The best companies have well-developed corporate cultures that appeal to top level candidates. Many organizations have made a concerted effort to improve their cultures, even those with quirky ones. The unique set of values, habits, and behaviors that exist behind the scenes can have either a negative or positive impact on hiring efforts.
Can a corporate culture actually hurt a hiring strategy? Let’s dig into this concept a little more and uncover the signs that a corporate culture is getting in the way of effective recruitment.
The corporate culture is based on singular values
A long time ago, when the company was first formed, the leadership probably brought with them a number of personal and professional values. These became the core of the business culture, and over time, everyone just accepted them. Take a look at your corporate culture – are there values that are based on individuals or are they based on a common good? If you find the corporate culture has become self-focused, this could be trouble for new hires who will find it threatening. No one wants to work in a “dog-eat-dog” atmosphere.
The corporate culture is way out there
One of the beautiful things about free commerce is that companies can be fun and unique in the way they build their corporate cultures. Many have been based on casual work environments, where open collaboration and lots of play time happen. This appeals to some candidates, but it can also backfire because some candidates will not thrive in this type of culture. Make the corporate culture balanced so that the best talent finds their place and doesn’t avoid the company in the first place.
The corporate culture is inconsistent
On the very opposite end of things is the corporate culture that is based on outdated work values and inconsistencies that border on abusive business practices. Your corporate culture may seem rosy on the outside, but once candidates come to work for you, they quickly realize there is a pecking order and that they can expect to work long work hours for little praise. Or that customers are allowed to make employees’ lives miserable. Or that what’s ok for one employee is not ok for another. If you have high turnover, this can be a sign things need to change from the top down. Work with management to correct inconsistencies in policies and unfair work practices.
If you notice any of the above issues, it’s time to take steps to make things better so that your corporate culture doesn’t ruin your recruitment efforts.
