Why is Work Culture Important?
Often times at work, it’s not the tasks that impact our emotional well-being as much as it is the culture. You are at work for a significant part of your life, so isn’t it important to find a place with a vibe you feel good about?
Because “culture” often has different meanings to different groups of people, teams, and businesses, it’s hard to nail down exactly what it is comprised of. Even while hard to define, it’s something that can be instantly felt and recognized. As the Society for Human Resource Management states, “An organization’s customs, traditions, rituals, behavioral norms, symbols and general way of doing things are the visible manifestation of its culture; they are what one sees when walking into the organization.”
BONUS: Read the SHRM article “Understanding and Developing Organizational Culture”
Exploring Perficient’s Work Culture
Perficient colleagues were greeted with donuts to celebrate the St. Louis Post-Dispatch 2019 Top Workplaces award.
One of the great things about Perficient is the work culture. We’ve worked hard to build (and continue to refine) a cultural value system that emphasizes positivity, fairness, and growth. It’s this type of supportive camaraderie that enables work to be not only productive, but meaningful and fun. It is because of this we continue to win “Best Places to Work” awards around the country — see how Chicago and St. Louis celebrated!
Adding new voices and perspectives to our team is what keeps us innovative and fresh. Staying on top of current trends, sharing knowledge, and voicing ideas are ways different teams demonstrate their value to not just the company, but to their fellow team members.
There are lots of opportunities to support your personal values, like sustainability, at Perficient. Here, employees pick up trash on our adopted highway.
How to Define Your Personal Culture Values
“When properly aligned with personal values, drives, and needs, culture can unleash tremendous amounts of energy toward a shared purpose and foster an organization’s capacity to thrive,” confirms Harvard Business Review.
As you evaluate new opportunities, aligning with a culture that supports your personal value system can enable you to flourish (or, on the flip-side, become discouraged). But how do you know what those are?
Six Culture Questions to Ask Yourself
The six questions below are the top questions hiring managers use to screen for hard-to-assess skills, such as cultural fit, according to LinkedIn. We recommend thoughtfully preparing your answers to these early on. Even if they don’t come up in an interview, you will have more personal clarity on what to look for in a company and where you can make the most cultural impact.
- What are the three things that are most important to you in a job?
- Tell me about a time in the last week when you’ve been satisfied, energized, and productive at work. What were you doing?
- What’s the most interesting thing about you that’s not on your resume?
- What would make you choose our company over others?
- What’s the biggest misconception your coworkers have about you and why do they think that?
- What are three words your manager would use to describe you? Your best friend? Your parents?
BONUS: See more soft-skill interview questions in LinkedIn Talent Solutions Interview Question Generator
At Perficient, we continually look for ways to champion and challenge our talented workforce with interesting projects for high-profile clients, encourage personal and professional growth through training and mentoring, and celebrate our people-oriented culture and the innovative ways they serve Perficient and the community.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Perficient at our Careers page.
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