What’s your company culture? For HR leaders, this may be a harder question to answer than you think.
Try to imagine having one of your new hires talk about your company culture. Would they be able to answer what makes your company stand out against the crowd? Your employees are part of something special! Building a company culture book is key to bridging the gap between onboarding and helping new hires understand what makes your company so unique.
Top companies like Valve and Netflix have built their own culture guides. Employees don’t just need an employee handbook full of policies and rules, they need you to show them exactly what makes your company special. New hires that feel excited and engaged in their work, and what their company has to offer, will always go the extra mile.
According to the Conference Board study of 2006, engaged employees have been known to outperform disengaged employees by a staggering 28%! Start your employees’ journey off right by showcasing the benefits to joining your company. Every organization is different but here are just some important ideas to keep in mind when planning your company culture book.
What exactly is a Company Culture Book?
Good question! A company culture book is very different from an employee handbook. In an employee handbook, you can expect to find sections related to benefits, policies, regulations, and more that make up the necessary legal and technical information required for your employees. In other words – something to cover the complicated stuff. You may also find a section dedicated to company culture – but it generally doesn’t take up as much space as your other sections.
A company culture book is dedicated to helping employees understand what drives your company. What does your company believe in? What are your values? How did you get where you are today? These are all questions that should be answered in your company culture book. 88% of job seekers say that a healthy culture at work is vital for success – it’s essential to let job seekers know that your workplace culture is perfect for them!
Curious about how to build your company culture book? AirMason is just the tool you need to make a creative and captivating company culture book that will help you grow your employee engagement instantly! We built an employee culture guide tailored for Netflix to showcase how AirMason can help you design and implement the perfect company culture book.
Company Culture Book #1 – Company Origin Story
Whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran in your industry, your company has a valuable story to tell. Exactly where you came from – your origin. This will be one of your first sections in your company culture book! New hires will find this to be their first introduction to the roots of your company, showcasing your journey so far. 71.4% of respondents in a study on the benefits of a strong company culture believe that building a culture with a remote workforce is a challenge.
Giving people a purpose and a reason to work for your company will only skyrocket confidence and, as result, productivity. By focusing on adding an origin story to your company culture book, you can reduce the challenge a remote workplace brings and build engagement instantly!
Focus on writing the full story from past to present, leaving as few details as possible. Knowing what directions and visions your organization had in the past can help new, bright-eyed employees come up with exciting ideas for the future. One of the most helpful tools for new employees to dream big – your organization’s values. Setting the stage for innovation and creativity for new hires can only be made possible by highlighting this key step in your company culture book.
Company Culture Book #2 – Company Values
What does your organization stand for? Your employees will want to know and understand what your company values in their employees. Your company culture book will provide your employees with that information, allowing them to connect more with the organization and what you stand for.
Core company values are essential in shaping your company’s future and building a strong foundation for the right company culture. 91% of managers in the U.S. say a candidate’s alignment with the company culture is equal to or more important than skills and experience.
Do you value responsible and ethical workers? Or workers who have the drive and expertise to be leaders within their industry? By helping your employees understand the values you place the most importance on, your company culture book will be a valuable and essential tool to rely on for new hires.
Company Culture Book #3 – Company Mission Statement
What does your company strive to be? Within your organization, there’s no doubt that your employees may be working on a multitude of different tasks at different times. Because of that, the overall goals and m
ission of your company may become lost or no longer remain a priority. This is where focusing on your company mission statement within your compan
y culture book is a key tool to maintaining a strong connection with your employees.
As our friends at Achievers explain, a mission statement keeps everyone on the same page with respect to why you’re even in the business at all. Be sure to make this a priority within your company culture book, and keep your employees constantly focused on how and why you do the work that you do.
Company Culture Book #4 – Future Goals
Does your company have any clear financial or organizational goals you’d like to achieve in the future? While all of your employees know that your company wants to consistently grow and prosper, they deserve to be kept in the loop for large and small-scale goals that the organization has. By maintaining a future goals section in your company culture book, your employees will be able to make strides within their work.
Focusing on how they can reach these goals efficiently and productively, employees that feel involved will want to invest the time into making your company better. The Harvard Business Review explains, no matter what level the employee is at, he should be able to articulate exactly how his efforts feed into the broader company strategy.
The London Business School’s study on senior managers found that only one-third of senior managers can name their firm’s top priorities. Your organization needs to avoid this by offering your company culture guide as a tool for employees to understand your organization’s future goals.
Company Culture Book #5 – Charitable Incentives
Every organization should focus on giving back to those in need, and organizational charitable incentives are a perfect way to focus on this. Your employees will want to work for an organization that is philanthropic and focused on bettering the world around them. Your company culture book will help employees feel connected to this cause by allowing them to see how exactly your organization focuses on charity.
71% of surveyed employees say it’s very important to work at a company that supports giving and volunteering. As an organization focused on growing employee engagement and company culture, creating these sorts of company-wide charitable programs and making sure to express it in your company culture book is essential.
Guide your employees with more than just policies
Your employees want to love your company culture. It’s incredibly important for them to work in a place that they support and can feel pride in associating with. The first step to reaching this is having your employees be able to access an employee culture book full of information that they’re looking for.
AirMason will help you build that! Our team has helped countless organizations redefine their company culture and build books for them that inspire their employees. We’re looking forward to how we can help you – come and learn more about how AirMason can be the perfect fit for you!
