There are countless variables that go into assessing a candidate – from work history, to job skills, personality traits, and more. One increasingly important variable for employers, however, has become the concept of cultural fit. The idea that skills can be targeted, taught, and developed over time has helped pave the way for companies to start exploring below-the-surface hiring areas.
In an in depth study about the relationships between workplace and worker, professors at the University of Iowa revealed that there are a number of key benefits to having a good cultural fit between employee and employer. These benefits included:
- Satisfaction: The study showed that satisfaction is one of the most immediate benefits of an employee who fits well culturally at a company. If an employee finds their environment to be satisfactory, they are going to be happier working in that environment.
- Increased Performance: That happiness is likely to lead to several motivators for the employee. Because they fit well, they’re likely to be more confident in their work and strive to work harder and achieve more. Because of a good fit, the employee will have an increase in his or her work performance, benefiting the company and the employee.
- Reduced Stress: A big problem with a poor cultural fit at work is stress, affecting a number of areas in the employees life – from work performance to socializing with other employees. A good cultural fit means the employee will be less stressed at work, likely to reduce poor performance and turnover.
- Reduced Attrition: If an employee is happy and fits where he or she is, they’re going to be less likely to want to change that. Finding candidates who will fit the culture of the workforce isn’t just ensuring that the candidate will just work hard – it likely means they’ll continue working hard and remaining committed to the company, with less motivation to leave.
- Commitment to Company: Above all else, if an employee fits culturally to the company, he or she will identify that as part of their company experience. Therefore, they are more likely to remain committed to a company because they fit so well.
The payoff of investing in assessing candidates for cultural fit to your company benefits you as much as the candidate in the long run. Not only will the candidate be happier at work, but the reduction in turnover, increase in performance, and reaffirmed commitment is key. Using hiring assessments and asking targeted questions are key to evaluating whether or not a candidate will fit into your company culturally.
