Jul 01, 2021 | 4
Minute Read

4 Noteworthy Questions to Ask About Company Culture

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As the world of work continues to change and develop, many organizations are looking for a way to get ahead when it comes to talent acquisition and overall success in their industries.

One of the best ways to make that happen is to focus on consciously creating a healthy workplace culture. Do you care about the day-to-day experiences of your team? What are the company culture questions you need to ask to succeed?

Here are four questions to get you started and on your journey to building a company culture you can be proud of.

 


 

Why Does Company Culture Matter?

First of all, here are a few reasons why company culture is important for employers and employees.

For Employers

Company culture is not just for employees. Employers need to be on top of the needs of their teams if they want to keep those teams.

We’ve shared before that positive company culture can increase employee engagement by 30% and earnings growth by 28%. When employees know you’re investing in them, personally and professionally, they’ll work harder and be happier in their roles.

Corporate cultures matter now more than ever when it comes to attracting new talent, as well. Defined values, established benefits, and leadership development will help you land your high-performing dream candidate, instead of them flocking to your competition.

For Employees

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Company culture is incredibly important for employees. While there are a lot of obvious benefits to a good workplace culture like better engagement and productivity, employees can also consider the benefits to their mental health and physical health.

A bad culture in a work environment will negatively impact work-life balance and physical health, quite possibly resulting in burnout. When you find the right culture fit, you can avoid those downsides and prioritize yourself, which will ultimately help you prioritize your work.

Finding the right organization that fits with your value and lifestyle will also ultimately become the best environment for workers to develop their careers. Positive company culture enables people to perform at their highest levels, which in turn creates an environment to develop their careers.

 


 

4 Questions to Ask to Assess Company Culture

So now you know the benefits, for employers and employees. Now you need to get to work!
Here are the four company culture questions you need to ask and answer.

1. What kind of team do you want to build?

First things first, you need to figure out who your team is missing and what exactly those roles look like. A bad hire will cost your business in the short term and the long term— it’s important to establish an effective hiring process with the right tools, for the right people.

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One of the tools that will help you establish and create your team is Team Reports from TTI SI. These reports combine the results of assessments between bosses and direct reports, peers, or even entire teams. Team reports provide insight into behavior, do’s and don’ts of communication, and more, depending on the assessment. This form of report is available for DISC, 12 Driving Forces, EQ, and Stress Quotient

2. Who’s in the room making decisions?

This is often overlooked, but it’s a crucial part of building culture— you need to honestly ask the question, “Is diversity a priority for our company?” Hopefully, the answer to that question is yes, but that’s where your work begins.

Diversity matters at every level of an organization, including the executive level. If everyone in the room making decisions looks the same, then you’ll likely get the same results you always have.

One way to begin to correct this issue is to hire a diversity consultant. These professionals will help guide your team in the right direction and can offer points of view you’d never considered before.

3. What does a positive workplace culture look like in practice?

It can be easy to let your discussions and planning for company culture to remain hypothetical and visionary— after all, you’re plotting out the entire feeling of your organization. However, you can’t let that get in the way of actually following through on the tangible changes that need to be made.

One way to get started defining your new work environment is to work backward from your values. If your company values innovation and forward-thinking, break that down to a smaller level.

Does that mean opening strategy meetings to pitches from everyone on your team? Will you reward innovation with monetary bonuses or extra incentives like added vacation time?

Find and define your values and make sure every level of your team is operating in line with those values. That’s how you can create the practice of positive company culture.

4. How will you gather data to make decisions about workplace culture?

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All of these changes are important to make and consider, but if you don’t have a way to track results, you’re not going to fully understand the impact they make or can make.

One way to gather data about workplace culture is to start with an eNPS survey. An eNPS (employee net promoter score) survey will help you get a baseline understanding of where exactly your employees are at when it comes to reacting to culture and their own engagement.

Another tool to gather more important information about workplace culture is a suite of assessment tools. By harnessing the power of behavioral assessments to gather information about your team’s behavior, motivation, emotional intelligence, and more, you can get the insights you need to move forward in a positive and productive way. Creating a positive company culture with the help of employee assessments is a simple solution to a difficult problem.

 


 

Create a Company Culture to Thrive In

Asking the right questions is just the starting point for your organization’s journey to create a positive company culture.

Get a boost for talent acquisition, engagement, and work-life balance by asking how to properly build a team, gather the data you need to make decisions, take tangible actions to succeed, and focus on diversity.

If you’re interested in working with TTI SI, our tools can help transform your organization. Get the information you need to move forward here.

Ready to thrive? We wrote the guide on using assessments for hiring, engagement and development. Get Your FREE Copy Now

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Jaime Faulkner