Make Your Culture Shine

Did you know that 88% of new hires start evaluating your culture even before they apply for a role at your organisation? And that 24% are more likely to leave if they don’t like your culture?

For our final induction design hack, here are 3 tips to showcase your culture while designing a standout induction that will help you retain talent and reduce hiring costs.

To recap our journey to far: we know that inductions matter. A lot. According to Gallup, 88% of organisations don’t do inductions well. Within the first 90 days of starting a new role, 1 in 3 people decide to leave, costing the organisation up to £30,000 per person.

Where we work matters to us, and so does the culture we are joining. After all, the average person spends more time working than they do sleeping, It stands to reason that we would want to spend that time in an environment we connect with. Showcasing your culture in the right way will inform your new hires who you are, what you stand for, and why they should stay.

Culture also matters from a business perspective: companies with a strong culture see, on average, a 4x increase in revenue growth compared to their peers who do not embed culture throughout their organisation.

You want to make the first impression count – use your induction to do that! Then turn it into a lasting impression throughout your new joiners’ onboarding.

Here are three tips to help get you started:

1. Identify the key attributes of your culture.

Which cornerstones of your culture resonate the most and need to be brought out during the induction? If you consider your culture to be kind, what can you do to bring kindness to life? 

Consider what little things you can do at induction that can reinforce your culture. And if you’re not sure where to start, ask your people: what do they value most about your culture?

2. Build your language and symbols.

For historians and sociologists, shared symbols are the root of our ability to build a shared culture.  Sharing a language, a set of symbols (the Coca Cola logo or the Olympic rings), or even artifacts (books, podcasts, etc.) allow us to communicate and connect with each other across locations and time.

Think of all the acronyms a person has to learn – and unlearn – from their previous organisation to feel comfortable in meetings and with coworkers. Or the epic stories that everyone continually refers back to. What can you do to help new hire learn your language? 

3. Make everyone responsible.

We’ve found that if you give everyone a stake, involvement, or input in the induction, it creates a shared sense of excitement and ownership. Use your induction as an opportunity to celebrate what is good about your organisation, and invite everyone to partake in some form. 

Think of your induction as a living organism: at any one time, it should be the most accurate and up-to-date representation of who you are as an organisation.