It’s All About Improving Company Culture

Marcianne Kuethen

February 22, 2016

If you didn’t believe before now that candidates are driving the market, you will when you hear this: According to Glamour.com, some companies are paying their employees to quit! Crazy, isn’t it? Or maybe not, when it’s all about improving company culture.

Think about it–how many times have you had an employee whose attitude was spiraling downward and infecting other workers? Suppose that employee knew that if he left, he’d receive a resigning bonus or one month’s salary? Not only might he leave, but he actually might not badmouth your organization when he does, sparing your business some bad press. In today’s candidate-driven market, some companies like Adore Me and Amazon are deciding it’s worth the payout to preserve their reputation and get rid of employees who no longer want to be there.

Surely there’ve got to be other ways of improving company culture, right? Many companies are creatively offering unique perks that keep employees happy and make them want to stay. We’ve discussed some of these ideas in previous posts. The latest trends, Glamour.com mentions, are things like tuition funds for employees’ children, use of company credit card rewards points to travel, and minimum annual salaries of $70,000 (yikes!).

Okay, let’s get down to reality. Your business can’t compete with some of these big companies’ incentives…but what’s reasonable? You might not be able to afford big perks or huge salaries, but you can cultivate a positive culture with a little creativity. For instance, Adore Me offers employees “Monday morning breakfast, in-office yoga, and free cab rides home for employees who stay late.” What smart perks–these address employees’ weaknesses (the Monday morning “flu”), encourage their health, and accommodate their loyalty. It’s all about improving company culture!

As we’ve said before, the foundation for building a positive culture at work is respect. There are many ways to show employees you respect and truly care about them–for instance, offering training to further their career goals, including them in decision-making, addressing conflicts before they turn ugly, and giving them appreciative feedback. Your respectful treatment of your employees will actually heighten their sense of ownership, fuel their drive to work, and increase their productivity–all factors that increase their loyalty as well.

When navigating the candidate-driven market, it’s all about improving company culture if you want to attract top candidates and retain the ones you have. With a little creativity, you can offer incentives that are meaningful to your employees. These perks, combined with your care and specific encouragement, can create an atmosphere that will make your employees want to stay.

Let Amtec help you land the best people by actively marketing your job opportunities, connecting you to job seekers who are a good match, and assisting with offer negotiations. Click here or call (714) 993-1900 to get your search started.