Company Culture: What You Need To Know

About ping pong tables and other false truths.

Every active member of the labor market knows the struggle: identifying a company culture before applying for a job. To make sure this next step in your career is not one followed by regret, it’s advised to do some thorough digging into the values and internal policies of a company. But unfortunately, there is no concept more abstract than a company culture. In fact, looking at the amount of adjectives thrown around when addressing their cultures, it seems as if companies themselves are struggling to define their in-house identity. Decorated with descriptive words while at the same time complicated by the exact same words, company cultures have become the untouched mystery of today’s society. Until now.

The fairytale effect

“Our culture is…casual, inspiring, innovative, uplifting, people oriented and creative” — Willy Wonka’s factory is probably the only thing doing justice to this company’s culture. A fictional culture, that is. However, this description of a company culture is all too real for numerous companies out there. But why? The answer is quite simple: encompassing a company culture in words, touching upon all values, beliefs and propositions within the business (and keeping it concise), is hard.

Company culture is not defined by the amount of ping pong tables in the office.

Since demanding companies to articulate their cultures concisely and in a way that’s still fun reading is quite a request, interpreting their often puzzling and extensive descriptions is up to you. Reading between the lines to identify a true culture — here’s how to do it.

Defining company culture

To define what company culture is, let’s start with outlining what it’s not. It might seem paradoxical but understanding the elements of what builds a culture — and what not — tells a lot about whether or not a company is aware of their culture. Whether they embody a culture that’s deliberately chosen or whether their culture is just the product of their decision making.

You might be tricked into thinking company culture is typified by the number of ping pong tables, free lunches and pizza nights, but it’s not. It’s not surprising companies list these perks that come with the job as examples of their culture because they are concrete and you actually understand the concept of a ping pong table. However, they are just perks. They don’t define the culture — they’re there because of the culture.

So if it’s not perks or benefits, what is it?

Company culture is often not a deliberate choice. It’s rather the effect of choices made within the company. What type of people they hire. What type of successes they celebrate. How they encourage team building. How they deal with adversity. The product of these decisions is culture.

Take for example a small start-up aiming to expand over the coming years. They’re eager to put their stamp on the market and their ambitions are skyhigh. They know their field of discipline is rather young and therefore don’t rely heavily on experience. Instead, they try to attract junior talent that’s willing to invest energy and commitment, in return for exactly the same: an energetic environment and the employer’s commitment to help them grow. They probably do have a ping pong table, but that does not define them. What defines them is their focus on personal development. To value junior talent and support growth in every way possible. A ‘start-up culture’ for that matter is saying as much as the company being new in the field and thus probably still experimenting and finding its way. The actual culture, however, is typified by how they do this.

Of course, as an applicant you don’t have the luxury of exploring the decision making process of a prospective company in full detail. You do, however, have the ability to do some homebound research that might give you the right information.

Image is everything

A company website is the perfect place to get a little look inside the company’s work ethic, people, office(s) and more. A company that’s proud of their employees and the work they deliver tends to share this with the world through pictures. And rightfully so. The images on a company’s website will therefore tell you a lot about the things you want to know before you consider applying for a position.

Whenever images are used on the website of a prospective employer, try to determine whether they’re original and not stock photos. A quick Google image search will do the trick. When original, the atmosphere in the photos might answer a couple of your questions instantly. Staging a scene is possible up to a certain extend — when the people in the pictures clearly don’t want to be there, it shows. When they do, it shows even more.

Maybe the company’s website contains some footage of the office or perhaps a short video introducing the brand. An Instagram page is a valuable source of information on the culture too; candid ‘inside the office’ images, team efforts, celebrations or any other visual content that might give you a hint of what their culture is like. So keep in mind, every form of visual identity will tell you something about the true culture of a company, whether it’s intended or not.

Review the reviews

Customer care is an important part of every company’s objective, but it might also give you valuable insights into their culture. Oftentimes a customer care policy embodies the way a company treats their own employees. When customer care is on point — friendly, attentive and helpful — chances are this approach is applied internally as well. It’s therefore likely to reflect the values and policies wielded within the four walls of their office.

Scouring LinkedIn is a crucial step in your quest for information as well. The number of years employees work for their companies is an indication of culture. Keep in mind that high turnover does not automatically mean bad company. The company might very well be a great stepping stone for young talent to start their careers. The combination start-up and high turnover, for example, is probably a signifier of a highly dynamic and agile working environment. New people are coming in monthly and the ones leaving have benefitted from a rapid development process. Low energy companies with high turnover, however, might be dealing with a toxic culture.

In whatever way you decide to explore a company’s culture, make sure you do not let it determine your final judgement. Let it be a factor, at best. The actual interview will validate your ideas, or completely change the way you look at the company. Being aware of specific elements during the interview will help you finalize your perception of their culture.

Determining culture

Maybe the most important thing to keep in mind when determining the actual culture of a company is that it’s inextricably linked to people, always. And where better to find an opportunity to get in contact with the company’s people than during your interview? Use this chance to submerge yourself into their culture. Ask questions. Observe.

The job title of the people on the other side of the table during your interview will tell you something about how things are done within the company. Is it a corporate recruiter? Or a manager? Is it one of the employees that you’ll be working closely with when you get the job? Maybe even both a manager and an employee? When the latter is the case, it shows the company is involving all levels into the process of hiring new employees. Making sure the people click.

Asking questions is important during an interview, of course. Asking the right questions is even better. Ask about what behaviour is rewarded, and in what way. Effort over result or vice versa? Remember the company’s proposition and determine whether their answer strokes with the claims they make about their culture on their website. To what extent are you free to give meaning to your work according to your wishes and goals? Are you able to keep on developing through additional training? The answers to such questions will give you clues to what type of culture the company truly has.

It’s the culture you’ll remember.

Why culture is important

To feel appreciated and valued within a company is often of great importance to genuinely enjoy the work you’re doing. The work itself needs to be challenging and fun of course, but a pleasant and fitting company culture with people who you just click with is without a doubt equally essential. Therefore, putting effort into figuring out a company’s culture before deciding whether you’d like it to be your next employer pays off in the end. In twenty years, it’s probably the people and culture you proudly look back on.