By being in the workforce, you experience corporate culture every day, but what does it really mean to you or your organization? Some say corporate culture is the heartbeat or personality of the company. Seems sort of vague, right? By definition, corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. Often, corporate culture is implied, not expressly defined, and develops organically over time from the cumulative traits of the people the company hires. A company’s culture will be reflected in its dress code, business hours, office setup, employee benefits, turnover, hiring decisions, treatment of clients, client satisfaction, and every other aspect of operations. Today more than ever job seekers are taking a closer look at things like leadership, what companies are doing to improve advancement for women leaders, how they work and contribute to their communities, how they manage conflict, what tools they might offer their employees for career development, and diversity and inclusion to name just a few. While perks like an easy commute, a high salary may be what gets employees in the door, they aren’t necessarily what keeps them around.

Understanding the right questions to ask when attempting to learn a company’s culture before working there is key. A great article by the balance careers, Understanding a Company’s Culture offers guidance on learning to sense or understand a firm’s culture. Whether you’re in a job search, a leader, or an individual contributor, a firm’s culture is a powerful force that must be accounted for in your endeavor.

A recent study conducted by Comparably.com published the Best Places to Work in 2018. The study is a compilation of culture awards showcasing companies that received the highest ratings on Comparably.com throughout the year. What’s interesting about the study is it comes at a great time when companies are looking for ways to innovate and compete amid technological change. Top brands like Google, T-Mobile, Highspot, and Drift are raising the bar when it comes to having a culture that honors diversity and inclusion. The goal is to encourage business leaders to be inspired by these winning brands who are thinking outside of the box and navigating new business norms. Of course, leadership alone doesn’t dictate company culture, the workforce plays a big role too, which is why now more than we’ve seen in the past, companies are spending more time investing in the hiring process to ensure they recruit candidates who are the ‘right’ fit.

We hope you find the study as inspiring as we did. Information like this can be a great tool to spark innovative ideas and conversations. We invite you to visit our website to see our trending speakers who are powerful, forward-thinking leaders, create ultimate employee experiences, and drive bottom-line results.