‘Culture’ – much more than a buzzword!

Working in recruitment you become very aware of the industry buzzwords; whether you’re a hiring manager, candidate or internal recruiter I’m sure you’ll agree that ‘company culture’ is at the forefront of hiring strategy.

And so it should be! As the building blocks of a business, a good company culture can be the difference between success and failure. Hiring and retaining the best talent and staying ahead of your competitors comes down to your culture. It’s certainly something our founders at Meet are very passionate about.

But, what is it exactly?

To put it simply it’s the personality of the company. Incorporating various different elements, from the mission, vision, values to the work environment, it shapes the atmosphere of an organisation and forms the behaviour (internal and external) of each employee.

However, many businesses confuse a good company culture with 'perks'. Although, the free breakfast on a Monday, subsided gym membership or Friday’s beers (extras we all love at Meet) contribute to a great atmosphere – they are just the by-products of Meet’s culture.

The most successful company cultures are well thought out and entrenched from the very start. Our three founders recognised that, they spent a long time mapping out what the mission and vision of Meet was before getting down to the operational set up.

That means they have built a culture intrinsically linked to our core values; Quality, Positivity, Integrity, Creativity and Success; intertwined with our mission, to be a business people love working with and working for; and reflected in the atmosphere and environment in which we work.

When any start-up grows, diversity increases. That means maintaining a culture that unifies all of the team is increasingly difficult. However, industry wide, business flourish where the senior leaders continually put the company culture at the centre of their strategy. And their ongoing involvement demonstrates a commitment to employee engagement and the business values.

At Meet our environment has also been key in reflecting the company culture. Both the location and choice of office space have driven by the company culture. Our London office, Irongate has floor to ceiling windows overlooking a green square with industrial style breakout areas. And across the US the teams are based in WeWork offices (famous for fun and quirky offices). The next office will be launched in Berlin - a city that is not only a hub for the Life Sciences but also chosen because of its cool atmosphere.

Equally, the culture we've built over the years is woven into our brand identity and is one of the core reasons the business has been so successful over the years. But, more importantly, it's the reason we have the reputation we do - a business with great integrity.  

Each business has a unique culture and finding a culture fit is an increasingly important factor in a candidate’s job search. It makes sense – if your personal values interlink with your employers and you feel valued then you will find work more enjoyable (and are actually likely to be more productive). No wonder it has become such a buzzword!

Have you found your culture fit yet? If you're working in recruitment, love your job, but you're not sure about the culture of your workplace then get in touch: careers@peoplewithchemistry.com - maybe we'll be the right fit for you...?