New LinkedIn research has discovered that over half of us (52 per cent) would turn down a job offer from a company if we didn’t share the same values. That’s some pretty persuasive statistics!

But despite this, only a small amount of UK employers actually share their values publicly, leaving potential employees (and maybe even current ones) in the dark.

The survey found that:

• More than one-third of organisations don’t include their values on the company website
• Two-thirds don’t mention the organisation’s values during interviews
• Only 27 per cent include them in job advertisements
• And…one-in-ten HR pros are unable to articulate their own company’s values

While we find these statistics a missed opportunity, we don’t really find them surprising. Too often we hear tales of companies that come up with their corporate values in the boardroom, shove a few posters up and that’s it, box ticked.

They’re missing such a trick! Values play an extremely important part of a business. They can be a catalyst for change and for growth. They define what sort of organisation you are, help you attract the right people, give a framework for behaviours and culture and they unite everyone through a common mindset.

While LinkedIn’s research focused on how few companies are sharing their values during the recruitment process, we wanted to share some tips on bringing values to life internally. After all, there’s no point shouting your values from the rooftop if when you get through the door, reality doesn’t match!

Involve employees in values creation:

Surveys, focus groups, roundtables, external agency research, informal chats over a coffee. Whatever way you decide to do it, speak to your employees about what it’s really like to work at your organisation, why they love it, what they feel sets it apart, and what they struggle with. The values need to be truthful and authentic. If they aren’t, they’re never going to stick.

Live your values from the top:

From CEO to part-time shop assistant, every single person should live and breathe your company values. That means senior leadership and managers need to be held accountable for living the values too. It can’t be one rule for one, and another for someone else. Business decisions should also be made with values in mind, or there will soon be a disconnect.

Launch with a bang:

You can have a lot of fun launching values and it’s a great way to get your people to stand up and take notice. We did a fantastic vision and values campaign with ODEON & UCI Cinemas to launch their values. It was a three-month, activity-based campaign which got everyone excited and ready to live the new values day in and day out.

Refresh and embed:

While launch is the chance for a truly ‘WOW’ moment, it’s when the work really starts. Continuously embed the values through all of your communication channels: job advertisements, careers pages, social recruiting channels, staff newsletters, enterprise social networks, face-to-face meetings, internal events…the list goes on. Think about regular refreshers too. Why not try a values celebration month each year? This not only keeps values front of mind but is a great way to engage new starters and ensure no one misses out.

Change your ways of working:

If you really want employees to live and breathe your values, then they need to become inherent in the way that you do business, and the way that you induct, on-board and develop your employees. Include them in your code of conduct and behavioural frameworks, set out guidelines for what happens if values aren’t followed, and embed them into interview and appraisal processes. 

Reward and recognise: Introducing recognition programmes for those who demonstrate their commitment to the company values is an easy, and fun way to help make them stick. Think about storytelling too. Capture the stories of your values making a difference and share these successes on your internal channels.

If you want to chat to us about launching or embedding your values, then us a line on [email protected]