Build a Stronger Company Culture in 3 Steps

Your company’s culture is one of the most important pieces of your business model, influencing recruitment, retention and reputation in the community. It’s also one of the most difficult pieces to get right. A strong company culture depends on the right employees with the right knowledge and a similar set of beliefs who are willing to be the face of your company in the community and in the office. In short, it isn’t easy.

The importance of aligning your employees with your firm’s values was the topic of CEO & Founding Principal Jim Kaufman’s speech at Kaufman Rossin’s annual year-end seminar for employees. As a new employee, I found the speech and the suggestions Mr. Kaufman provided to be helpful not only for me as I assimilate into my company’s culture, but also for business owners looking to strengthen the atmosphere in their own offices.

The following are three steps that Mr. Kaufman shared for successfully aligning your employees with your company’s culture:

1. Hire the right people. You wouldn’t wait until after the hiring process was over to screen for the skills and experience you were looking for. Treat your company’s culture the same way. Online personality surveys and multiple in-person interviews with different members of your team are important tools to help you find candidates who align with your values.
2. Clearly communicate your mission statement. If your employees don’t know what your values are, they will have a much harder time identifying with them. Communicate your values on your website, in your office and in interactions with your co-workers.
3. Actions speak louder than words. If you communicate your mission statement to your employees but aren’t willing to demonstrate it, it won’t stick. Provide employees with ample opportunity to get involved and align themselves with those values in the office and in the community. For example, one of Kaufman Rossin’s core values is social responsibility. In order to demonstrate this value, the firm celebrates its involvement in the community by holding regular fundraisers for charity and encouraging employees to get involved – even if volunteer hours come at the expense of a few work hours, on appropriate occasions.

Building and maintaining a company culture centered around your mission statement can lead to better employee retention, less time and money spent in recruitment and a happier, more productive workforce willing to go the extra mile for your company.