Culture works for businesses, culture works for employees, culture works internally in companies to facilitate organizational change, stop churn and make productivity soar.
We solve the problem of churn, lack of productivity and inefficient or noncompliant internal processes. We are experts at implementing organization-wide value and role alignment. We are not like other HR companies. We think and live outside the box. Our team fits into your culture.
Your purpose creates our success. Our focus is culture infused QGPs. Our team impacts culture & talent by aligning & integrating people and processes.
Our team transforms role alignment which in turn increases engagement, creating an operationalized culture, aligned values and most importantly… RESULTS.
It’s Time Bring in Culture Operations Specialists
NewsIt’s Time Bring in Culture Operations Specialists
Company culture has become such an important part of a company’s identity. With 94% of executives believing that a distinct workplace culture is important to business success, culture has become a widespread high-priority. However, your business’ success doesn’t rely solely on building that culture, you need to begin operationalizing the internal processes that support and sustain an effective company culture over time. It’s time to bring in culture operations specialists.
Let’s begin with what culture really means.
When people think of company culture they typically think of ping pong tables in the common room, team happy hours, and on-tap kombucha in the kitchen. Although these added perks are fun and exciting in a work environment, they do not define culture for companies. Culture is about inspiring innovation and fostering community within your company. Culture isn’t optional, it’s essential to the success of your business.
Leadership may define culture as the daily execution of the purpose and values of the company. While those are essential to the backbone of your organization, they often have not been operationalized in ways that impact everyday life for your employees.
Operationalizing culture means integrating your company’s purpose into yours and your employees’ everyday life.
So, how exactly do you operationalize culture?
Operationalizing culture involves a tactical and strategic improvement of your company’s processes and infrastructure. At Culture Works, we work to integrate your purpose into everything you do as a company. It’s not enough to post a sign outlining the company’s purpose, it’s vital that you show everyone by example how to live those values.
Our teams craft specific plans to cater to your company’s needs. Through our Quarterly Game Plans, we create a roadmap for producing results. Our QGPs address challenges in the workplace and how to overcome them. One of the many ways we begin our engagements is with the variety of Assessments, we offer. Depending on your company’s specific needs, these assessments guide your GamePlan.
With your Quarterly Game Plan in place, we can effectively partner with your HR department to implement it. This implementation process guides all of your processes to move in the right direction, utilizing incremental strategic shifts.
What are the results?
Repeatable, lasting processes that improve culture and HR, increase retention and engagement and make your recruiting efforts more effective. You will see impactful HR infrastructure upgrades and an alignment of culture and business goals.
With improved processes and procedures you will also see greater employee buy-in and an improvement in morale. Because of this, you will see your employees more motivated and excited about your company and their work. Employees stay with companies where they feel engaged, appreciated, and supported and new employees are actively seeing those elements in their next position!
Want to start operationalizing your culture to achieve greater growth and success for your company? Call us today to learn more about how Culture Works can help your business!
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March 7, 2021/by Amanda RogersHow to Recruit Employees– Remotely
NewsHow to Recruit Employees– Remotely
As we all now know (hopefully) a global pandemic has taken the world by storm! As a result, there have been massive changes to the typical workforce. With safety in mind, 88% of employers encouraged or required employees to work from home. With such a massive influx of remote employees, companies (and employees) have seen the potential for an increase in remote worker hiring.
The reality is, employees are willing and able to perform their job functions remotely. Which means a big shift for HR departments within these companies. Recruiting has taken a new shape, in the form of remote recruiting. So, how can you implement new strategies and processes to effectively recruit employees for remote positions?
Determine what you’re looking for
The best place to start is to clearly identify the role, responsibilities, and requirements, and experience you expect of your prospective employee. Map out qualities and skills the ideal candidate would possess, and strategize how to evaluate their off-paper skills, like communication skills, motivation, and culture fit. Consider adding an option for the prospect to include a short video answering a question like “What inspires you each day?” or “What kind of dog would you be and why” to understand their personality better.
Once you’ve nailed down your ideal employee persona, begin writing the job description! The job description should include the job title, job description, position details, skills and qualifications needed, and a short description of your company. The excerpt where you explain your company is a great place to introduce your company’s culture to the prospective employee.
Build a strong presence online
Consider your online presence. Employer branding is an essential part of your talent acquisition strategy. Ensure your social profiles, website, and emails are all portraying your brand as you would like potential employees to see it. Job seekers have become increasingly focused on company culture over the last few years, which means you need to show them how great your culture really is!
Before a candidate even applies to your open position, they are researching your company online. They want to know what your employees are like, what you do in your free time, how do you onboard (and off-board), how you interact with one another, and how you keep culture thriving while working remotely. The best way to explain this aspect of your company is to show them! Try creating a recruiting page on your website with video elements to highlight your company’s communication style.
Use Proactive Recruiting Strategies
Recruiting top talent doesn’t start with posting a job description, it begins way before that! One way to create a strong talent network is to create communities of engagement online. Utilize both social media and networking to build relationships with potential candidates for future opportunities.
Another way to build a strong talent network is to create relationships with colleges and high schools in your surrounding area. In universities, professors are a great resource for students leaving school and getting into the workforce; create relationships with them! Most colleges have a career fair, or some sort of showcase for local businesses, sign up for those opportunities and begin meeting prospective employees.
The Interview is Key!
Even with a video interview, a candidate will reveal quite a bit about themselves in non-verbal ways. Pay close attention to how quickly and professionally they respond to your emails prior to the interview, and how well they communicate during the entire process.
Be sure to ask questions related to their remote work experience and how they work best. Inquire about the tools they use to remain focused. Be sure to ask about their work style, you can tell a lot about a candidate by understanding how they work best. Those who don’t appreciate a schedule and structure may not be a great fit for a 9-5 remote job.
Another great way to tell how equipped your remote candidate may be for the role in question is to implement a sample project into the hiring process. Ask your candidate to perform a task by a certain deadline, and you’ll be able to see how they work, if they can produce the caliber of work you will expect, if their communication is timely and (if you give them a team member to ask questions of) how they might work with your team.
Hire Some Help!
Hiring a team to assist your HR Department with recruiting can be super helpful. A recruiting team already has the expertise and experience to drive results for your company. They can also help to screen potential candidates, saving you and your team precious time.
At Culture Works, we understand the ins and outs of talent acquisition. Our team is well-equipped to help your HR Department hire the most qualified, culture, and role-aligned employees. Contact us today to see how we can help your company operationalize your culture through talent acquisition.
Creating Your 2021 Vision Board
March 7, 2021/by Amanda Rogers“OMG I love you” is Not a Recruiting Process
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October 3, 2023/by Amanda RogersRecent Changes to California’s Minimum Wage Requirements
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July 13, 2020/by Amanda RogersDo you want to be one of the best companies to work for? Here’s how!
October 5, 2020/by Amanda RogersHow culture can f*ck up your merger
NewsAre you preparing your business for a merger or acquisition? While it is essential to get your financials and your business plan in order, it is also important to ensure your company culture is optimized. According to the study “Corporate Culture: Evidence from the Field” 91% of executives said they believed improving company culture would increase their company’s valuation. Here’s why.
5 Steps to Ensure Your New Hire Turns into a Rockstar
News5 Steps to Ensure Your New Hire Turns into a Rockstar
Hiring the right employees is one of the most important parts of your business, it can also be the most challenging. There is nothing worse than hiring an employee who has all of the skills, but is not properly aligned in their role. It’s expensive to hire and fire, so role and value alignment should be at the core of your recruiting process. Here are five steps to ensure your new hire turns into a rockstar.
Ensure your employee is aligned with their role.
The number one reason employees don’t succeed in their job is that they are not aligned with their current role. Role alignment is a predictor of longevity for an organization. Companies that hire staffing agencies to do their recruiting don’t address the importance of role alignment within the organization. Therefore, they miss the mark on hiring the best employees for their openings.
In order for role alignment to be effective, the employee’s skill sets must coincide with the role they are applying for. Although, their skillsets will not predict their happiness within the organization. This is why employers also need to focus on value alignment. Does the prospective employee align with your organization’s values and culture? If so, you’re off to a good start!
Explain the purpose of the organization and how they play into it.
Before you hire a new employee, ensure your company’s purpose is communicated clearly throughout their interview process, even before they apply. In order for an employee to feel connected to your organization, they need to understand your purpose. Employees who feel connected to an organization’s purpose are more likely to succeed and grow with your company.
Give them direction
Once your employee has accepted the offer and has started with your company, it is important to give them direction for the first few weeks. Layout exactly what their roles and responsibilities include in order to give them a greater sense of purpose within the organization. Employees with direction will feel connected to their work.
Make them part of the team
Once your employee has been properly onboarded and given direction, it’s time to make them a part of the team! It is likely that new hires will work in a team at some point in their career, so it is important that they connect with the team right away.
Encourage training and development
Training and developing employees not only helps them grow, but it helps your organization as well. Develop and implement internal training programs to build their skills. Another way to help develop employees is to work with leadership members to allow new employees to shadow different departments. This helps the employee to see their future within the company and form a plan for their future.
At Culture Works, we are deeply invested in the success of our clients. We believe in understanding our clients on a deeper level in order to help them achieve success for their specific needs. Interested in hiring rockstar employees? Start with our Talent Assessment to see how we can help your HR Department hire the best employees.
The World’s Opening Up — What Are Our Employees Going to Do?
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May 28, 2023/by Amanda Rogers5 Steps to Ensure Your New Hire Turns into a Rockstar
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June 13, 2021/by Amanda RogersHow outsourced HR can help your company
NewsHow outsourced HR can help your company even when you’re remote.
Motivating a remote workforce can be a challenge for any HR department. Most companies have moved into a remote model through the end of the year, at least. How can you foster a great company culture when your team is separated from one another? Here’s how to optimize your HR even when you’re remote.
Start with the basics.
In order to effectively work remotely, your team’s response time needs to be top of mind. Regular and timely communication helps keep your employees updated and engaged in their work. It also shows your employees that you appreciate the time and attentiveness they bring to your organization.
Invest in your employees
While you may not be able to do in-person training, it is essential to continue to invest in your employee’s development. This can be done through virtual leadership training, exploring employee goals, and investing the time to understand what your employees need.
Not only should you invest in your employee’s personal goals and progress, but you should also take time to foster team bonding. This can be done through Zoom happy hours, yoga, and other activities outside of general work responsibilities.
Bring in a professional
Hiring a team to assist your HR department in operationalizing culture, even remote culture, can be extremely beneficial to your organization. At Culture Works, we help put systems and processes in place, provide leadership training, and help foster culture alignment. We understand that culture drives operations and operations run smoothly thanks to culture, and we’re experts at optimizing it.
When you hire an outsourced HR team, your company culture will be aligned and integrated with purpose. Your people will evolve and operationalize your company culture through talent strategy and development. You will have aligned company processes to support, HR, Ops, and Leadership.
Contact us today to schedule your assessment.
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January 31, 2022/by Amanda RogersUnlocking Success: The Power of Developing KSAs in Your Team
November 19, 2023/by Amanda RogersDo you want to be one of the best companies to work for? Here’s how!
NewsDo you want to be one of the best companies to work for? Here’s how!
SDBJ’s Best Places to Work nominees were published in the September 6th issue.
Whether you’re on the list or not, you can actually be one of the best places to work. It takes more than just a ping pong table in the common area and food truck Fridays. While those may be fun added perks for your employees, the real way to become one of the best companies to work for is to start from the ground up.
The foundation of your business is your purpose and values.
When companies are aligned with their purpose and values and it flows into the rest of the workforce, employees feel more engaged and excited about work. Employees must understand and connect to the purpose and values of your organization.
Company culture begins with your purpose and values. It’s not enough to simply communicate these beliefs, you must lead by example. Everything must align in order for employees to feel connected to the work your organization is doing.
Hire employees who align with your purpose and values.
Hiring employees who align with what your company stands for is essential to the greater success of your business. Focus on hiring people whom you respect, admire, and can drive your company forward. Ensure your employees align with the culture you want to foster. When you hire people that align with your company and whom you respect, you can trust them to manage their own time and effectively do their job.
It’s not only important to hire the right people for the company, but it is also important that their roles are aligned with their interests and strengths. When an employee’s role and responsibilities align with their strengths and interests, they feel like they are providing purpose to the organization.
Give your employees the opportunity to progress.
Lastly, give your employees the opportunity to grow within the company. This happens when you give your employees ample opportunity to be inspired and explore what else they may be good at. Inspiration and opportunity drives employee engagement.
In order to become one of the best organizations to work for, your entire company needs to be aligned with your organization’s purpose. When your team and your organization are aligned in purpose, you will see success.
At Culture Works, we believe organizational success comes when your purpose, people, and processes are aligned. We offer Talent, HR, and Culture Assessments to begin the process of operationalizing your company culture. Contact us today to learn more.
Role alignment; the golden ticket to your next key player
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May 16, 2021/by Becca JonesProactive Recruiting Tips- Building a Killer Bench
NewsProactive Recruiting Tips- Building a Killer Bench
Building a killer bench. Proactive recruiting 6 months to a year before you have a need.
Most companies today practice a reactive recruitment approach. They wait for a position to open up and believe that simply posting the job online will bring in enough applicants to effectively fill the role. So, we have put together some proactive recruiting tips- building a killer bench six months to a year before you need them.
Proactive recruiting is a much more effective method. Ask yourself these questions:
How will employees know that they are perfect for your company? Are you actively promoting your company culture and values on your blog, on social media, and in your community?
If not, you’re using a reactive recruiting approach and some adjustments to that approach can yield much better results!
Do you want to hire the best, most aligned employees in the industry? Implement these tips to start!
How do I build a killer bench?
How do you begin to proactively recruit potential employees? Start by talking to your leadership to understand what their ideal candidate might look like. Create a persona from the answers you receive. Once you have a persona to go by, you can begin to find similar people on social platforms, within your database, within your community and on Zoom networking events.
How do you proactively communicate?
Start attracting the attention of these top prospects by asking what they are looking for in a company. Role alignment is key to employee success. Learn about prospective employees to see if your values are aligned. It is important to utilize the form of communication that works best for them, this could mean text, emails, calls, or in-person meetings (though it might be best to settle for Zoom for now).
How can you ensure they remain interested?
Once you make the initial point of contact, nurture your relationship with potential candidates. Do this by providing content, sending an occasional email, sharing insights, sharing company achievements, or other ideas to help the candidate connect with your company on a deeper level. A proactive recruiting strategy looks at the long game. Nurturing relationships with top performers over months and even years can set you up to fill a vacancy when one arises down the road.
So I’ve found the right people, how do I encourage them to join the team?
Once you have fostered the relationship with your prospective candidate, it’s time to pull the trigger. Create a more in-depth map of what their roles and responsibilities are. Align your benefit offerings with their priorities, remind them how interested they were at the start of the relationship and that your company culture is the place for them to thrive. Clarify pathways for growth and promotion in the company.
It’s offer time!
Be open with candidates who are value and role aligned. Give them the insider track for interviews and share insights into your company’s best practices. Even if this specific position isn’t the right fit for them, they may be a great fit for another role within your company either now or in the future.
These are just a few tips to help you begin to proactively recruit great employees. The recruiting process should begin about 3-6 months before a position opens. Building a talent pool can help with this, as you may not have that much warning before a valued member of your existing team leaves the company.
At Culture Works, we are recruiters focused on value and role alignment. We perform culture, talent and HR assessments to help optimize your internal talent strategy and prepare your company to attract (and retain) the top talent. Want to learn more? Reach out!
It’s time to beef up your HR team- here’s why!
April 11, 2021/by Becca JonesHow to Recruit Employees– Remotely
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February 14, 2021/by Amanda RogersNew HR Law Updates
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March 19, 2023/by Amanda RogersUnraveling the Buzz around DEI: Embracing Good People Practices
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April 9, 2020/by Amanda RogersSetting SMART Goals for Stronger Leadership
June 4, 2020/by Amanda RogersHow to Prevent the Great Resignation in your Business
January 31, 2022/by Amanda RogersFive Signs You Have a Positive Company Culture
December 19, 2021/by Amanda RogersDo you know how happy (or unhappy) your employees are?
NewsDo you know how happy (or unhappy) your employees are?
Our Culture Assessment can help you take the emotional temperature of your teams.
When was the last time you were really excited about something upcoming? You can probably name a few times in the last few weeks. When was the last time one of your employees felt really excited about something upcoming? Unsure? Taking the emotional temperature of your employees is just as important as taking your own. In order to create a company culture that fosters excellence, you need to be able to support your employees when they need it most.
Here are a few ways to help your leaders manage your employees with empathy in mind.
Talk to your employees.
People typically just want to be heard and acknowledged for how they feel. When you reach out to them you are making a great first step toward fostering relationships. You should be reaching out on a regular basis with all employees, and especially when an incident occurs.
Use active listening and pay close attention to how your employees respond to these check-ins, a lot can be said non-verbally. Proactively reaching out to employees when you see them in the office can be an easy way to foster inclusivity and engagement.
Observe employees interactions with each other.
Like we said before, a lot can be said non-verbally, pay attention to your employee’s body language throughout the day, and as they interact with other employees. Do they seem frustrated? Are they laughing or smiling? These little cues can be noticed as you’re walking to the bathroom or to grab another cup of coffee. It doesn’t always take a lot to understand how your employees are feeling, but it can make a huge difference.
Invest in a Culture Assessment
Culture assessments are designed to evaluate the state of your company culture, your stressors, and the elements that make your company unique. These assessments can be a great way to invest in your people and ensure you are optimizing your culture. At Culture Works, we build a game plan based on your specific company needs. Throughout this process, we maximize areas of strength and find solutions for areas of improvement.
So, do you know how happy (or unhappy) your employees are? If not, start today.
Company culture is essential to the success of your company. When you focus on building your HR, Talent, and overall company you can increase productivity within your organization and attract the best talent outside of your organization. Getting the emotional temperature of your team is just the start. Contact us to learn more!
How to Prevent the Great Resignation in your Business
January 31, 2022/by Amanda RogersTop 10 Best and Worst Mergers of All Time!
September 12, 2021/by Amanda RogersAre you Re-onboarding your Staff?
September 7, 2020/by Amanda RogersTop 6 Ways to Implement L&D into Your Business
September 11, 2022/by Amanda RogersHow to Avoid Culture Shock During Your Merger
April 25, 2021/by Becca JonesLeading your team through a crisis
June 29, 2020/by Amanda RogersHave You Considered Your Employees Mental Health?
July 9, 2020/by Amanda Rogers3 HELPFUL REMOTE COMMUNICATION TIPS
April 9, 2020/by Amanda RogersPlease Make Mistakes at Work!
October 17, 2021/by Amanda RogersTurn Your Company’s Purpose Into Strategy
July 21, 2020/by Amanda RogersSmall Businesses: How to Know When You Need HR
November 28, 2021/by Amanda RogersHappy Anniversary To Us: Culture Works is Two!
May 29, 2022/by Amanda RogersAre you Re-onboarding your Staff?
COVID-19, NewsAre you Re-onboarding your Staff? If so, how?
Many companies have made the decision to begin furloughing and laying off employees in the past five months. As businesses begin the process of returning to a new normal, leaders must consider the approach they are taking to bring those employees back. To maintain a positive company culture and keep your employees loyal to your company, you must go about this carefully. Are you re-onboarding your staff? If so, how?
At Culture Works, we have thought about this process extensively, so here are a few things you should begin considering if you ‘re-onboarding your staff.
Who are you bringing back?
To start, you need to decide who to bring back to the company. Initially, you may not be able to return all of your employees to work. However, there may be some legal implications associated with not returning all employees. Employees who feel their employer’s decision not to return them to work is contingent upon their membership in a protected class can bring about a disparate treatment claim. Employers may also receive disparate treatment claims if their decision-making process has a negative impact on protected class employees.
So, it is extremely important that you take care as you begin to craft your plan to bring employees back. You may want to put an explanation of the business conditions, the number of employees, their skill sets, and selection criteria you use to determine who you are bringing back. Once you’ve decided who to bring back to work, run a statistical analysis to ensure members of protected groups have the same opportunity.
Do you have a return to work notice?
You may want to consider preparing a notice to send out to any employee who has been laid off or furloughed. This helps you establish a written record that you sent an offer for that employee to return to work. In this notice, you should include the date you expect them to return and return to work instructions. As well as any notifications regarding changes to wages, hours, or deductions from pay. You may also want to include the ways you are making the physical workspace safe for employees to return.
What are your safety protocols?
Businesses have had to rethink their physical workspace to accommodate health guidelines. You should consider social distancing guidelines, employee training, disinfection protocols, providing PPE. While also informing employees of the implementation of screening protocols for both employees and visitors. You should also give clarity on how to handle those who get sick, get symptoms, or are exposed to COVID-19. You must communicate these new safety protocols with your employees to ensure they understand how you are working to keep them safe, and how they can assist in this process.
Are there additional policies needed?
Consider how you may want to alter leave and attendance policies, as employees may need to stay home with their families. You may want to consider extending your work from home policies for those employees who are high risk, or need to care for their families. Lastly, you may want to alter policies surrounding travel, work meetings, and visitor screening. For more information, check out our article ‘Have you updated your Employee Practices Handbook?’
Do you need to re-run your background checks?
Certain industries might be required to re-run background checks when they return their employees from a furlough or layoff. If you are one of these industries, be sure to ask your employees for their consent to perform an additional background check, even if you have their consent from their initial hiring.
Are you reinstating vacation, PTO, and sick leave benefits?
You need to decide whether or not a rehired employee receives the accrued vacation and PTO from before their furlough or layoff. As far as sick leave is concerned, there are state and local rules for you to follow. Some states have mandatory sick leave laws that require rehired employees to receive their accrued sick days if it has been less than 9 months. Consider adjusting your sick leave policies to encourage those who are sick to remain home.
As you continue to navigate this uncertain time, we understand there may be a lot on your plate. At Culture Works, we want to help! Our team helps to operationalize your culture to ensure you have engaged employees who create success for your business. Want more information? Contact us today!
Wage and hour issues with a remote workforce
January 10, 2021/by Amanda RogersExiting Your Business: Step #1, Revisit Your Org Chart
May 15, 2022/by Amanda RogersIt’s Time Bring in Culture Operations Specialists
October 28, 2020/by Amanda RogersWhy Did Kristi Pastore Start Culture Works?
January 8, 2023/by Amanda RogersHow to Set New Year’s Resolutions that Foster Company Culture
January 2, 2022/by Amanda RogersDo you know how happy (or unhappy) your employees are?
September 14, 2020/by Amanda RogersDo I have to wear a mask all day?
August 17, 2020/by Amanda RogersHR Budgeting: From Reactive Chaos to Proactive Success
October 8, 2023/by Amanda RogersHow to Incorporate Company Culture into your ‘Corporate Gift Giving’
December 5, 2021/by Amanda RogersFive Things Employers Need to Offer to Keep Workers From Quitting
September 10, 2023/by Amanda RogersCan Company Culture Change?
March 14, 2021/by Amanda RogersRemote Work in California: A Business Owners’ Guide
March 25, 2024/by Amanda Rogers