Missed the Boat on Making Company Culture a Top Priority? Get Onboard Before it Hurts Recruitment Efforts

missed boat making company culture top priority get onboard before hurts recruitment efforts

by Miriam Dushane

Culture! It’s bandied about as a buzzword, but it’s no flash in the pan. Its meaning is taking center stage in our current job environment as companies of every size fiercely compete for top talent. These days, culture is everything. It’s the vibe you feel or create when you enter your workspace and it’s how you make your team feel valued, trusted and respected. It’s critically important and trust me when I tell you it is a big (huge) factor when prospective employees consider joining your team.

When we engage with employers to recruit on their behalf, one of the very first things we do is have them tell us about their culture quickly followed by this question: Why would someone want to work here and why do your employees stay? It’s not about free lunches and perks. It’s about driving forces that keep employees feeling engaged and working toward a common goal.

We believe so deeply in the power of culture, we asked three top local executives to share their thoughts about culture’s impact on their organization.

Q: Why is culture important to Auto/Mate retaining top talent?

A: In a tight labor market, you are not going to retain your best people based on salary alone. A good salary will get top talent in the door, but you need a strong culture to keep them coming back. At Auto/Mate, our goal is to make sure that our employees love coming to work each and every day. We have embraced the Hawaiian concept of ‘Ohana:’ you become a part of the Auto/Mate family when you join our team. That means we take care of each other and we always have each other’s backs. When people hear culture, they often think of offices with ping pong tables or game rooms, but it is so much more than that. It all starts with how your managers treat their teams. Our leaders are here to take care of their people, and not simply bark orders at them. If employees feel a sense of belonging, they have opportunities for growth and they feel appreciated, they will stick around.

David Druzynski, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Chief People Officer at Auto/Mate Dealership Systems

Automate

Connect with David on LinkedIn

Q: Internally and amongst your client base, what are you seeing as the top trend in company culture?

A: Most of the companies that we work with are facing very stiff competition and their products and services might be considered commodities. There’s a realization that perhaps the most important (and in some cases, the only real) differentiation that they have are their people and culture. The result is that empowering their people and nurturing their culture has become a strategic imperative and a key part of their value proposition; it’s not simply something to cross off their checklist like an obligation or afterthought. The second related piece is that culture and employees are playing a more central role in brand strategy and how the company articulates itself across all target segments.

Michael Fallone

Principal

id29

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.

Q: How do you leverage the culture to recruit top talent?

A: Our business model at Pioneer Bank is built on employee feedback. We believe that engaged employees create customer interactions that make both our employees and our customers our advocates in the community and that equals business results. Pioneer Bank employees have a strong connection to our organization, they understand our business. Our employees see opportunity for themselves, every employee has a personal and professional development plan, they have a clear line of sight to the next step in their career, all while being developed through our internal IMAGINE University programs and our holistic wellness program. We’ve also found that corporate responsibility is key to the attraction and retention of top talent. Employees want to work for a company that cares about them and their community. We encourage and support communication, leadership and philanthropy.

Susan Hollister

Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer

Pioneer Bank

Connect with Susan on LinkedIn.

With our focus on forging Talent Acquisition Partnerships and providing Employer Brand Strategy solutions throughout the region and beyond, the subject of culture continues to be top priority. Whether it’s getting the word out about a “hidden gem” company or helping a company define or rethink and improve culture so they can compete, we see firsthand the real and lasting impact culture has on a company and its bottom line.

Want to brainstorm how to prioritize culture in your organization or learn more?
Call me directly: 518.689.3138. Let’s make your company a powerhouse in the region!

About the Author

Miriam Dushane, Managing Partner

Miriam is all in when it comes to doing whatever she can to help the Capital District grow and thrive. She is passionate about helping talented professionals find the right job and her work in the community is focused on furthering our area as a center of economic vitality. Miriam likes to garden and care for her pets. She is a member of an adult-only skate group where she rollerblades every week. She loves the Mets! And she is obsessed with vacuum cleaners; she really likes to vacuum and has 6 right now.

More About Miriam

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