Does company culture truly play a pivotal role in shaping the work environment, employee satisfaction, and overall success of an organization? We surveyed over 1,200 behavioral healthcare professionals who showed 26% across the industry are not satisfied in their current position, and a mere 6% attributed their dissatisfaction with company culture.
Why is that?
First, we look at the overall data and the factors workers list as the most important drivers of their satisfaction level. In our survey, It shows, across all respondents, the factors that determined satisfaction were as follows:
1) Compensation – 57% most important/81% top three
2) Advancement Opportunities – 19%/73%
3) Day-to-Day Responsibilities – 7%/58%
4) Company Culture – 6%/22%
5) Company Mission – 5%/28%
6) Ability to Work from Home – 3%/7%
7) Benefits – 2%/18%
8) Work-Life Balance – 1%/13%
The modern workplace has changed significantly in the past five years. More people work from home, pursue freelance jobs or work in the gig economy. They want flexibility and freedom to pursue their own goals. With this change in the work model, it can make company culture feel obsolete. In fact, this shift has made some people question whether company culture is as important as it used to be.
So what is company culture?
Company culture is a shared set of values, beliefs, and behaviors of an organization. It is the standard norm that guides employees on how they interact with each other, make decisions, and even how they approach their work. According to Builtin, “It’s the way people feel about the work they do, the values they believe in, where they see the company going and what they’re doing to get it there. Collectively, these traits represent the personality — or culture — of an organization.”
Company culture can be broken down into several key elements that shape the overall work atmosphere:
- Core values: These are important beliefs and principles that guide how a company behaves and makes decisions. They show what the company stands for and help employees know what to do in their daily work. Clearly defining these values helps employees find an identity. They are able to then align themselves within it.
- Communication style: The way employees talk and share information in an organization shows its culture. When communication is open and honest, it helps people work together, trust each other, and feel like they belong.
- Leadership style: The behavior of leaders has a major impact on the company culture. When leaders act in line with the company’s values, they create a culture that follows those values.
- Collaboration and teamwork: Working together is an important part of company culture. When a company encourages teamwork, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other, it helps everyone work better and come up with new ideas.
- Diversity: Valuing and respecting individual differences, fostering a sense of belonging, and promoting equal opportunities for all employees.
Creating a company culture often happens during breaks or when work slows down. It’s when employees interact and get to know each other, including the leaders. This builds trust and opens up communication. It helps people feel like they belong and have a community at work. But with more people working remotely, it’s harder to build that same connection.
It also takes effort to get to know your coworkers. Team building activities, lunch-ins, and video conferences (for remote workers) are great ways to foster relationships and maintain a sense of camaraderie. Despite the challenges, active communication, and intentional relationship building can still create a strong company culture. One that promotes a positive and supportive work environment.
While establishing company culture is still an important part of building your organization, you can see from our survey, workers felt that company culture was not a strong influence over employee satisfaction. Compensation and advancement opportunities by far outweigh in importance for employee satisfaction purposes. Today, financial stability is of utmost importance to ensure that employees feel safe to meet their basic needs and save for the future. When employees feel financially secure, they are more likely to be satisfied and motivated in their work.
Compensation also serves as a form of recognition and reward for the employee’s efforts. If employees are compensated fairly for their efforts, it reinforces a sense of value and appreciation for their work. In order for company culture to have a major impact on employees, it would need to have a foundation built on those things. By prioritizing advancement opportunities and compensation in your organization, our research shows that employees will be more satisfied and motivated in their work, and the company culture will be made stronger.
Increase employee satisfaction and motivation
Your business is only as good as your people, and we know just how hard it is to find the right people in the behavioral healthcare industry. When dealing with sensitive and personal issues like mental health or substance abuse, not just any employee will do.
Jordan and Associates Consulting specializes in behavioral health recruiting and will be your trusted partner in hiring the right people. If you have a good team in place, we can offer coaching and training on admissions, referrals, and other critical aspects of the behavioral healthcare industry.
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