Looking for a new position can be a stresful and difficult time as there are many things to manage and a lot more to consider. When taking into account the attractions of a new role, the typical aspects thought about include the salary, nature of the firm, the quality of the work, the reputation of the people you will work with and the location of the office. Often one of the most important things is overlooked, and that is company culture.
This month saw the release of `The Great Places to Work Guide` which, as you can imagine, gave an exhaustive list of the country`s best companies to work for. This list included different types of companies, IT, Insurance, Law, Retail, big and small. Despite their differences, they all had one thing in common – an excellent company culture.
For their employees they offered excellent progression opportunities, a supportive team environment, recognition for the work they have carried out and managers that had a clear knowledge of the direction in which the company was to be taken. All these factors taken into account made for a happy more productive workforce.
Frederick Hertzberg, the psychologist that invented the `two factor theory` noted that the primary aspects that make a person happy in their job include, achievement, recognition, the quality of the work, responsibility, promotion and growth. Second to this came pay and benefits.
Therefore, it is important to consider the company culture if you want to be happy in your new role and how that culture is geared towards achieving the factors that Herzberg has considered to be the most important. In order to do this there are a number of things that you can do:
- Research the company – have they won awards for how they care for their staff, such as ‘The Times Top 100 Companies to Work for ‘
- Ask your recruiter questions about the company culture – they will work with the company daily and are experts about their company approach
- Ask questions at the interview – a low turnover of staff is a good indicator of a good company culture
- Speak to your peers – do you know anyone who works there or has in the past
- Ask yourself what the important aspects of a company`s culture is for you
If you spend a little more time doing the above and really ask yourself what you want from a your next move you will have a better understanding of the company that you are looking to move into.
Ultimately, there are many things to consider when looking for a new role, salary, location and size of firm are the most common aspects. However, remember that there are many more aspects that you must think about if you want to be satisfied with your new role. In your search look for a firm that can offer the 6 most important factors noted by Hertzberg: achievement, recognition, quality of work, responsibility, promotion and growth.
About the Author:
Tom is a legal recruitment consultant BCL Legal.
