When you think of what makes an organisation a good place to work what are the first things that come to mind?

• Is it the compensation paid to employees?
• Perhaps it’s the travel and health benefits which come with the job? 

Most business owners and managers will focus on these aspects when it comes to attracting talent and often neglect the importance of good work culture.

Good work culture is pivotal for employees as having the flexibility to think creatively whilst being surrounded by like-minded, motivated individuals plays an important part when it comes to quality of work.

Here at SV, the directors have placed great emphasis on providing an enjoyable workplace which not only inspires creativity but helps retain and attract new talent in the industry because they recognise the impact it has.

Whilst many people are always open to their next job role and either wait for jobs to be advertised or register with recruitment companies or in some cases get headhunted, very few people actually think long and hard about the company that they would like to work for.

By far the highest percentage of jobs are filled on the basis of a candidate search. Typically the criteria that candidates focus on is job role, personal development, promotion opportunities and salary and benefits.

A critical area of consideration though that is often overlooked is company culture and whether that fits the style and belief system of the candidate.

This level of importance applies equally to both the hiring company and the candidate.

Drilling further, a company can have different cultures throughout their business according to division or department. The culture within a finance department for example may be very different to that in sales. Sometimes the culture can vary dependant upon the leadership style of the department head.

At large organisations, it’s more common to see toxic cultures because the bigger the company scales the less they are paying attention to the types of people they are recruiting and what impact they are making in the workplace. In a boutique agency like SV Marketing, it’s very obvious to us when someone does not fit in with our staff members and we even get potential candidates to sit with our employees whilst waiting to be interviewed to see how they interact.

Basically speaking, a lot will depend upon how formal the organisation operates. Some people prefer an informal and low supervision environment and perform far better when they are left to get on with their job which is fine providing they have the skills and capability to do so and understand completely what the role, tasks and objectives are and how they fit into the rest of the organisation.

Conversely some people prefer to operate in a far more formal and structured environment when the tasks, responsibilities and objectives are clearly defined and there is little "wiggle" room. Failing to comply with the learning style which suits people will result in misunderstanding, lack of motivation and poor quality of work which ultimately affects how the whole team performs.

So what kind of things have our founders implemented to develop staff members and make SV-Marketing an enjoyable workplace?

Feedback

A lot of organisations will have systems, processes or software they have been using for some time without updating or changing. It can vary from CRM systems to the more simple scheduling of workload.

If these systems or practices are constantly producing small or large mishaps or affecting the workflow of employees then employees should feel comfortable to bring it up so it to be changed.

Alternatively, if there is a lack of understanding in a specific area, employees should also feel comfortable to ask for education or training platforms to improve their knowledge and understanding.

Work Environment

At creative agencies like ours, work environment is crucial to our success. To ensure it’s a fun workplace we consistently have an in-house game which can be played during downtime or used as a break from the screen to get creative juices flowing again.

These games vary from Pool/Snooker to Xbox/Video Games and maintain a healthy level of competition amongst employees.

In addition to this, our desks all face each other which encourages the team to communicate and there is even the option to sit on bean bags although they’re not always the comfiest.

Rewards

Reward good work and good work will surface again.

As all organisations have targets, when they are exceeded, it’s beneficial to have rewards in place to encourage and motivate the staff to repeat good results.

It’s important to have team targets as well as individual targets to avoid stunting growth or affecting team morale. At SV we enjoy taking the team out for activities such as go-karting and escape rooms because they encourage the team to work together (and against one another). 

These are just a few things that can be done to not only understand the personalities in your workplace but encourage them to work together and help the business grow which will also result in a more enjoyable workplace.

Not to forget arguably the most important point of all. No heroes. It’s necessary to address that there are no heroes amongst the team. Whilst it’s always advised to compliment individual achievements, it’s important to reinforce everything is done as a team.

A business is nothing without the people working in it which is why we have the support and systems in place so people can provide their best work whilst feeling they belong and enjoying their job.

If you’re a candidate/employee on the other hand. There are two important aspects that need evaluation, research and consideration.

1 - Have a deep thought about understanding and self awareness of your learning and working style and be clear about what inspires and motivates you.

There are a number of online assessments you can perform to provide this analysis but remember there is no hard and fast rule but they can be helpful guides.

2 - Work out which 5 companies you would like to work for and why. There is plenty of information on websites, company magazines and online staff forums to get a sense of what a company is like.

But remember that employees with a grievance can do a lot of damage to a company brand but the reasons for the grievance may not be clear.

In summary don't wait to be hired but hire your next employer based upon how suitable the company culture is to you.

(If SV Marketing happens to be one of them, we are always on the lookout for new talent so click here to find out more.)