Hiring for Culture Fit–to Manage Retention: Part 1

This post begins a discussion on Hiring for Culture fit–to Manage Retention.

Do you know the values that are core to the culture of your company? Do you understand the importance of hiring for culture fit to manage retention? Many companies do. For example, at the Whole Foods Market, they genuinely care about the environment. As they state on their website, “We respect our environment and recycle, reuse, and reduce our wastes wherever and whenever we can.” They further explain, “Whole Foods Market believes companies, like individuals, must assume their share of responsibility as tenants of Planet Earth.” They are clear about their values and publicize them on everything from their website to their grocery bags.

Similarly, at Zappos.com, they talk about their culture of delivering WOW through service. According to CEO Tony Hsieh, in his book Delivering Happiness (2010),

At Zappos.com, we decided a long time ago that we didn’t want our brand to be just about shoes, or clothing, or even online retailing. We decided that we wanted to build our brand to be about the very best customer service and the very best customer experience. We believe that customer service shouldn’t be just a department, it should be the entire company.

They offer tours of their Las Vegas headquarters to share their culture with everyone. The CEO and the employees actively communicate and share the values that are core to their culture.

Successful companies understand the values that are core to their culture. And they consistently hire people who will practice those values and project that image effortlessly. Think about your company: Do you know the values that are core to your organization? And do you screen applicants to ensure that those values are also important to them? When employees are a fit with the culture, there is a greater likelihood that they will stay with the company.

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