If you work in an office job, you’re probably spending at least a third of your life on the job. Sure, you’re getting paid, but it’s not too much to ask to want to feel good about what you and your company are doing.
Many corporations don’t have the greatest track record of contributing positively to the world. (corporate crisis management is a career path for a reason.) As an employee or potential employee, it’s really not too much to ask that your company doesn’t, say, actively contribute to climate change or mistreats its customers.
For many job seekers, corporate values and culture are important, and they should be for organizations, too. After all, the job turnover rate is 57.3% as of 2021, and no company wants to deal with poor employee retention.
Why should you care if a company shares your values?
According to a recent McKinsey study, almost half of employees report feeling burned out. Yes, there are many reasons why employees experience burnout, but culture is one of the easiest ways to mitigate burnout. Simply being excited to show up to work each day makes it a lot easier to swallow those long nights. When you believe in what you’re doing and recognize the value of the organization’s mission, you’re more invested in the work.
Likewise, having great relationships with coworkers, being able to give back to the community, and seeing how your company demonstrates an alignment with your values contribute to building a sense of loyalty. Every company wants to say, “we’re all family,” but few actually take the action to prove it to employees. That’s a big reason why nearly half of employees in the US don’t feel like their well-being is prioritized by organizations.
That same McKinsey study found that being able to socialize with colleagues and feeling connected to company culture were two of the biggest reasons why employees want to return to the office in some capacity. Your work environment can play a big part in your sense of well-being.
We’re all looking for a sense of community and belonging in our lives — and that includes in our workplace. When you work with a company and people that share your values and ideals, you just feel better about going to work every day.
How to know if a company shares your values
When you’re searching for a job, you most likely know what’s most important to you. (If you don’t, take a little time to list your priorities.) If culture and corporate values are near the top of your list, it’s very easy to find out what a company really cares about.
Read the website
Most companies today have a website, on which you can find their mission statement and core values. If they haven’t taken the time to include a single webpage about their values or their culture, it’s a bit of a red flag.
It can mean they don’t think it’s important to communicate what they stand for to their customers and potential customers. So why should you assume they care about their employees’ values?
When a website showcases a company’s values, it demonstrates that it takes pride in them and, at least on the surface, aims to live by them. Likewise, if it includes pages on their employees, their culture, and their benefits, it’s a good sign that it’s interested in being a supportive, positive place to work. Who doesn’t want that?
Do a Google search
It’s never been easier to do a basic level of research about a company. Of course, the first place you should go is the corporate website — give the company a chance to make its case first. But once you’ve checked out the website, find what the internet has to say.
Check social media
Google offers many tools to customize your search. Start by doing a general search. You’ll probably get the corporate website, social pages, testimonials, and maybe even some news clips. Read whatever you can find about the company to get a picture of how it’s viewed in the general public.
Then, you can refine your search by searching News to see if there are any PR nightmares in the past that you should be aware of.
Most companies have a LinkedIn. Many have pages on Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok, too. If a company has social pages, take some time to see the kind of content they’re sharing, what they’re posting, and how people engage with them online. (And, just as importantly, how they engage with customers and clients.)
And don’t neglect to check sites like Glassdoor, where current and former employee testimonials can offer useful insight into the culture and beliefs at work there.
Ask in the interview
Finally, the easiest way to find out a company’s values is to just ask!
You should always have a list of questions for interviewers when you go for a job interview, so dedicate a few questions to corporate values and culture. Yes, current employees are incentivized to only say nice things, but when you’ve done your research, you’ll have a better idea of what’s smoke and what’s real.
Some good questions to ask:
- What is your company’s mission?
- Do you have a set of corporate values and what are they?
- Are employees happy?
- Does the company have a Total Rewards program?
- How would you describe the company’s culture?
- Do you consider your company ethical? Has it ever done anything you deemed unethical?
- Do they have a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion department?
