Years ago, our parents and grandparents would head off to work, whether they liked it or not. They might not care for their job, but it was their job and they were loyal “company men and women” so they would “take one for the team” and ignore the stabs of being under-appreciated, undervalued, and underpaid. Office culture was unheard of, you did your job and you were told to be grateful for the opportunity.
Then a shift occurred, beginning before the pandemic, but gaining steam throughout these unprecedented times. Workers finally had more options and companies are now competing for the best and brightest in their fields. The best and brightest come with perks of creative thinking, increased productivity, and innovation but they cost more than just a paycheck. In fact, most job hunters probably consider flexible working hours, remote working options, paid leave, and office atmosphere more valuable than money.
Let’s look at a few aspects of company culture that people now look for when job hunting.
Overall unity within a workforce and a sense of community can go a long way. This can include celebrating special events, sharing profits, and treating layoffs as a last resort. The importance of unity extends to giving back to the community. Unity and community also create conditions for better employee cooperation.
Companies where employees feel like everyone is getting a fair opportunity consistently report more positive employee experiences. Employees at companies that valued fairness aren’t just focusing on pay, less tangible aspects of the workplace, such as pride and strong leadership, play a much larger role.
Employees say that being paid fairly for their work makes them twice as likely to think their workplace is great. But when employees are proud of their work, they are 20 times more likely to say it’s a great workplace.
Every company says it values employees, but the best companies don’t say it; they show it. Over the past year-and-a-half we saw exceptional support for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and we also saw some companies treating people poorly in the face of record loss. Employees will remember how they were treated when their lives were upended.
Caring extends to all aspects of company culture. Understanding the needs of working parents, offering maternity leave, remote working options, and flexible hours are all a part of a company that cares about its employees as people.
Office culture counts for a lot. It’s a relatively new concept but it’s more important than ever. Now companies can spend years cultivating the perfect culture; making hires and promotions on the values they want to harness. A company is its people. If a business builds a creative, supportive, and productive culture, employees tend to be creative, supportive, and productive people.
With Wavely, you chat with companies instead of applying. Find out what matters to them and see if that’s what matters to you.