written by
Nick Hedges

5 Reasons Why Recruiting for Values Improves Company Culture

Articles 4 min read

Have you ever hired someone who seems to have the right experience and should fit in easily with the team, but they don’t? When a company’s recruitment focus is purely based on technical skills, there could be a disconnect within the team. This is a common mistake when the new employee does not share the same values as you or the company, and over time, becomes a mismatch for the company.

The culture of an organisation is what brings people together. It’s stronger than a mission statement and it’s what makes one company stand out from another; and companies that have a great working culture understand that recruiting on values is important

However, in order to do this effectively, an employer needs to firstly understand and know their own personal values. Having your personal values align to your company culture will give you the edge when hiring employees.

Below are 5 benefits why recruiting on values just makes sense:

1. Improves staff retention - when you incorporate your personal values to your company values, you gain more clarity with the recruitment process and attracting the right candidates will become seamless because you are clear on what is important (besides skill set). Retention of your staff starts from the beginning of their journey and even your job advertisement should refer to your values. By screening and asking the right questions, you will be able to choose who to interview more effectively and not waste time on potential employees who will not be a good cultural fit because their values are not aligned.

2. Strengthens employee performance - employers that live by their values and know how to make employees feel like they are an asset, share a common purpose. People perform better when transparency and trust outweighs the day-to-day mechanics and duties. By setting clear expectations and tailoring your approach to get the best out of each employee, it will remind them what they stand for. Leading by example and guiding with values allows employees to share feedback with honesty but more importantly, sets the tone for everyone to contribute and step up.

3. Boosts diversity - when an employer knows everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, they can easily see the gaps within their team. Diversity within the workplace, not only incorporates greater profitability but also contributes to a high performing team. Differences are embraced and according to Forbes Insights, “workforce diversity and inclusion are a key driver of internal innovation and business growth”. An employer who operates with values in mind, communicates more effectively and resolves any misunderstandings or interpersonal conflicts.

4. Creates an empowering environment - when there's a sense of belonging, employees feel connected and are empowered to be part of an inclusive workforce. Managers who operate with an open-door policy, understand that communication is a two-way street. Ideas are encouraged and job satisfaction is met. Self-improvement is part of the working culture and everyone understands that they are doing more than just a ‘good job’, they feel they are making a difference. Recruiting with values, allows an employer to attract candidates who will contribute, grow, and succeed and add value to the rest of the team

5. Builds brand awareness - when a company understands the power of the employer brand, their employees become their brand ambassadors. Brand perception is enhanced when people are engaged, connected and committed and employee referrals become a natural part of the recruitment process. Defined values help build strong workplace cultures, and your employer brand could be noticed where you are attracting people who want to work for you and your company. For example, Google is regarded as a dynamic, cool and evolving brand, so recruiting someone who espouses those values would be highly important to Google. So, thinking about where you would likely find these people in the marketplace is important. Advertising or networking in those spaces would be of high importance to ensue you are attracting the right types of candidates.

Hiring the wrong person takes just as much time as hiring the right ones…. and it’s expensive when they don’t work out. When someone’s personal values are out of alignment, it will affect work relationships, productivity, job satisfaction, which in turn will impact company morale.

Your values should be unique to your company and should include your attitude and beliefs that also align to your employees.

There’s a myriad of ways to attract employees and recruiting on values helps companies improve alignment of their people from the top to the bottom. Employers that integrate values in the recruitment and candidate cycle understand that everyone is working towards the same goals.

Including values in your recruitment process enables your mission statement to be more authentic. You will identify and retain people who share similar values and ideally this becomes your best recruitment and retention tool.

Happy recruiting!

If you require assistance with any of these processes feel free to contact ResolveHR who can assist with any of these matters big or small.

Nick Hedges is the founder of Resolve HR, a Sydney-based HR consultancy specialising in providing workplace advice to managers and business owners.

Hiring Recruitment Values