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Working World
What is workplace culture & why is it important? Some believe that the culture in a company can be more important than salary when considering a job offer. Why is that? We speak to a few employers to hear why they value culture.
Paolo Giuricich Organisational Development Consultant at Smarter EQ
What is workplace culture and why is it important when looking for a job? Workplace culture is the sense you get when you interact with an organisation through all your senses and you make meaning of the feeling of being connected to a larger purpose. We often say that culture is the attitudes, behaviours and beliefs that are espoused by an organisations ‘personality’ and could include simple artefacts of the culture. It is so important that you get an intuitive sense of an organisation before you make a choice to join them, and this is normally informed
by the people you engage in the organisation, others who may have experienced the ‘culture’ or actually being in the organisation’s physical surroundings. You will have an immediate sense of whether you connect and align your own values with the organisation and can ‘see’ yourself being part of the energy and approach of the organisation.
How can job seekers identify what culture would work for them? The best way is to be an ‘awareness’ agent and really watch and listen for the clues which hint at what it is like working for an organisation. When you make sense of all these facets, you are able to ‘create’ an impression of the culture and whether you align with an organisation or not. Repeat the process for three or four different organisations, so you get an idea of subtle differences in culture. You will immediately know where you feel more comfortable and what aspirations may be met by an informed investigation of differing cultures.
YO U R CA R E E R G U I D E 2022 | 49
