Business culture is a vital part of having a successful small business. Yes, it’s true—many businesses are completely lacking this. That’s corporate America folks, and there are huge companies that will survive even if they treat their employees like, well, crap. But, as a small business, if you really want to rise to the top, have happy employees and overall a more successful business—you need company culture. Heck, you should want it!
Culture is something that is very hard to implement into a business that didn’t once have it. It’s something that just kind of happens, and if it happens from the very beginning, that’s ideal. It stems from the owners of the business, but especially from the employees that are hired, since they will be the core of the business.
With that said, as a small business you need to choose your employees very wisely. Ok, someone walks in and is super qualified and could help your business excel, but do they fit? Will they get along with the rest of the crew? Will they enjoy interacting in meetings? Will they be the same person they are at home as they are at work?
You know what they say—One sour grape can ruin a whole bunch!
Here at Half a Bubble Out we take company culture very seriously. Starting in the interview process the interviewee is asked if they have similar values, goals and mindset as the company does when it comes to life and business. Depending on what your company culture is, when it comes to ours, family, friendship, honesty, trustworthiness and being open are all a part of what it takes to work here. As well as liking dogs and wine—but who doesn’t love those two things?!
This is all screened right in the beginning so that there are no surprises later. As a small business who is looking to find success and please employees, this needs to be done.
Check out this article that goes a little more in depth about how important hiring for company culture is when it comes to the success of your small business.
Hiring For Cultural Fit
Posted by, Charlotte Bohnett, WebPt
If you’ve been following our blog posts this month, you might’ve noticed a recurring theme—besides company culture in general—and that’s the importance of hiring the right people for your practice. From the cost of recruiting, screening, and interviewing to the cost of onboarding and training, hiring is a huge investment for companies, and if you don’t hire the right candidates, it can come at a big expense.
According to a 2012 CareerBuilder poll, 69% of companies surveyed experienced a bad hire that year. Of those companies, 41% said that one bad hire cost them $25,000, while 24% said it cost them more than $50,000. The cost includes loss of productivity and time, recruitment and training, and the adverse effect to employee morale as well as the hire’s inability to produce quality work and work well with others. From the private practice perspective, there’s yet another opportunity for lost revenue when you consider your patients. The wrong hire can cost you even more if patients leave your business because your new hire’s treatment style or personality don’t measure up to your clinic’s standards. Clearly, hiring the right candidate is paramount—and that’s where cultural fit comes in.
According to this 7 Geese post, the Competency Iceberg model shows “that 20% of an individual (above the surface of an iceberg) is mostly the technical competencies, i.e. education [and] work experience, whereas 80% (the hidden/below the surface of an iceberg) is all about the essence of the individual, i.e. values and beliefs.” Hiring for cultural fit means hiring people based more so on their “below the surface” qualities rather than their technical abilities. Why? Because you can’t train people to genuinely possess the same values that you and your business do. You can teach technical skills, though. As Intuit’s QuickBase blog explains: “If an employee doesn’t fit the mold, then it’s going to be near impossible to force it on them. They will eventually get frustrated and quit because they will want something that you can’t provide them.” That, or you’ll have to let them go.
[Continue Reading Original Article: Hiring For Cultural Fit]
Need help developing your business culture and growing your small business? Half a Bubble Out does business consulting and we'd love to chat!
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