It’s essential for all workplace employees to have a set of core values to relate to and follow. What is it that you do to communicate them?

Text by Jessica Robinson | Editor in chief of ‘The Speaking Polymath’

Your company’s core values are a part of your soul for these are the principles or the ideologies you began your entrepreneurial journey with. No one in your team can ever match the emotional connect that you have with your business. These values are intrinsic to your heart and the vision you have for your business. Still, you want your workers to understand the core values and the founding principles of your business. It is essential for collective efforts that all workplace employees have a set of core values to relate to and follow. To substantiate, some astonishing company culture statistics reveal how essential core values are for recruiters. As many as 91 percent of US managers opine that a candidate’s alignment with the company’s culture is more important than his skillset and experience. Do you agree with them on this? What is it that you do to communicate your company values and culture to your employees?

Inscribing the core values on the workplace walls and never really talking about them does not solve the purpose. These are virtues that will define the motivation of the entire workplace and be reflected in customer service. Hence, you should express these values daily. These beliefs and philosophies should become an integral part of the natural company culture. Representing the company’s core values should not seem like an added responsibility but should resonate in the usual workplace environment. But this may seem easier said than done, right? Not to worry, this blog underlines the best practices for teaching the core values in the daily behaviors of your employees. Let us see what employers can do to create high employee engagement via communicating company core values. 

Show the way 

Being an employer, you also have to play the leader’s role continually. Your leadership qualities will be tested beyond limits and you will have to overcome all challenges to lead the way. When talking about your business’s core values, you have to set clear examples and show others how. Remember, your employees are always watching you, and your actions will set standards for them to comply with.

If you are not following the core values yourself with enthusiasm, how can you expect your team to take them seriously? The onus is on you! You have to integrate the core values in your attitude and inspire others to follow with your persona. When your workers see you making dedicated efforts to bring the core values to life, the loyal ones will extend full support.

For instance, let us say sustainable development is the core value. You can motivate others to go green and practice sustainability by leading the way. You can cycle to the office on Saturdays, or you can make sure that you turn off the lights every time you leave your cabin. As you can see, you have to be a role model to endorse core values. 

Include core values in training 

There’s nothing better than conveying your company’s core values and vision to recruits in the orientation training modules. This way, they will be aware of what attitude is expected of them right from the get-go. Henceforth, the training courses can be devised to communicate essential virtues in a clear, elaborative, and creative manner. This will help new workers to understand company culture from an early stage. You might want to make this change to your orientation sessions soon! 

Introduce monthly newsletters 

Internal communication is something you have to tweak to keep core values thriving regularly. For that, one innovative and effective way can be to initiate newsletters. These newsletters can include light humor, talents of various team members, and, more importantly, vision and core values coming from the top management. Through these newsletters, you can reach out to every employee’s desk and communicate what you envisage. The added advantage is that it will let the workers express their thoughts and opinions. In this way, a healthy work environment and a high productivity culture can also be fostered. One newsletter; many advantages. 

Reward workers who promote the company’s core values

No matter how swiftly work culture is changing, rewards will always be the greatest motivation for workers. To inspire employees to teach your organization’s core virtues in their behaviors, you should reward value-centric attitudes. Those who do well to relate to the core values and exhibit them strongly should be rewarded. Such recognition and appreciation coming from you will encourage others to follow.

It is not about how big or small the reward is; any magnitude of appreciation can do a world of good to a worker’s motivation. Even in this virtual workforce era, appreciation is one of the best ways to keep your remote team motivated. 

Incorporate core values in the hiring process 

What do companies usually look for in a candidate while hiring? There are criteria for educational qualification, skills, and experience. But why not include a prerequisite for hiring people who are promising in aligning with the company culture and values? You or your HR managers can figure that out with ease while interviewing a candidate. Approaching the task smartly, you can seek their opinions on parameters and ideas that best define your organization’s core values.

This can be one of the most rewarding ways of creating a natural environment centered around the company’s core values. It is better to hire people who value the company culture than teach them the founding virtues later. It also works the other way around. You have to represent your company’s culture in an impressive way when you interview candidates. This is because about 45 percent of job seekers feel that company culture is crucial in finding the motivation to apply for a company. 

Keep it short and sweet

When you communicate your organization’s core values to your team, keep it precise and to the point. To the workers, it should seem like an engaging conversation and not a monotonous lecture wherein they need to note down everything. The core values should be expressed to them concisely so that they can remember them at their fingertips. You will have to improvise a little and try to fit the core working principles into a few words. You will have to unleash the creativity in you here! 

Make core values a talking point in performance reviews 

When you review your workers’ performances, you should also check their compliance       with the company’s core values. Further, it should be a parameter to decide on promotions and incentives. In this way, a strong message will go out to the workers that you consider the company culture while reviewing performances. In this way, they will realize that they also need to blend culture and philosophy with their professionalism. 

About the author:

Jessica Robinson is an epitome of creativity. She has dedicated her life to educational writing and works for ‘The Speaking Polymath’. She has been creating magic with her powerful words for over a decade. 

Contact Jessica at  jessica@thespeakingpolymath.com