The past year has shown that a strong corporate culture is an important factor for success, especially in times of crisis. Employees who fully identify with the corporate culture find motivation, support, and guidance even in times of turmoil.
In order to find employees who are a good fit for the company and to retain them in the long term, value-based employer branding both internally and externally forms the foundation. But why is a good corporate culture such an important success factor for companies? How important is corporate culture in times of crisis? And what role does management play in this context?
Corporate culture: a reason for termination
The StepStone study on employer attractiveness shows that an unsuitable corporate culture is one of the eight most common reasons for employees to resign. Those who do not identify with their employer's values quickly become frustrated in their job. If an employer is highly attractive, so that people enjoy going to work and feel a strong connection to the company, they are very likely to show a higher level of motivation and loyalty – so far, so logical.
Although corporate culture is one of the top five core criteria when choosing a job, it is clear that there is still a lot of catching up to do in this area. While 90 percent of employees want a good corporate culture, only 18 percent consider this to be a given at their current employer.
The study "Recruiting with Personality" also showed how important this issue is to employees: only 15 percent of job seekers are willing to compromise on corporate culture in exchange for an attractive salary. Money does not outweigh values.
Source of both figures: StepStone Report "Employer Attractiveness," 2020.
Employees as ambassadors of corporate culture
Regardless of times of crisis, it is important for candidates to gain insight into the corporate culture of a potential employer as early as possible in the application process.
Company values should be clearly communicated in the job advertisement. Applicants are interested in whether there is a friendly working atmosphere, whether there are flat hierarchies, and how much importance is placed on work-life balance. All of this provides insight into the corporate culture and affects the employer's attractiveness.
The keyword "authenticity" is particularly important here. Only those who are honest and transparent in their external communications come across as credible. It's not about WHAT you say, but HOW you say it. It's not enough to simply mention that a good work-life balance is a priority. How exactly is this ensured? Are there a variety of sports activities on offer? Are there courses on self-management and stress management? Is there trust-based working time? Can children be brought to the office in an "emergency"? Are there specially designed rooms for such cases?
And a beautiful façade quickly crumbles when the values and standards communicated externally are not lived internally. Your own employees are an important communication channel and therefore strong ambassadors for your corporate culture. Satisfied employees convey the positive and attractive aspects of working for a company to the outside world – including on review platforms on the internet.
Coronavirus and corporate culture
Even though it was no secret that corporate culture plays a decisive role in finding the right employees and retaining them within the company, the coronavirus crisis has given the issue an additional boost and sparked new discussions.
The StepStone "Corona Report" makes it clear: where things were already "right" before, they continued to run relatively smoothly even in turbulent times. A good three out of four respondents confirmed that good cooperation with colleagues working from home functioned just as reliably as before the crisis. If employees are generally satisfied, they will remain so even in turbulent times if crisis management is good.
However, where there was already sand in the gears, COVID-19, as with many other things, is proving to be a catalyst for change—pre-existing dissatisfaction is being further exacerbated by the crisis. Turbulent times put corporate culture to the test and expose problems: Which values and norms are truly lived out? How do we interact with each other even in times of great stress? How are conflicts resolved? What kind of feedbackand error culture prevails in our company?
A strong corporate culture is an important foundation for getting through difficult times.
Role of leader: active involvement
In an interview with Springer Professional, Prof. Dr. Josef Herget, head of the Excellence Institute – Research & Solutions in Vienna, expands on the definition of corporate culture as the result of corporate values and operational behavior by adding another aspect: active action. And it is precisely this action that is determined by managers. This creates a new perspective on the topic and emphasizes that corporate culture can be shaped and is not something static. "For example, so-called culture hacks (...) are very important as an integral part of cultural change."
The principle of "culture hacking" describes nothing more than the targeted use of provocation to bring about change—but in a systematic way. As an important instrument of change, the concept enables greater agility and provides support, especially in phases when rapid and urgent rethinking is required. leader therefore not only exemplify values and attitudes, but also actively shape cultural change.
In both calm and turbulent times, people pull together when they are satisfied and motivated. An important prerequisite for this is that employees identify with the company culture, which ideally contributes to the employer's attractiveness and convinces applicants.
Modern leader the importance of corporate culture and understand the role it plays, especially in times of crisis. They exemplify a company's values, but are also prepared to initiate cultural change when circumstances require it. Above all, it is important to learn from the past few months and focus on a sustainable corporate culture. This is the only way to create a solid foundation that will remain steadfast even when the next storm hits.
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