Written by: Anne Swenson – HR Coordinator, and Charmaine Hollaway – Managing Director of HR & Benefits
Unfortunately, it happens…the company that started off with eight tight-knit employees has grown to a staff of over eighty. At first glance you think, “That’s amazing!” or “What a great startup!” But there is one problem lurking around the corner…the company culture has dramatically shifted due to the growth. Corporate culture can be defined as the shared values, standards, and beliefs that characterize members of an organization and also include the organization’s goals, structure and approaches to labor, customers and the greater community. The culture is the feel, style and perspective a business owner has set up for the company. It is also something extremely important to employees and customers alike. So, how can you keep the original culture of your company even as you continue to grow? Here are some helpful tips:
Keep Your Favorites: Make a list of your favorite things or traditions about your company and keep them in place as you grow.
If It Isn’t Broke, Don’t Fix It: Keep what’s working in place. Changing the way you do something can really shake your company culture, so change only when necessary.
Make Smart Hires: Think about your company culture while hiring. If someone is great on paper but completely different than what you have in place or where you want to go, that’s not a good hire for you or the candidate/everyone will end up miserable. Be sure to understand your company’s culture now and where it will be in the future and, most importantly, that the candidate fits into that mold, before making a hire.
Remember The Oldies: As you grow and add employees, don’t forget about those who were there from the beginning. Recognize their loyalty and dedication and you will not only give them a great sense of worth, you will also motivate newer employees to work hard and stick around. This type of recognition does not go unnoticed.
Prepare For Push Back: It’s just a reality, some people don’t like change. Be prepared for their resistance at first, but take the time to listen to your employees and consider their feelings about all the changes. You may even have some of the same ones! Listening and having a conversation around them will help to calm their fears of growing and should help to make the team even stronger down the road.
As your company grows (or as you contemplate growing), keep in mind how a large scale growth will affect your company’s culture and the people who come in every day making the work you do possible. Keeping the right culture balance is crucial to your continued success.
Please contact us to see if MidwestHR, a Chicago PEO, is the right partner for your growing company.
MidwestHR supports growing companies by helping them simplify their business through HR Outsourcing. MidwestHR is a Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) headquartered in the Chicago land area. As a CPEO, we provide business owners, CEO and CFO leaders with relief from dozens of time-consuming HR & employment related functions, while helping protect the business from ever-increasing HR demands and liabilities. In addition, our clients have the ability to offer “Fortune 500 type” benefits, while being able to better control their premiums in the process.
MidwestHR regularly works with all types of businesses, including medical practices, surgery centers, non-profits, professional service firms, technology companies, printing companies, religious organizations, start-ups, manufacturing businesses, trucking companies and financial institutions.