Company Culture - When do you know?

The company culture is more important than ever before. People are attracted to a company and job that will offer more than a wage. They want to feel valued. Be part of a common purpose. Finish the working day with a sense of achievement. Trust and be trusted.

When does a new recruit, or potential employee know about the culture?

The job advert? The interview? The first day? Within the first month?

The first two set the scene and can communicate the intended culture. What the business would like the culture to look like. How often is this the reality?

The first day is the companies first opportunity to walk the talk. The new starter will be asking:-

Do the other employees look happy?

Are they stressed?

Is there an induction process which is welcoming to the new person?

What facilities and equipment are available?

The induction is so important. This is the first time that the person learns whether they can speak freely and whether there is an intention to value the employees. Is the workplace a psychosocially safe place to work.

Whether there’s a formal induction or nothing at all, or something between the two. The first days of employment are the induction.

However, regardless of the induction, it is after the first month that all the things that have been said about the job and the company are evaluated and the real culture is established in the mind of the person. Hopefully the two things are the same.

After they have had interactions with others, learnt more about how mistakes are managed, and whether it is safe to raise issues and be themselves in the workplace, they really learn about the culture of the organisation.

Getting the culture right means that new people want to stay beyond their probation and work hard to make sure the company wants them to stay.

Ensuring that the culture includes psychosocial health and safety makes this more likely.