How To Create Your Own Culture Club – A Guide For Business Owners

Gemma Cubitt, people expert at Energy PR’s Strategic Partner SGFE, talks to us about creating a culture that people want to be part of, and the reason people want to work for you.

We all know it takes passion and purpose, plus a healthy dose of hard work and resilience to set up your own business. But as your company grows how do you create a culture that people want to be part of?

Unfortunately, a number of business owners assume that everyone joining their company should, and will, possess the same values, vision and passion, as they do. However, they also fail to define what these are and how they contribute to the culture they are trying to create.

Sometimes those same business owners fail to critique their own processes that should be protecting the business, and potential employees, from the ‘bad fit’ conversation. A significant amount of energy, time and money is invested from both sides during the recruitment process, but how much of it is dedicated to articulating whether the fit is right at the outset?

Research conducted by Robert Walters found that over 70% of people had left a job because they disliked the company culture. And over two thirds (67%) felt that they had been misled about company culture during the induction process.

At SGFE, we talk about creating and defining a culture that supports your businesses’ ambitions; specifically attracting, retaining and developing talent. If you get this right, culture can become an asset and a reason for people to join, develop and even purchase your business.

When defining any strategy for your business it is important to assess the cultural and commercial benefits. Why should defining your company culture be any different? And to be clear…this is more than offering a great benefits package or free pizza Fridays. This is fundamentally about outlining what it means to be on the team and then all the actions you take will support this culture.

So, the best thing business owners can do when creating their culture club is to remember it cannot be a ‘top down’ approach. Telling people what your cultural values are fails to recognise that everyone has a choice as to how they show up, and seeking your team’s input to what these values are will also make everyone more personally accountable.

A Forbes article from 2016 suggested there were five culture problems that could block your business success:

1. Absence of a plan – no one understands the rules of the game
2. Stifling bureaucracy – micromanaging and relying on hierarchy to lead others
3. Politics over performance – no definition of how reward or recognition can be measured
4. Fear of speaking up – unhealthy approach to debate, discussion or conflict management
5. Good ideas not being implemented – fear of change or people’s individual position threatened

Over the past few years so much has changed in relation to the workplace and our attitude to work so it is no surprise that people are evaluating what really matters when it comes to joining or dedicating their careers to prospective employers.

The first step of creating a great culture is recognising how it can determine whether your business succeeds or fails. Placing a level of importance to culture will mean you will seek to reinforce your values and behaviours at every opportunity. This means that you will be auditing yourself against what could be an ever-moving target. Your communications, performance management and even external brand values can be directly influenced by your culture strategy.

For more information please visit the SGFE website or email Gemma Cubitt at gemma.cubitt@sgfe.co.uk