The Great Resignation of 2021 (aka The Great Reshuffle) is still a major factor in the workforce today. One of the main reasons behind people leaving their jobs is that they want to regain a sense of control—to put it another way, they don’t want to work for companies that don’t align with their ideals.
Job satisfaction comes from more than just a good salary and benefits. The most common non-financial reasons people look for other jobs include not finding their job (or the company they work for) fulfilling, feeling like a number or that their team doesn’t care about them, and feeling like they can’t be themselves at work or that they don’t fit within the company culture.
Organizational culture is “the collection of values, expectations, and practices that guide and inform the actions of all team members.” And it’s a major factor behind whether a person stays with a company long-term or quits in hopes of finding a company that hits all of these marks for them.
SafeStart, as well as being leaders in human factors management, helps companies shape their company culture. But to do that, SafeStart must lead by example and have a good culture internally.
When it comes to establishing and maintaining a good company culture, it’s important to hire the kind of people that fit with your culture. And that starts with the language used in job ads. That’s not to say hiring should be based solely on a candidate’s likelihood of being a good culture fit (the most qualified and best candidate for the job should always prevail in a job competition). But it’s always a good idea to paint a clear picture of what they’re likely to encounter day-to-day in the job ad, as it can go a long way in attracting the kind of people that want to work in the culture you’ve created.
Job ads should reflect the truth of the role. If there are monotonous tasks as part of the duties of the job, that should be communicated to potential candidates. That way there are no surprises when they’re actually in the role. Some candidates even crave those tasks—knowing what their job is day in and day out can provide some people peace of mind. Lack of communication from the top down or operating on a need-to-know basis creates a culture of insecurity and uncertainty. Transparency allows every member of the team to know the direction that the company is headed and assures them that they are a big part of it. If safety is a core value, position that shared responsibility upfront. Establishing this in the job ad is a great way to communicate the type of culture that can be expected from the company.
Having a strong workplace culture not only attracts the kind of talent needed for each role within the organization but also drives engagement, happiness and safety, and productivity in the office. SafeStart’s culture credo, “Respect, Growth, Innovation and Fun,” is written along the side of the job postings. Those letters represent something else. “RGIF = Everyday TGIF” is something that initially introduces candidates to what the culture is like at SafeStart. Employees have the feeling of “Thank god it’s…” Monday or Wednesday or whatever the day of the week is instead of spending the week waiting for it to be Friday. And injecting a little fun or finding joy in work day-to-day can carry everyone through any challenging times.
Another example of how SafeStart demonstrates its strong company culture—every job ad tells candidates that SafeStart is a family-run company. Why is this important? Since the average person spends 1/3 of their life at work, the people they spend their days with become their work family. SafeStart views every employee as being valuable and supports them the way a family would. With flex time and profit sharing, every member of the company feels like they are a part of the company. This is also right in the job ad.
In order to achieve a great culture, everyone must align and believe in a shared vision. SafeStart attributes the work they do to saving lives by preventing injuries both on and off the job. This can appeal to a candidate’s altruistic side and is reflected in the job ad by telling candidates they may want to invest in a cape because the work they’ll be doing will make them a hero. The work SafeStart does is important and credit goes to every single person within the company. Business goals must be balanced with a passionate workforce who stay loyal to the company and develop trust once they see the results of this shared vision.
A great sign of a good workplace culture is when the employees boast the same thing as the job ad. Employees that enjoy spending time with their co-workers create a positive work environment. Another surefire sign of a great culture is finding out how long employees have been with the company. Long-tenured employees are typically happy and comfortable in their environment. High turnover is often a sign there’s something wrong with the culture.
Good company culture will also be articulated through the mission and vision of the company. SafeStart, for instance, is dedicated to saving lives by helping organizations better manage human factors. Employees will have adopted the mission and vision as their own values—they won’t need to look up what the mission statement says to tell you what it is. Wins are celebrated and the culture creates a team that works collaboratively to get there.