Entirely too often, a company hires someone with amazing skills but just doesn’t work out. People are left wondering what went wrong as they sadly conduct an exit interview and cut the last paycheck.
Often the culprit in this scenario is cultural fit. Each company takes a unique approach to accomplishing jobs, and sometimes someone who works wonders in one company flounders in another because their approach does not fit with their employers. This is why it is important to take the following considerations into account when staffing your company:
Team Work vs Solo Work
Does your company tend to crowdsource solutions? Do you set up large teams for most projects? Or do jobs get divvied up individually, and anyone facing a problem is expected to go straight to the immediate supervisor? When looking to hire talent, even for temporary positions, you need to look for someone who feels comfortable working with your approach or you’ll employees will clash with each other when they need to get work done.
Formal vs Informal
When you walk into your reception, are the employees gussied up in heels and ties? Or is your company a jeans and t-shirt kind of place? This isn’t just about appearances either. More formal companies will be particular about following procedures and writing policies. That’s not a bad thing, nor is it bad to have a more relaxed approach, but most people have preferences when it comes to work environments. A person who wants to come to work in jeans will be more productive in an informal workplace.
Fast-paced vs Laid Back
Some work environments are busy, with lots of pressure to accomplish everything all at once. These places can be fun for go-getters who hate to have time on their hands, but they can be stressful to someone who prefers setting their own pace. Likewise, the go-getter will get bored (which is a stressor) at calmer companies. You can imagine someone poorly matched to the pace of your company getting frustrated and burning out quickly, no matter how good a talent they are otherwise.
Company Goals vs Employee Goals
Every company has a different hierarchy. Some places have a lot of options for moving up the ladder, and other places are pretty limited in how and where you get promoted. It’s important that the potential employee’s goals match what the company has to offer or the candidate will change companies to get his or her needs met.
Likewise, every company has a mission. If you and your company wants to bring financial services to the masses, you will develop different policies than a company that wants to provide boutique services. This will effect who you work with and how you do business, and some employees will like the result. Some will feel a passion for something else, and will want to back some else’s mission. Meshing goals is crucial to keeping people engaged long-term.
Customer Service Oriented vs Product Oriented
Every company is about serving people ultimately, but some require everyone to spend time with customers every day. There are candidates that would welcome the time to help people, and they would feel stale talking to the same people all the time. Others would prefer to focus on other aspects of work. They would burn out if they had to handle new people all the time.
Keeping employees long-term, and working smoothly with temporary workers, requires a good cultural fit. This is why San Diego Pro Staffing, Inc screens potential candidates for cultural fit to make sure they will work. If you want help avoiding that sad feeling of letting go a perfectly good employee that isn’t working out, contact us. We are a boutique staffing firm, and we can go that extra mile.
