How Do you Hire the Right Cultural Fit for your Business?
‘Culture and leadership are the most important aspects of a sustainable business. Engaging with staff, leading them on a journey and motivating them them is vital to the overall success of your business.’
– Peter Cirillo, Segen
Australia is currently experiencing a major skills crisis. The labour market is suffering a deep misalignment between the needs of employees and employers, meaning highly-skilled workers are harder to find, and unhappy employees are quicker to move on.
Finding the right staff and retaining them has become a bigger challenge than ever before. But why are so many Australians so quick to leave their workplace? It’s about far more than just a comfortable salary. For a large number of Australians, it comes down to workplace culture.
It’s a phrase that’s thrown around a lot, but culture has a significant impact on the overall success of an organisation. It’s as important as a business strategy – and while modern leaders are understanding the power of team culture, many still walk blindly because the culture has always been somewhat of an X-factor that is more stumbled upon than strategically created.
Great workplace culture will bring an energy that helps employees strive to reach targets, to innovate, to develop strong relationships with customers and encourage one another each day. So, finding a candidate with both the right skill-set and an aligning sense of purpose and character is vital to the culture of your organisation.
According to O.C. Tanner’s 2020 Global Culture Report, when leaders align employees to the company’s purpose and one another, they are:
- 250% more likely to be a promoter of the business;
- 405% more likely to highly rate their workplace;
- 845% more likely to be engaged in their work; and
- 1,674% more likely to have a strong positive perception of a company’s leadership.
When bridging the gap between businesses and high-quality talent, finding a person with the right character and culture is a priority at Segen. Peter Cirillo, Segen’s Managing Director, has been providing recruitment solutions and building high-performing teams in Australia and abroad for more than 15 years. He says that businesses are missing a critical step in the recruitment phase: identifying whether the candidate is the right cultural fit.
‘Here at Segen, as part of our recruitment process, we provide an assessment about one’s character which goes above and beyond the competency assessment and/or psychometrics assessment most recruitment agencies use.’
Instead, they conduct charametrics testing to identify the character strengths and cultural fit of the potential employee, to ensure the right alignment of purpose, character and culture to the organisation. They can also run culture workshops to help align purpose and vision, provide team cultural engagement surveys and perform cultural DNA assessments.
To assess a candidate’s cultural fit, Segen partners with ShareTree – an organisation that identifies an individuals or businesses character, which comprises of the moral qualities that a person or business demonstrates in action. This allows for a better alignment between employer and potential employee, in both values and culture, ensuring a better fit for long-term employment.
In Peter’s experience, questions regarding the companies purpose and culture are now taking priority over the all-important salary question. Ensuring a better long term fit where they can flourish and achieve ultimate success is number one knowing that remuneration will follow if they are in the right environment.
“Cultural alignment is important for both our clients and our candidates. It’s still very daunting jumping into a new job. Knowing that their culture aligns brings further comfort to both parties that they’re making the best decision,” he says.
The importance of culture shouldn’t be underestimated. Today, people are seeking more meaning in their work, and the connection between their core values and their job satisfaction. Finding the right people who are motivated by a company’s values is a critical part of the recruitment process.
“The right person can take your business forward. The wrong person can take your business back,” says Peter. “So, it’s critical that employers and employees are fully aligned.”
