take a look.
What Is Company Culture?
Company culture is the personality of an organization. The set of values, beliefs, behaviors, customs, and attitudes make up the community and define what it means to work there.
Good company culture should reflect the organization's core values and mission statement. For example, if your company values customer service above all else, your company culture should reflect that by being friendly and helpful.
Creating a strong company culture isn't easy—it takes time, effort, and dedication from both management and employees. But it's worth it! Strong company culture can lead to increased employee retention rates, higher levels of customer satisfaction, and increased profits.
Why You Should Care About Company Culture (If You're Looking for a Job)
If you're currently job hunting, you should care about company culture for two reasons: 1) It'll save you a lot of time and energy in the long run, and 2) it'll help you land a job you love!
First things first: how will knowing about company culture save you time? Easy! If you know what kind of environment you thrive in, you can narrow your job search to only those companies with cultures similar to the one you're looking for. There's no point in applying to jobs at companies with cultures opposite to what you want—you'll end up miserable and back at square one. So do yourself a favor and save yourself some time by only applying to jobs at companies with cultures that fit you like a glove!
Second: landing a job you love. We spend the majority of our lives working—40 hours a week, 50 weeks out of the year... that's A LOT of time! So why not spend that time doing something you enjoy in an environment that makes you feel valued? When you find a job with excellent company culture, it won't even feel like work! Of course, every job has its tedious tasks from time to time, but when you enjoy going to work each day and feel appreciated by your boss and coworkers, those tasks become much easier to bear.
Working in excellent company culture can also help further your career. If your boss knows they can rely on you and trust that you share their vision for the company, they're much more likely to promote you when positions open up!
So there you have it! Company culture is essential for both businesses AND job seekers. By finding an organization with a culture that fits your personality and goals, you'll set yourself up for success both now AND in the future!