Establishing your company’s culture is about understanding your goals and creating the best environment to achieve them. Ping pong tables and free food are great, but that’s not culture. Culture is investing in your staff, caring about one another, and growing together.
Great cultures consistently get the most out of employees because they thoroughly understand staff’s needs and motivations. LaSalle Network’s 2018 Hiring Trends White Paper surveyed more than 4,000 professionals in various positions and industries, and 54 percent identified company culture as a top hiring challenge. Here are 3 ways to tackle it:
- Screen for Culture During the Hiring Process
How can you ensure you find the right people for your team? Focus on hiring for culture fit. As yourself, “Can I sit next to this person on a 4-hour plane ride?” This will highlight soft skills like communication and reveal their ability to gel with your team. In addition, have at least three employees at different levels interview the candidate to gauge their fit.
- Career Growth
People are looking for cultures that respect their ambition. Create promotions tracks and showcase internal growth. Be transparent about your team’s strategic goals and how the employee’s role might expand in the next two, five or 10 years. Communication is key.
- Training
Employees want continuous learning. Regardless of your budget, on-the-job training should be a priority. It pays off for both sides. The employee grows as a professional and can take on more responsibility, while the company becomes more productive overall. Whether it means getting involved in local associations, building a video library with training tools or encouraging frequent feedback from management, find ways to grow your staff’s skill-sets specific to their roles.
