In addition to salary, benefits and opportunities to grow  professionally, many employees consider company culture an important factor when looking for a new job. In fact, according to an Indeed survey, 46% of job  seekers who considered a job but did not apply to it said they ultimately chose not to apply  because they didn’t feel it would be a good culture fit.

Understanding different business cultures can help you develop a positive one for your workplace that  centers on your company’s values, mission and goals, and helps your employees be productive,  satisfied and engaged.

Business culture refers to the set of behavioral and procedural norms that can be observed within a  company — which includes its policies, procedures, ethics, values, employee behaviors and attitudes,  goals and code of conduct. It also makes up the “personality” of a company and defines the work  environment (e.g., professional, casual, fast-paced).

Other elements that make up company culture include management style, expectations, company  goals, local and national government policies, benefits/perks, opportunities to advance, the way  employees feel about the work they do and disciplinary action methods your business uses.

The graphic to the right is powerful. The symptoms of low engagement can include high turnover, low productivity, your employees are not energized at the office each day, customer service is poor, or quality of work declines. These are just a few symptoms you may see.

According to an Indeed survey, 72% of job seekers say it’s extremely or very important to see details  about company culture in job descriptions.

Having an outstanding business culture can have positive effects on your business. Here are some of  the advantages of having a good workplace culture:

Lower staff turnover

One of the main reasons why employees leave a company is because they don’t enjoy their work  environment. Work environment can refer to the social aspects of a workplace, the overall atmosphere,  how people treat each other and the space where employees work (e.g., open office plan, cubicles).  Since company culture is often closely connected to the work environment, having a positive culture  can reduce turnover.

Attracts more applicants

Job seekers often prefer a good working environment and outstanding business culture over high paying jobs. Many people choose to apply to companies that have a good reputation where they have  more flexibility, autonomy and connect with the company’s goals and values. Not only that, but job  seekers look for details about company culture in job descriptions.

Improves credibility and public image

When your business has a good company culture, people are more likely to tell their friends, family  and personal networks about their positive experience. Companies with this good reputation and high  credibility are trusted by customers, clients and business partners.

Can business culture be changed?

Business culture can be changed — and sometimes change is necessary. Most long-running businesses  have changed their business culture at least once. You may need to realign your business culture as  your vision, values, products, services or mission change.

Is business culture different from the mission, vision and goal?

A company’s mission, vision and goal make up its purpose. They help a company achieve its goals and  direct the company toward success.

Business culture, on the other hand, is the way that a group of people conducts itself based on a  company’s mission, vision and goals. It’s focused more on how employees behave in the workplace in  order to achieve success, as well as the benefits/perks and management style a company offers to make  its employees happy, productive and engaged.

What is negative workplace culture?

A negative workplace culture, also known as a toxic workplace, can manifest itself in many ways. A  few signs of a negative workplace culture include frequent gossiping, high absenteeism rates, high  employee turnover, low productivity, cliques, unfriendly competition between employees, lack of  flexibility and autonomy, low employee satisfaction, managers not following your core values and  more.

To help you find out if your workplace has a negative culture, examine your turnover and absenteeism  rates, regularly send out employee satisfaction surveys to find out how employees are feeling and what  they need/want and conduct exit interviews to find out why employees are leaving. Then, take steps to  build a positive company culture where employees can thrive.