Sharing The Positives: Culture Is King at The Candidate

in this blog, Jack Such, our Senior Technology Recruitment Consultant looks at how business culture is more important than ever to help businesses throughout times of uncertainty.

Amid all the current landscape changes which we are all enduring, it’s vital we as a community do not lose what makes us a collective – the spark which makes us all different and that drives us all. A key aspect that differentiates businesses is our organisational culture. Despite the multitude of changes which have changes how we operate our businesses, it’s more important than ever to maintain our organisational culture. As the majority of businesses are either working from home or having to furlough staff, the means of implementing your culture ensures you and your team remember what it’s all about to be part of the business.  

Throughout the recruitment industry, I believe culture is overlooked as a selling point for hiring managers and businesses alike. There’s a renowned understanding that ‘Once a bad impression, always a bad impression’ which is equally reflected in the positives that can be created through culture. A perfect example of this is the team culture at The Candidate. After several years away from the business to complete my studies, I was always driven to return to The Candidate due to the culture which is created throughout. Many firms do recruitment, but few agencies manage recruitment like The Candidate and none of whom bring the team together in a fun and challenging way which you receive at The Candidate. This exact ideology can be replicated in any industry and you can quickly transform your organisational culture into a recognisable feature which draws talent into your business. Put simply, be the difference that your staff boast about and you’ll reap the rewards.

What is Culture?
Culture is essentially the unwritten & unspoken rules which drive the behaviour of how individuals and teams work together within a business. If you’re struggling to put this into terms, look at the way Liverpool FC have been able to use culture to create a winning mentality within a group of average players (yes, this is from a United fan). Organisational culture is more formally known as the values, attitudes, beliefs and ways of being which are underlying throughout a company. This can range from the social norms throughout the team to the mannerisms and driven nature which is instilled. Considering the levels of change which business have been put under of late, it’s essential to ensure the culture, which often acts as a glue within a business, is maintained. Not only will it allow your team to be more productive working from home, it’ll mentally help your team to remain consistent and focused. With a lack of culture, it’s far too easy for employees to fall out of the ‘right’ behaviours and thinking. This in turn will directly reflect the output from the business.

Four Types of Organisational Culture

To greater understand where your organisation sits within the culture landscape, it’s vital to understand the differences between culture types.

Clan

Extended Family

Mentoring

Nurturing

Participation

Adhocracy

Dynamic

Entrepreneurial

Risk-taking

Values Innovation

Hierarchy

Structure

Control

Coordination

Efficiency

Market

Results Oriented

Values Completion

Achievement

The above chart indicates the organisational culture types which businesses fall within. It’s important to note that this chart does not reflect the social culture aspect of a business, only the operational. As businesses grow and evolve, the culture equally changes – this is inevitable in the current climate. However, the culture of a business installs a specific way of thinking and a way of being into all who are associated with the business. Culture must be understood to ensure that there is not too much disruption across the internal unwritten rules as we leave this unprecedented period.

How will our Culture affect us post Covid-19?

Here at The Candidate, everything we do is based around supporting talent in their search to join leading and forward-thinking organisations. Amid all the updates surrounding Covid-19, my prediction is that our culture will become more important than ever – in particular, our culture and ways of supporting staff through this difficult time. Currently, those companies making the news are the ones who are creating negative attention as a result of their culture. We’ve all heard the horror stories of redundancies and poorly treated staff, which are often a result of immediate business needs; but these will be the driving forces behind a struggle to recruit talent when all this is done. Negative impressions last in the memory and we may find that something considering a business norm, such as the operations culture and values throughout the business, are exactly the benefits a candidate is prioritising when deciding on their next career move.

Ways to improve Culture

Stay Social Across Digital
A main cultural aspect is the social side of a business. The friendships and relationships formed and the manners of interactions within the teams. This naturally fluctuates across industries and businesses but remaining social with the team using different events such as pub quizzes, cooking competitions and weekly catch ups allows you to still feel close to those you work with.

Alternative Incentives
Performance is often driven by the incentives behind the role. An idea as simple as earning an early on a Friday or beers to be delivered to their door can provide that little spark that allows an individual to focus whilst in a new and challenging environment.

Create Business Values and Vision
In a time where we all live on lack clarity, the clarity created by providing a business value and vision instigates the sense of long-term focus back into an organisation. With a further understanding of where the business intends to grow, it’s overall activity and targets, and its long term vision, employees regain their feeling of importance and can clearly understand their purpose within the growth. This feeling of value helps mentally and productively for employees and will be the difference between teams pulling together.

Look Out for Everyone
Simply put; be kind and take care of your people. Everybody will be experiencing a different lockdown and experience, but we will all get through this if we pull together.

Looking to talk about ways in which you can implement a better team culture to ensure you retain and attract the best talent? Get in touch for a chat.

[email protected]

07741 633283