Culture is the word that is used, over-used, and abused when we want to talk about the “feel” of a company and the way they conduct their business internally.
We agree, as others have suggested, that if we had to pick a better single word than Culture, it would be Values. What are your company values? What do your leaders value? What are their aspirations? What is their fundamental relationship with humanity? It's how workers interact with one another, what type of behaviors are encouraged and rewarded, the workspace environment, et al. These things reveal the Values, and therefore define the Culture.
A foosball table and a snack area have almost nothing to do with company values. Despite what you may be told, they are nothing more than misdirections. These silly perks are a thin veneer of something trying to pose as fun or convenience that serves to distract people from asking the real questions. A strong tell regarding the strength of an organization’s values is in the pride of membership displayed by its engineers. Don’t confuse this with cultish company songs and mascots or other such bubbly nonsense that looks like it was imported from some totalitarian dystopia. It’s more subtle than that.
If you ask most people what company culture means, they typically start rattling off different types of perks. But the truth is, there's more to company culture than a kitchen stocked with fresh avocados and an in-office keg. There's more to it, even, than free massages and happy hours at the coolest bar. And there's definitely more to it than posters in the office and an eloquently worded manifesto. There are typically four categories of culture: beliefs and values (i.e., your company's overarching vision); structures, processes, and norms (“How things work around here"); symbols and language (office acronyms and slang); and habits and expectations (like the dress code and email etiquette). -Stephanie Walden, business content strategist
Look past the company persona and focus on the people. Are the workers genuinely pleased to be part of the organization, or just pretending? Do they act as brand ambassadors wherever the opportunity arises and believe in the company’s mission sincerely, and not just because they earn commission? Are they empowered to do so because they feel like partners in the business?
Introspect a little and ask yourself these questions about your own company before your candidates catch you off guard by asking you first. Remember that the engineers interested in creating a long-lasting relationship with your organization will be very interested in the answers to these questions.
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