Why You Need To Hire Based On Company Alignment

There is so much that goes into hiring the right candidate for a job, and there’s a lot of pressure on HR departments to make sure that they get it right.

It costs a ton of money and time to hire and onboard an employee, and employee turnover costs even more.

The hiring process therefore can’t be a flimsy trial and error guessing-game, nor can it based on a “gut feeling”.

It needs to be calculated and ironclad.

One of the most important elements to consider when hiring is whether or not the potential candidate aligns with the values of the company.

Why?

Because when people are passionate about what they do and connect with a mission, the more likely they are to stay at the company and thrive.

The State of Employee Engagement Around The Globe

According to the worldwide State Of Employee Engagement, it was found that 38 percent of people around the world do not believe that their personal values align with the core values of the company.

That’s a pretty significant number, and there are repercussions to it.

When an employee doesn’t connect with a company’s mission, they risk becoming disengaged.

What Is Employee Disengagement?

Disengaged employees (which, according to a study recently released by Gallup, amounts to 51 percent of the American workforce) are currently costing the United States alone $500 billion dollars a year.

At some level, your company is a contributor to that massive number.

In fact, if you want to know exactly how much money you can save by investing in employee engagement, try out the ROI calculator.

When employees are disengaged there’s a downward spiral that risks taking place:

1. Employees lose interest in their role
2. They don’t work as hard
3. Customers aren’t happy
4. The company suffers
5. The employee loses their job
6. Money is spent on recruitment and onboarding of new employee

It is the manager’s job to keep employees engaged by ensuring that they give regular and meaningful feedback, offer constant recognition and create a positive workplace environment for their team.

But, first and foremost it is the job of the recruiter to make sure that the hire is as strong as culture fit as can be predicted.

According to Gallup’s new report on employee engagement,

“ When employees are a mismatch for their role and organization, they often struggle to succeed or become bored and restless. Their days — even their careers — can feel wasted, along with their sense of purpose.”

They need to be sure that the employee’s personal core values align with the company’s core values.

For small businesses, 46 percent of hires will be gone after 18 months, and an enormous 89 percent of these cases are due to a poor fit with the company’s organizational culture.  

That is no small number.

More Shocking Statistics On Company Alignment In Today’s Workplace

Just to give you some insight into the ongoing issue surrounding company alignment, take a look at these statistics:

1. 22% of employees either don’t understand their company’s values or simply don’t know what they are.
2. 33% of employees don’t feel that they are reminded of their mission often enough.
3. 38% of employees don’t believe their company’s core values align with their personal values.

These numbers gathered in our State of Engagement report reveal that there’s a lack of clarity and communication surrounding company values.

And, to go even further, a 2012 Deloitte study reveals that 94 percent of executives believe that a clearly defined organizational culture is vital to workplace success.   

So where is the point of contention?

It’s so important for companies to know their mission and share it loud and clear from step one. Ingrain it in the thought process of each employee giving them something bigger than themselves to work towards. It offers them a  collective purpose beyond a paycheck.

The Cost Of  Employee Turnover

Employee turnover costs a company approximately 20 percent of the employee’s salary.

According to Josh Bersin at Deloitte, this cost includes

• Cost of hiring
• Cost of onboarding
• Loss of engagement and productivity
• Customer service and errors
• Cost of training
• Cultural impact

What Can Recruiters Do To Fix The Problem Before It Begins?

It’s important for recruiters to:

• Use the right recruiting platform
• Ask the right questions to evaluate cultural fit

The Video Recruiting Platform

Video interviewing is an excellent way to really get to know a candidate beyond what is written on their resumé. It’s a glimpse into their world and a snapshot into the candidate’s persona, which offers a necessary insight into their character.

Getting to know someone face to face (virtually) allows you to pick up on body language, social etiquette, articulation, mannerisms, energy and more.

Here Are Some Helpful Questions You Can Ask Candidates To Determine For Culture Fit:

1. What do you think causes failure?
2. Give me an example of helping a coworker when there was no direct benefit for you.
3. How do you define success and failure?
4. Describe one world leader that you admire and why.
5. What character from a popular TV show do you identify with?
6. What is more important to you: money or job satisfaction? Why?
7. Describe the type of company you would like to work for and why.
8. The mission of our company is ______ and we believe in _____. How do you connect with this mission?
9. What interests outside of work do you have that you think connect with the core values of the company?

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What tips do you have to hire based on company alignment? Share in the comments!

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About The Author

Alison Robbins handles content and community at Officevibe, the employee engagement software that helps companies around the create greater workplaces. Connect with her on Linkedin.