How to use culture to win talent

Is your company culture deterring candidates?

According to recent research by TotalJobs, 95% of employers believe that assessing the cultural fit of job applicants is an important part of the hiring process. But while company culture is a useful tool for narrowing down potential candidates, have you considered the power of culture for enhancing your pool of talent in the first place?

The importance of company culture

Company culture is the lifeblood of a successful business. It ripples through your veins, defines your character and influences how you operate as a business. And this is particularly important in the creative industry, where personality, creativity and standing out are integral to success. 

Specifically, company culture affects:

• Business performance - more than half of employers believe that a well-defined culture boosts business productivity. And this makes sense, with strong cultures helping to align visions, direct performance and engage passions. 

• Employee retention - three-quarters of employers claim that a positive company culture helps them retain key employees. This is because cultures lead to a team of like-minded people who develop strong bonds and friendships that make work feel more fun. 

• Employee attraction - analytics company Gallup has found that culture attracts the top 20% of candidates. While benefits are important, talented candidates across the marketing and PR, data and insight, technology, digital and creative industries are placing increasing importance on cultural fit when job seeking.  

How to enhance your company culture

Is company culture an inherent part of your business that you’re stuck with? Or is it something that you can influence, enhance and grow?

According to the CIPD: “Culture is not one dimensional, fixed, or singular in its nature. It is the result of interacting people, processes, procedures, systems and networks.” Therefore, it’s entirely possible to enhance your company culture through:

Policies and procedures

Your policies and procedures are the skeleton of your culture - guiding behaviour and influencing decisions. For example, to shape a more relaxed culture, you could introduce flexible and remote working policies, whereas to enhance a more driven culture, you could implement financial support for professional development and training. 

Team working 

60% of employees look forward to work because of the relationships they have with their colleagues. Teamwork can help to create strong relationships that foster a supportive, collaborative and fun working environment, and can be encouraged through multi-departmental projects, open-plan offices and regular team meetings.

Social events 

Only 39% of businesses invest in team-building activities, yet these are a simple way to cultivate positive and friendly cultures. And, they don’t have to be expensive or external, with Christmas jumper days, bake sales, and even Eurovision sweepstakes all injecting a little social fun into the office. 

Reward

And finally, how you reward your employees is a strong indication of your culture. While other businesses might be offering free breakfasts, volunteer days and unlimited annual leave, simply paying well by following our 2019 Salary Guide and offering meaningful benefits can be enough to promote a culture that cares. 

Company culture is much more than a foosball table and free banana on a Friday. It’s about creating a positive working environment that fosters engagement and makes the top talent want to join, perform and stay. 

Get in touch today to find out how we can source the top marketing and PR, data and insight, technology, digital and creative talent for your company culture. 

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