Here’s a statistic that should really get your attention: According to a report by TruPath, 64% of employees feel like their company doesn’t have a strong work culture.
What do we make of this fact? And how do we make sure our employees aren’t in that 64%?
To dig into this, let’s start with an even more basic question. What exactly is company culture anyway? Maybe you’re thinking about your holiday parties, beer :30s and ping pong table and feeling pretty good about your culture. But while these activities are fun and do play a role, they are just a small part of the overall fabric of positive company culture.
Company culture is the set of shared values, beliefs, attitudes and practices that characterize an organization. It’s the way people feel about the work they do and about the people they do it with. It’s about the core values the company stands for and how employees buy into and exemplify them. It’s what employees think about where the company is going and about the role they will have in getting it there.
What is your company culture? If you cannot describe it with any real certainty (in written form), much less promote it within your organization in an intentional way, then you should give it some attention. This doesn’t mean you or a small circle of individuals should document your culture as part of some gated exercise. To do it right, you must enlist, empower and encourage the participation of employees throughout the organization. When employees “own” culture, it is aligned, and it thrives. Cultures that flourish have champions throughout the organization and people who believe in what is trying to be accomplished. Great cultures are fueled by focusing on and celebrating what is going well, not always on what’s wrong. What is extolled in a company will flourish. Celebrate. Rinse. Repeat.
We cherish our culture at EVR. We nurture and celebrate it. And we never take it for granted. We know having a positive work environment is essential to making EVR an important part of our lives. Our company culture reflects what EVR stands for, and as the voice of our business, employees are key to ensuring that it is a positive force.
Our mission
Our agency mission is to be a valued marketing communications partner by delivering exceptional services built on smart strategy, creative concepts, measurable results and superior customer experience. These are not just words on paper to us; they are a guidepost for the work we do every day.
Our passion
This mission speaks to what we do, but what is our why? If you ask our staff, you’ll hear three major themes to what motivates our work:
- People — Our first great passion at EVR is people. And it’s a good thing we like working with people, because it’s what we do every day, all day. We love all of it—meeting with people and understanding their work, being part of the conversation and building trusting relationships. Both internally and externally.
- Creating — Our second great passion is to create. Creating is not limited to pretty pictures and words. Sure, we love all that (or else we should find another career). But creating also means developing solutions to opportunities and problems, creating positive change, building innovative media solutions and working collaboratively as a team to achieve all of this.
- Success — Our third great passion is the sweet smell of success. We don’t just like it, we crave it. We require it. We know our work helps our clients grow and that it makes a difference in people’s lives. We live for adding value to a bigger picture, being a positive business force and delivering results to the bottom line.
This is how we will be great.
At the risk of being immodest, we are A-players who want to work with other A-players. We challenge our work in a most positive and constructive way, but always demand that we meet the high bar we set for ourselves. If that means a strong conversation once in a while, well, they don’t call it creative tension for nothin’. And we’re good with that. It’s how we hold each other accountable and get better. We call it “carefrontation.” What is most important is that there is room to grow and strong mentorship to encourage it. We hire to elevate, not delegate. We challenge each other, but there is no disabling fear of failure. Our trust in each other starts with open transparency from the top down. We accept and embrace change. Our goal is to coalesce a talented team attracted to a highly desirable place to work, then help them grow by being steadfastly committed to professional and personal development.
What is it like to work at EVR?
We know that good team chemistry cannot be legislated or guaranteed, but that if we collectively do the right things, then we will get along and like each other. Simple things like being considerate and caring about each other. Being interested in how life is going. No gossiping. Embracing differences. Treating each other with respect. While we cannot demand that people do all of these things, we can certainly build a culture in which this is the norm and the natural way to think and act. When we do this, it is remarkable how compatible we become, how much fun we have together and how nice a place it is to hang our hat.
So, what’s your company culture?
