How to Create a Company Culture Your Employees Will Brag About

Recruitment. Retention. Overall employee happiness. Your company culture is at the root of your biggest HR concerns. Company culture is what draws employees to a company, gets them to stay and keeps them happy and productive. And it is more than just about benefits; company culture is an all-around atmosphere where employees feel valued and appreciated.

Why Company Culture Matters

Every company should think about the culture their employees work day after day. Is it encouraging? Is it comfortable? Is it fun? According to HubSpot, a company's culture not only attracts amazing employees but amplifies their abilities. A company with great culture enjoys great outcomes, including:

  • A 74% chance of increased revenue from the previous year
  • Seven times more likely to have innovative and high-performing employees
  • Eleven times less likely to have layoffs
  • Four times more likely to have positive employees who recommend your company to others
  • Four times more encouragement than other companies

What's more, without a great company culture, you'll never attract those great employees to begin with. So, how do you get it?

Techniques to Retain Top Talent Whitepaper

Examples of Company Culture

Every year Glassdoor lists the best places to work, based on employee feedback. Many of the employers that make the list are the epitome of what great company culture looks like. Take a page from their books when it comes to creating a company culture your employees will brag about.

1. Offer Impressive Benefits

Every company offers a 401(k), medical and dental, but the top companies on Glassdoor's list offer perks that go above and beyond. Salesforce offers workspaces with an open flow, recharging stations and residential-inspired finishes. LinkedIn gives its employees free catered breakfast and lunch, every day. It fills vending machines with work-related gadgets, like keyboards and charges, that any employee can grab with their badge. The key is the offer perks that make your company stand out.

2. Make Diversity a Priority

Diversity positively affects productivity, creativity, engagement and profits. Bain & Company celebrates and encourages its employee diversity by holding an annual summit for its African American and Latino employees. The three-day event is filled with speakers, workshops, break-out sessions and entertainment to allow its employees to not only get together but feel oneness.

3. Encourage Employees to Give Back to the Community

Salesforce understands that employees who are encouraged to give back are 74% more likely to recommend the company to others and 71% are more likely to stay. It gives employees seven paid days off per year to volunteer. It also encourages employees to do skills-based volunteering (Pro Bono) for nonprofits. It also supports its employees' favorite charities through donations.

4. Plan Team-Building Activities

Team building boosts performance and, when done right, is fun! LinkedIn has regular InDays that encourage employees to free up their schedule to focus on learning and friendly competition between teams through games and other exercises. These team building days allow employees to connect and feel like a part of LinkedIn's culture.

5. Put Employee Development First

Investing in an employee's professional growth makes them feel valuable and in turn, they are loyal to the company. HubSpot embraces development by offering Master Classes where employees learn from each other in a classroom setting. It has an extensive library of business and professional books, written by experts, that employees can borrow at any time. It encourages continued learning by reimbursing classes from Java to Japanese, up to $5,000 per year.

6. Help Improve Your Employees' Health and Wellness

Keeping employees in good health is a core benefit for every company. Google, famous for its employee perks, takes healthy living a step further. Its employees say the company offers free 24/7 gym access, free health and fitness assessments, an employee outdoor sports park and other outdoor recreation options designed to get employees moving.

Company culture isn't one-size-fits-all. It looks different for every company because it should reflect that company's mission and goals. Core HR software helps eliminate some of that guesswork by facilitating processes that help ensure employee satisfaction: an easy onboarding process, employee feedback through surveys, performance management and succession planning. Wondering how your processes enhance company culture? Take our Free HR assessment.