Insights / Workforce Management
Do You Have a Strong Company Culture? Here's How You Can Assess It
A four-step framework—Listen, Engage, Observe, Reflect—helps employers honestly assess whether their company culture is actually as strong as they think.
Assess your company culture by listening to the stories employees and outsiders tell about your organization, engaging workers through anonymous surveys, observing how employees and managers behave day-to-day, and reflecting on whether your company values are clear and embraced. Together these steps reveal whether your culture truly reflects positively on your organization.
Listen
First, pay attention to the stories that circulate about your organization. What organizational stories or history is shared between employees? How do people outside your company talk about you? Is your culture depicted as hard-working and collaborative? Or, is your company viewed as a toxic workplace?
Engage
Second, do you know how your employees think of your organization? Have you ever done an anonymous employee serve to assess the attitudes of those in your organization? Many leaders believe their employees view their organization one way when behind your back, they view it in an entirely different way. It’s important for employers to regularly engage with workers by analyzing how they view their managers, the company values, and the work they’re doing.
Observe
Third, observe how employees act on the job. Do they seem happy? Do they offer their opinions? How do you handle opinions—by letting workers know their suggestions matter? Or by shutting the employees down? Watch how managers handle employees. Are they good at seeking feedback and open collaboration with their workers, or are they acting unprofessionally or in other ways that don’t fit the kind of corporate culture you want to build?
Reflect
Fourth, review your company values. Don’t have company values? You’re in trouble. The data shows that that company values affect who and how you hire, and how you change behavior in an organization. If your workers know and embrace company values, there’s a good chance your organization will have a corporate culture that is a positive reflection on you and your company.
Frequently asked
How can I tell if my company has a toxic culture?
Pay attention to the stories employees and outsiders share about your organization. If your company is described as hard-working and collaborative, that's a good sign; if it's described as toxic, that's a warning sign worth investigating further.
What's a good way to learn how employees really feel about the company?
Conduct an anonymous employee survey. The article notes that leaders often assume employees view the organization positively, when in reality workers may feel very differently behind closed doors, so regular engagement is important.
Why do company values matter for culture?
The article states that company values affect who and how you hire and how behavior changes within an organization. If employees know and embrace those values, the company is more likely to have a positive corporate culture.
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