The Role of Workplace Culture in Recruiting Top Talent

Robert Walters South Africa has released their latest research paper, The Role of Workplace Culture in Recruiting Top Talent.

Based on a survey of over 500 professionals and hiring managers across Ireland, this research identifies the aspects of company culture that have the greatest impact on the satisfaction and productivity of staff and explores the strategies that employers can use to identify and attract candidates who will embrace the culture of their company.

Download the whitepaper

"Finding new candidates who are a great cultural fit does not mean sacrificing diversity, but rather finding professionals from a range of backgrounds who share the values of your organisation."

Workplace culture and the recruitment process

The research discusses the importance of company culture and the role it plays in attracting the top calibre professionals. Chapters include:

• What is workplace culture and why is it important?
• Who is responsible for building your workplace culture?
• The importance of workplace culture in attracting and retaining the right people
• Interviewing for cultural fit
• Building a reputation for having a positive workplace culture
• Communicating the right message when recruiting and onboarding
• The costs of a poor cultural fit.

Employer intention vs. worker experience

77% of employers believe it is very important to find a candidate who is the right cultural fit, however 82% of professionals have disliked the culture of the business they worked for at some point in their career and 70% of professionals have actually left a job due to experiencing a poor cultural fit.

What matters to working professionals?

Professionals place a heavy importance on the cultural aspects of the company they work for, with respondents rating the level of collaboration, remuneration packages and transparent decision making by management as the top three most important to them at work.

However, employers misjudge which aspects of workplace culture matter most to workers, with employers ranking measurement of performance and opportunities for career development as the most important aspects of company culture for workers.

"Both employers and professionals regard shaping and developing company culture as a responsibility shared among the entire business, with every member of staff having a role to play." said Nic Sephton-Poultney, Country Manager at Robert Walters South Africa.

What can employers do?

“Businesses should consider embracing this attitude by ensuring that all staff feel able to contribute to workplace culture and are encouraged to share their ideas and perspectives on how best to demonstrate and implement the company’s core values,” added Nic.

• Recognise the importance of cultural fit
• Indentify who drive company culture
• Understand what matters to candidates
• Communicate your company’s culture to potential employees
• Be open and clear regarding your company culture when recruiting
• Give potential staff the chance to learn about your company culture
• Ensure staff feel free to discuss company culture

Recognising the importance of a good cultural fit, identifying what matters to candidates and ensuring that strong information of a company culture to potential employees is communicated are combinations which will help to improve workplace culture, and shall retain top talent within an organisation. 

For more hiring advice please contact:

Nic Sephton-Poultney, Country Manager (South Africa)
nic.sephton-poultney@robertwalters.com
+27 (0) 11 881 2414