Company Culture runs deep, and that’s where you need to look for it
Plenty of people talk about company X, but an image is just a snapshot of what you can see from the outside.
Making money VS paying employees
In the business world you’ll often hear about how much money company X raised, or how much revenue company Y made this year. As a prospective employee you take these things at face value.
Sadly, this is often not the case. Startups would rather spend that money on expensive paid marketing campaigns and fancy office space to show off. These things look nice but their value is thin. Smart employers only spend money on these things after they’ve compensated their employees well.
Figure out how a company’s raise process works too. Employers can pay well in the beginning, promise raises, but then never follow through. This is often blamed on company finances so if you can, make sure they’re managing their money well or talk to current employees.
Talking about diversity VS posting actual diversity numbers
Diversity in companies has been a pretty hot topic, especially over the course of the past few years. Everyone is talking about it but very few actually participate. Make sure there are actual numbers and programs behind diversity. It’s something that a company can easily say they’re trying to improve without actually proving it.
Flexible workplace VS allowing remote
If I had a million dollars for every time I’ve seen a job posting that listed “flexible hours” I’d be a billionaire. Don’t let a company take credit for having real remote work by claiming they allow flexible hours. Find out what a real schedule is at the company.
While you’re figuring out the hours, go one step further and figure out how their maternal and bereavement programs work. These are true sources of how great a company’s culture is. How much time do new moms and dads get paid for? How much time is allowed for bereavement? Life coming into and leaving this world is the basis of why we exist and is a true tell for a company’s compassion.
Benefit checkboxes VS having great benefits
Many companies claim to have good benefits. They have insurance, 401k matching, and HSAs. These are all things that need to be gone through thoroughly before knowing whether they’re actually beneficial.
Health insurance is tricky and plans that look good might have high deductibles and max spending limits. Great companies sometimes offer fully paid health insurance.
401k plans can sometimes have strings attached for the company to match your contributions, make sure you look at the details. Companies will also offer HSA contributions as a 401k substitute and claim you can roll over extra money from it to an IRA. These may not be able to be rolled over, depending on the plan. There is no replacement for a straight forward 401k with no strings and a good match percentage.
Many of these things require you to dig deep to find the real value, and that’s the advice here. If you’re looking for a new job make sure and do your due diligence, it could save you a lot of headaches down the road! Your best bet is to talk to a few people that already work at a company.
At mplyees.com we’re trying to make life better for employees and companies.
