Company Culture Explained | Breathe

In a nutshell, cultivating a great company culture is important not only for employee engagement, happiness and retention, but also, plotting the blueprints for a thriving business; regardless of the economic climate.  

Gaining significance and speed over the last decade, company culture encourages CEOs, HR consultants and company leaders to ask the right questions that lead to honest evaluation and pushes for change. 

After all, it is only when we identify and establish what could be changed that we can then set about resolving issues and conflicts to progress and grow above our own limitations and, indeed, business competitors.

Reputation-led results

It’s no lie that reputation is everything. In a time where online publishing, blogging and company trolling is prolific, media scandals and recent headlines have given voice to large and small business malpractice. 

Thanks to the necessary exposure of misplaced company and employee welfare practices (such as BBC gender pay gap, Uber and not forgetting the Harvey Weinstein #Metoo campaign), HR consultants are urged to push past the ‘fluff’ and address what really matters; their people.  

If we can take anything from the pitfalls of these Big Players, it is that corrupt company cultures are toxic to productivity and profit. Offices that dismiss the importance of employee independence, flexibility and role fulfillment are at risk of increasing consumer distrust through reputation slamming. 

On the other side of the water cooler, we are now seeing the positive impact that company culture reviews have on not just individual employees but businesses as a whole. (Kudos to Uber and Netflix for learning from their mistakes.) 

Employee and economic health

Employee and economic health are important measures of company culture. 

Great company culture theories, such as the HBR Framework and Schein Culture Model clearly demonstrate that companies who measure profit and monetary incentives higher than human empathy and employee understanding are more likely to damage business performance.  

Findings from the culture economy report go further still; showing direct links between corrupt company cultures, employee satisfaction and tenure.  

Such fractured working communities not only jeopardise an employee’s mental and physical health but can also lead to an adverse effect on our society and UK economy.

Business growth, longevity and results

Great company culture positively impacts business growth, longevity and results.  

Contrary to what some HR specialists are led to believe, studies demonstrate that the most profitable companies are not actually the most profit-focused. Through switching their target from profit to purpose, employees and employers alike gain greater role-fulfillment, which in turn increases productivity, efficiency and quality results. And what does quality lead to? Profit of course.  

So, by ensuring that all employees understand their company’s culture, objectives and targets, all team members can start on the right page.

Setting the stage for success, when a company begins with solid foundations, their employee engagement, staff retention, business longevity and growth targets are more likely to sync, leading to results the whole company can be proud of.