Company culture is growing as a driving factor when it comes to acquiring and retaining employees. We're all in it for the money, but we aren’t going to sell our souls for it anymore. People today want the trifecta: salary, perks, and culture.
So what is culture? Some companies may have you believe that culture includes free snacks or a ping pong table, perhaps even a keg – while these things don’t hurt, it goes a little deeper than that.
Company culture is your organization’s attitudes and attributes – while you may not be able to put it on paper, it can be seen and felt by everyone. It inspires creative thinking versus routine process – ultimately, it’s the vibe, tone, and attitude of the workplace and team members. Below are a few tips and tricks to how we crafted the NMI culture.
When you’re hiring:
No buzzwords or jargon, real talk.
One of the things that drew our employees to apply for a position at New Moon Ideas was the job posting itself. It was lighthearted and hilarious, while still being direct and to the point about who was best suited for the position. Speak to folks the way you actually speak – it makes them comfortable and lets them know that you are in fact human.
Dig deeper than the resume.
When forming your A-Team, it's important to find people that fit from a work or talent perspective, but also on a personal level. Give folks a chance to be themselves beyond their resume. Ask them fun questions that enable them to let their guard down and share a piece of themselves with you – it will be easier to tell who a good fit is your company.
Some of our go-to questions:
What are your top three favourite movies?
What is the best way to spend a day off?
What is your favourite pizza topping?
Keeping your team:
Recognize and appreciate.
It feels good to have your hard work acknowledged and recognized by your peers and employer. A quick “hey, nice work on this” goes a long way and makes your team feel seen.
Have some flex.
If COVID proved anything, it proved that it is possible to get things done from a remote location and that your employees don’t have to sit at their desks from 8 – 5 to deliver top-notch work. Have a little flex with your team. Understand that folks are more productive at different times of day (we see you 6 AM emailers, and online night hawks) and that some days WFH is the answer. If your team is delivering on time and up to standard, roll with it.
Fine-tune your management strategy.
You can’t paint all of your employees with the same managerial style. Everyone is different – some folks need more check-ins and structures; others need space and trust. Get to know your team to better understand what they need.
Company culture can make or break your business. It's one of the most important things to us here at New Moon Ideas. What are you doing to improve company culture?