Company culture defines how people work, interact, and make decisions within an organisation. It reflects shared values, leadership behaviour, and everyday practices that shape the employee experience
Company culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and ways of working that define how employees interact with each other and with the organization. It influences how decisions are made, how leaders lead, how teams collaborate, and how employees experience the workplace on a daily basis.
From communication styles and work ethics to leadership behaviour and employee benefits, company culture shapes every stage of the employee lifecycle. I
A strong and positive company culture plays a critical role in long-term business success. It directly impacts how employees feel about their work and their organization.
A healthy company culture:
A poor company culture often leads to burnout, disengagement, low morale, and high attrition.
Different organizations adopt different approaches based on their goals, workforce, and leadership style. Common company culture examples include:
Most organizations follow a mix of culture types rather than a single approach.
Understanding how to fit in company culture is especially important for new hires and growing teams. Cultural fit does not mean uniformity; it means alignment with shared values and ways of working.
Employees can fit into company culture by:
Strong company culture allows diverse perspectives while maintaining shared principles.
A toxic company culture refers to a work environment where unhealthy behaviours, poor leadership practices, and misaligned values negatively affect employees’ wellbeing, motivation, and performance.
In a toxic company culture, employees often experience constant stress, lack of trust, poor communication, and fear of speaking up. Over time, this leads to burnout, disengagement, low morale, and high employee turnover, even if the organisation offers good pay or benefits.
Common characteristics of a toxic company culture include unrealistic workloads, favouritism, lack of accountability, ignoring employee feedback, and leaders not practising the values they promote.
HR teams and leadership play a key role in how to create a company culture that supports both employees and business outcomes.
This can be done by:
Company culture should be intentional rather than accidental.
Company culture is not static. As organizations evolve, it becomes essential to focus on how to improve company culture continuously.
Organizations can improve company culture by:
Company culture evolves with people, leadership, and everyday actions, requiring ongoing attention and effort.
The culture of a company refers to the shared values, behaviours, beliefs, and ways of working that shape how employees interact, make decisions, and perform their roles. It influences leadership style, communication, and the overall employee experience.
Examples of good company culture include people-first cultures that prioritise wellbeing, performance-driven cultures that reward accountability and growth, innovation-led cultures that encourage learning, and remote-friendly cultures built on trust and flexibility. A good company culture supports both employee needs and business goals.
An ideal company culture is one where employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to do their best work. While the ideal culture varies by organisation, it typically includes trust, transparency, fairness, psychological safety, and opportunities for growth.
There is no single best company culture for all organisations. The best culture is one that aligns with the company’s values, goals, workforce, and leadership style while supporting employee wellbeing and long-term performance.
Company culture is important because it directly affects employee engagement, retention, productivity, and organisational success. A strong company culture builds trust, improves collaboration, and creates a positive work environment, while a weak or toxic culture can lead to burnout and high attrition.
HRs also look for
Free group health insurance consultation
With employee benefits experts to tailor the best policy for your team
Plan employee benefits with our experts
That fit your budget and expectations
Best pricing for you.
Best claim support for your team.
AICPA SOC 2
.svg)
ISO 27001
.svg)
ISNP
App for employees
