Picture it: A dreary midwestern winter day. I am sitting in a hotel conference room just off the interstate listening to an HR professional carry on about employee attraction and retention. Some people's worst nightmare, others’ slightly less frightening nightmare. Just when I think, “Why am I here? And could this BE anymore boring?”….BOOM! It all came together. That ray of sunshine from the front of the unremarkable conference room started to make me sit up a little straighter and listen. The words hit me and first I thought,  “Duh, why didn’t I think of that?” and then, “That makes perfect sense”.

The message was this: “You shouldn’t only interview your employee before you hire them, you should interview them periodically throughout their career with you.” 

Noted, ray of sunshine. Now I have something to take back with me, and thank you for making the trip worthwhile. 

As the manager or owner of a company, you can update a handbook with what you want your company culture to be. You’re the boss. But who better to express how your company culture feels than your employees, those who benefit from your culture by the company's intentional feelings and actions towards them, whether it's written in the handbook or not. 

We started those annual employee interviews here at DelMar last year. Some questions we asked were, “What’s the one thing you would change about the company?”, “What’s the one thing you never want to see change?”, “What do you feel is implied by the company, but not defined?”, and “What sets us apart from other companies like us?” We are unintentionally writing the script of our company culture. 

Most reputable companies offer medical insurance, paid time off, and 401k plans, but what sets yours apart is best defined by your employees. Our staff feels these are the traits that define us: 

“We hire good people.”

“Don’t ever change the formula on how we find the right people. It’s working.” 

“We have open discussions. Everyone is able to speak and be heard.” 

“We are a safe place to continue to grow your career because of the people you are surrounded by.”

“DelMar treats people as people, not just as employees with a job to do.”

“Our work life balance is good.”

“DelMar is casual but not undisciplined.”

“Our thoughts are valued.”

“It feels like we have a voice in how the company runs.” 

“As an employee, I feel trusted.” 

The knowledge our company has gained from our own employees is immeasurable. It has opened a floodgate of communication and given our employees the floor to talk about anything and everything, whatever they feel is important for us to hear. Our job is to listen and make adjustments where we can. 

I’ve heard company culture can also be labeled your company's “personality”. I think we have a great personality and I do think we are likable, but most importantly we like each other.