What makes your company culture great? Find out 5 top reasons

Describe company culture with storytelling

We all know that company culture is a key part of building successful teams. There’s been plenty of research on how culture affects recruiting new talent, retaining current employees, and overall happiness. So what are some ways to showcase your culture in your employer branding? 

Think of your culture as the personality of your team and workplace. You want people to easily tell how people are supported, what having fun looks like, and how teams communicate. One way to do this is by sharing stories of unique or meaningful experiences. 

After talking to people from many different companies, it’s clear that there are certain aspects of culture that matter most. I’ve gathered 11 examples of what great company culture looks like to give you inspiration on how to improve company culture and make it part of your employer branding.

1. Communicate often, openly, and between all levels

One of the biggest buzzwords when it comes to culture is communication. So I took a deeper dive into what communication actually means for different teams and how it's implemented structurally. 

Giao Hang, Data Science Manager at Healthsherpa, speaks about the culture of open feedback from everyone at her company. There are consistent syncs with managers and regular surveys that serve as frequent check-ins on how people are doing. This makes feedback easy and accessible and gives everyone a voice. 

For Mark Murphy, Rental Operations Manager at Lyft, being able to speak directly with the CEO and President at their monthly All Hands meetings has been a game changer. He really values how he can share his thoughts and criticism freely and have them be heard. Seeing vulnerability and honesty from his leaders has also encouraged him to be more transparent in his own life too.  

2. Support teammates outside of work

Another common theme of good company culture is work-life balance. And this means understanding that people have lives and priorities outside of the job. 

For example, Maria Muniz is a Director of Customer Operations at Course Hero, but she’s also a mom. And she loved how Course Hero supported working parents by providing flexible working hours, offering resources, and even starting a dedicated Slack channel. 

We heard another inspiring and unique perspective from Taras Yaroshchuk, a Data Engineer at Lyft who joined the Ukranian office. Taras shares how his team supported him during a particularly difficult time while he had to move between several countries. Lyft helped him find apartments, offered time off and flexibility, and his team encouraged him to recharge.

Extending support for teammates beyond the workplace is crucial to building a strong, inclusive company culture. People can’t do their best work if they feel alone when they’re burned out or stressed about their personal life. So when companies prioritize their employees' needs, they tend to see better engagement, retention, and overall success. 

3. Team event examples: in-person and remote

Hosting team events is a great way to get to know people outside of work. Good culture means that teams get along both as coworkers and just as friends. Here are some unique and fun bonding events that made some lasting memories for these speakers. 

Wynne Tran, a Senior Software Engineer at Udemy, volunteered with her team at a Save the Bay event, a non-profit that works to restore San Francisco wildlife. She describes how the event gave her the chance to get to know her teammates better and meet people outside of her team.  

At Lyft, teams have a quarterly budget for social events. Priyanka Phatak, a Senior Engineering Manager, reflects on her memory of going to a ramen making workshop with her team. 

For remote teams, you might draw some inspiration from Socotra’s murder mystery night. Jennifer Baron, their Directing of Marketing, talks about how building a community remotely can be challenging but having regular virtual events is a great way to bring people together. 

4. Commit to DEI with leadership and ERGs

Building a culture that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive is a priority for many companies but it can be hard to know what to focus on. One place to start is with having diverse leaders that people can look up to and learn from.

Having Asian representation in leadership has brought a lot of joy for Michelle Chow,  Technical Communications Manager at Lyft. In previous roles, Michelle never saw that kind of representation but her experience at Lyft has given her a lot to look up to.

For Cyndia Chambers, Enterprise Customer Success Manager at Udemy, it was really exciting to get involved with their Black Employee Network and help them reach a milestone by attending AfroTech in 2022. Cyndia shares the importance of having a mentor and being able to share her experience openly with a welcoming community.

5. Align on mission and values

Culture is something that both impacts and is impacted by the entire company. It doesn’t exist independently, but instead should align with your team’s overall purpose and mission. Here are a few of my favorite quotes on how sharing the same passion can build the backbone for a great culture. 

Dianara Bekeshova, Senior QA Automation Engineer at Choco, was looking for a new opportunity with a great mission. She reflects on why she joined the team, “I could feel the culture even during the interview process, through every person you can feel how passionate they are, how professional they are, how they want to build something big.”  

For La Binet, Sr. Manager of Technical Recording and DEI at Color, her team’s culture is also centered around their mission. “I think we are all very focused on the desired outcome, of making healthcare more accessible and bringing it to more people. And that, for lack of a better word, colors everything that we do, even the fun stuff,” shares La.

Final takeaways

Company culture looks different for every team and even every person. The 11 quotes we shared today have common themes but they all highlight unique perspectives. When it comes to defining and showcasing your own company’s culture, start by featuring the stories and voices of the people on your team.