The foundation and qualities that establish good culture begin with people. Let's discuss the qualities to look for in a company if you're in the middle of a job search.
Communication
Arguably the most important quality of all, communication sets the tone for every employee, every investor and partner, and every customer. A strong internal communication strategy with employees emphasizes belief in their abilities, value in their opinions and feedback, and confidence in where the business is headed with the employees involved.
Feedback
Whether it's an upcoming product rollout, potential new hire, customer experience, or adapting a new technology... employee feedback is key! As the main source of communication with customers, the main users of new tech, the people on the front lines selling your product - getting employee feedback and buy in is the best option to see success.
Diversity
Cultural sensitivity is the awareness of practices and cultures that are different from your own. A culture that embraces diversity has an awareness of different cultures, of how these cultures should be properly approached, and how to communicate with them accordingly. Leaders and team members evaluate how certain cultural differences affect how people work, communicate, and interact without judging, making assumptions, discriminating, or stereotyping.
A company culture that embraces diversity is centered on tolerance and acceptance of others, which fosters teamwork and a general sense of collaboration.
Performance Focus
What's the company focused on? What are the KPIs the departments are striving for? How are these performance goals measured and tracked? How are team members held accountable?
These are all important questions to know the answers to if you intend to work with a company, as these will all directly affect you and your work.
Mission & Value Alignment
According to CultureIQ, when employees have a deep understanding of a company’s goals, values, and style, they’re empowered to make responsible, relevant decisions even when they don’t have access to their boss.
This translates into a business environment in which every employee is capable of assessing the situation, making a decision, and taking responsibility for the outcome.
Collaboration
Businesses who value and prioritize collaboration between departments, with customers and partners, all the way up to the executive leadership team - that's the company you want to work with. Why?
Collaboration promotes a myriad of successful qualities within a business - one of these is flexibility. When collaboration improves, as does the organization's ability to handle sudden change. Teamwork makes it easier to pivot when customer preferences change or disruptive technologies enter the scene.
Work Environment
We've talked at great lengths about the power of the work environment and what a happy, inviting workspace can do to transform the attitude and productivity of your employees. Some elements that make up a work environment include:
- Color
- Noise
- People
- Privacy
- Flexibility
Take a quick evaluation of your office's physical work environment. Is it a place where you'd feel motivated or inspired to get work done? Are there areas of improvement you could make easily that will pack a bigger punch? Start there.
Work Life Balance
You can preach all day and night about work life balance to your team, but unless you're living that truth yourself, no one buys it. What makes up work life balance? By definition, it's the balance that an individual needs between time allocated for work and other aspects of life. Areas of life other than work–life can include personal interests, family, wellness, and social or leisure activities.
It's important to find a company who not only preaches work life balance, but practices it as well.
In the end, there are endless positive qualities that a company should possess before you accept a job offer. We feel these are the most powerful and the ones that have the most potential to positively affect your career and your life - but what do you think? Leave us a comment! 
