Sheldon Resnick, Recruiter, Examines Company Culture - Why It’s Important

When companies begin to look for potential employees, they often prioritize what perspective candidates will offer their business; sometimes that comes at the expense of considering what they can offer potential hires. This is an important distinction considering that corporate culture has become a growing concern for employees who want to know what the values and goals of a company are before accepting an offer of employment.

Company culture, alternatively known as corporate culture or organizational culture (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_culture), defines a business’ vision, values, norms, systems, habits, operations and structures, and much more. As William Craig wrote in his article for Forbes late last year (http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2014/10/24/what-is-company-culture-and-how-do-you-change-it/) , corporate culture isn’t defined by the size of business or the employees. “Company culture is something that is pre-existing in your company’s genetic code; it’s not something that employees bring with them”, Craig wrote. “In fact, a company with just one employee or a company with no employees, still has a culture.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamcraig/2014/10/24/what-is-company-culture-and-how-do-you-change-it/

While corporate culture often falls to the bottom, if not off, the list entirely of things management is concerned about, recent reports show that assessing culture and tweaking aspects of it can make a business more attractive to potential hires. It can also help in the employee selection process, as employees that align with an organization’s culture are more likely to stay and be happy; that, in turn, increases business efficiency and productivity.

Steven Hunt, a contributor for Monster, explains: “Using culture for recruitment requires identifying aspects of your company’s culture that make it different from other companies. In essence, you need to identify the unique beliefs, behaviors and practices of your company.” http://hiring.monster.ca/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/attracting-job-candidates/Culture-based-recruiting-Canada.aspx

Hunt and other industry experts recommend  using surveys as a tool to gauge response to, knowledge of, and the widespread effects of corporate culture. Industry experts also suggest reviewing and, if necessary, overhauling company culture before enlisting recruiters or hiring new employees.

“Review mission and vision statements, shareholder reports or marketing materials that convey the company’s self-identity,” says Hunt “These materials often convey what the company wants to be, and may not reflect what the company’s work environment actually is.” http://hiring.monster.ca/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/attracting-job-candidates/Culture-based-recruiting-Canada.aspx

Sheldon Resnick (https://about.me/sheldonresnick), an executive recruiter (https://ca.linkedin.com/in/sheldonresnick) based in Toronto, reflects on how important a well-defined and identifiable corporate culture is to a company’s recruiting process. “Potential candidates want to know the company aligns with their values and goals.  On the flip side, companies are very concerned with finding employees who will be happy and comfortable in their company environment,” Sheldon Resnick explains. “Those are reasons why company culture continues to play an important part in company recruiting efforts.”

The increase of telecommuting and mobile offices only makes the need for a clearly structured corporate culture more important. “If your employees are working from home or are working remotely in the field or even around the globe, you want to ensure they understand and promote company values,” Sheldon Resnick adds.  

Just like the employee talent pool has evolved  in recent years, so has the concept of  corporate culture. Sustainability, carbon footprints and environmental strategies are issues that employees and potential employees are increasingly concerned about.  Ensuring your corporate culture accurately represents your company’s goals and changing societal expectations will help to foster a positive corporate environment where employees thrive.