Best Places to Work: A Look Inside Company Culture

Culture. Culture. Culture. We’re all talking about it, but what does it even mean?

Company culture has been thrown into the spotlight over the last two years as the pandemic has changed almost every aspect of our lives, including work. 

After being trapped at home, shifting overnight to remote work, feeling the intense separation from family and friends… a lot of us have found ourselves considering our priorities in life and reconsidering what makes us happy at work. 

While ping pong tables, snacks, beer on tap, and bright offices might have been the emphasis of culture in the most recent past, now the list has expanded. Now, in this new era of benefits, what’s important is flexibility, work/life harmony, well-being benefits, and more. 

You might be wondering, “How do I build a strong culture for my team?” Or, “How do I find a strong and authentic culture to join?” Or even, “What makes a ‘good’ company culture?”

Well lucky for you, we spoke with a few experts recently in our “Best Places to Work 2022: A Look Inside Company Culture” event. 

What the Best Places to Work Have to Say about Culture

Shannon Crooks, Talent Acquisition Manager at Cerkl, emphasizes how they focus deeply on personalizing the employee experience. “We have a circle of life”, she shares, “it targets every aspect of an employee’s life.” And they make sure to integrate this back into their culture through things like passion projects. 

Jeff Wooten, Head of People at Futurebank, also highlights the importance of connecting individually with each team member. “It’s really about where you are in your lifestyle and that’s how people differentiate what they want from a culture,” he highlights. Do you have pets? Do you have kids? Are you single and just looking for some snacks? Where you are in life is going to influence what you value in a company culture. 

“It’s a matter of asking people, ‘What do you want to do? How many days in the office is ideal for you?’” This was Provide’s approach to determining the in-office/remote culture of the organization, shares Chief Administrative Officer, Andrew Bennett. While many of their existing team members have opted for about half the week in-office, half the week from home, they’ve seen the full gamut, including fully remote. Andrew also calls out how this flexibility has opened up their talent pool significantly.  

Another important topic to building a strong culture is trust and transparency. Zech Dahms, moderator and founder of Perennial Culture, calls out how employees are demanding this. 

Melissa Chambers, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Guideline, tries to live out her motto: lead first. Whether it’s implementing a yoga challenge as something she values and wants to share with the team or taking the step to be vulnerable first, leading first creates an authentic environment that helps to build trust. 

Jeff adds to this: “We gotta be able to show people that we hear and we’ve acted… And that’s the way to build trust.” 

Watch the Recording

Looking for more great insight into building and/or finding a strong company culture? Watch the full recording below 👇

More About These Best Places to Work

Guideline

Guideline helps everyone arrive at a secure retirement. They've used technology to disrupt the retirement industry. It’s allowed them to automate tasks, integrate with payroll providers, and build retirement plans that are actually affordable for small business owners. They are hiring remotely. 

Provide

Modern finance for practice owners. Practice financing, bank accounts, insurance, and more—all in one place, all built for you. Provide hiring in Columbus and remotely. 

FUTUREBANK

FUTUREBANK has built unparalleled services for anyone who hates their current bank or is one of the millions of American freelancers, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, or small businesses who need help starting and operating their financial ecosystem. They are hiring in Detroit. 

Cerkl

Cerkl (pronounced circle) increases audience engagement for organizations of all sizes. They use behavioral analytics and machine learning to serve up personalized content on email, web and mobile. They are hiring remotely and in Cincinnati.