Accelerate your impact and your bottom line by attracting and building a people-first culture.

Imagine a world where work is additive to people’s lives. They take home a sense of inspiration and belonging to their families, friends, and communities, setting off a positive ripple effect.

Leaders have the power to perpetuate this cycle of good — and it’s not fluffy stuff. It’s good for business.

Companies that effectively deliver on their employee value proposition can decrease annual employee turnover by nearly 70% and increase new hire commitment by about 30%.

In a recent study, happiness led to a 12% spike in productivity, while unhappy workers proved 10% less productive.

Companies with engaged employees outperform those without them by 202%.

About 75% of Americans would not take a job with a company that has a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed.

Define Your Employee Value Proposition (aka What’s In It For Them?)

The standard hiring process starts with employers vetting candidates. But candidates are also deciding if they want to invest their professional talent and time into a specific employer. As such, the exchange needs to be two-directional. Ask, “Why would a candidate want to work here?”

 What can you define and share with candidates to help them understand what their experience will be at your company? This includes tangible things like pay, benefits, and work expectations, as well as intangible things, like the ecosystem of support, recognition, values, culture, purpose, learning opportunities, etc. Collectively, this is your employee value proposition, of which company culture is one component. 

10 Ways to Strengthen Company Culture

Build trust. Hire great people, equip them well, then trust them to do their jobs. No need for lots of extra rules when implicit trust (not subservience) is foundational to your culture.

Lead with empathy. Take time to understand where people are coming from.

Vulnerability can be a superpower. Be open and transparent so that your employees know you are human too.

The best leaders don’t have all the answers. Regularly invite in ideas, solutions, and collaboration from your team.

Live your company values. When you show up this way, you attract employees who naturally and authentically live similar values.

People need to feel heard. Create an environment where they feel comfortable sharing what’s working, what’s not, and what they need or can contribute.

Create an environment where mistakes are OK. Build opportunities for learning.

Personalized outreach really matters. Show that you see people as individuals by checking in and voicing your appreciation.

Show up to work as your authentic self. Buck the old way of authoritative leadership in favor of inspiring leadership.

Little things make a big difference. You don’t need to do it perfectly. Everything you choose to do will add up to something much larger.

Peggy Shell is the founder and CEO of Creative Alignments, a Time-Based Recruiting^® company that partners with companies creating a great place to work. Creative Alignments is a Real Leaders Top Impact Company Award winner and sponsor of Real Leaders UNITE. Click here to see her post about her experience there.