Have You Really Thought About the Work Culture You Want?
Guest blog by Monica Lewicki:
I once had a boss walk into the office the morning before the first day of school and ask for the team’s brief attention. She proceeded by saying “I don’t expect to see anyone in here until after those kisses, and pictures are all taken, and your children are settled in to their classrooms.” Can you guess what one of their corporate values are? Family.
Webster defines culture as:
“the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time”
“a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization (such as a business)”
The example above demonstrates one small component of a work environment that makes up that particular culture. The corporate culture is not the words on the wall, the culture is not having those values. Corporate culture is practicing and demonstrating those words in the everyday actions of the individuals within the organization.
I had someone ask me the other day if I thought people really understood what corporate culture was. A great question; it might seem obvious to many, yet each and every day I continue to see people make decisions in their careers that have absolutely nothing to do with culture. But making decisions purely on money, the title on your new business card, or the brand of your new company car will have you back job hunting in under a year. I’ve got the proof, I see it every week. Right now, statistics show that 46% of all new professional hires in Alberta will resign in just 18 short months.
I know you’ve read about corporations like Zappos that not only promote but defend culture to the point of letting an employee go because they harm and jeopardize their high performing culture. Here at The Headhunters, we have the distinct privilege of partnering with some amazingly high performing organizations right across Western Canada. What separates them from those that are struggling from day to day? Pretty sure you figured out what the answer is. An investment in a strong corporate culture.
If you’ve had a conversation with me about your career or your team, we’ve talked about culture. And, I will have asked you this question already. For those of you who are contemplating a change, I encourage you to really think about work culture. To think about what that corporate culture looks like for you, the one that will allow you to be happy, really thrive in, and do your very best work in.
