How to Research Company Culture

The Great Resignation shook up workplaces in 2021, with 31.4% of iHire Talent Retention Report respondents stating that they voluntarily left their jobs over the previous year. This year looks like it will follow the same trend, as more employees are considering changing jobs now than this time last year.

Some of the top reasons why employees would consider leaving a company include poor management/relationship with the supervisor(s) (69.8%), unhealthy work/life balance (62.8%), and lack of employee recognition/appreciation (39.4%). All of these issues point to problems with company culture. That's the concern that Jessie in Chicago brings to the WorkInSports Podcast:

"Hey Brian, time for some straight talk. I've been working in the sports industry for three years, and I was in a toxic culture. It was awful, and I quit in January. I needed a month or two to heal and get my mind straight, but I'm ready to get back at it. I still love the sports industry. This was just a toxic culture that started to eat away at me. I'm really afraid I will pick another toxic company with my next move – how do you find out if a company’s culture is good or bad?"

Job Seeker Sign In

Sign in with Google

Sign in with LinkedIn

Sign in with Apple

Or, use your email address:

Next

What is Company Culture?

Company culture is how a company treats its employees and how they interact with its customers. Companies show their culture in several ways:

• Whether core values are stated and followed
• How performance is rewarded
• The amount of flexibility given to employees
• How workers interact with each other

Researching a company's culture can be difficult before working at one, but there are ways to determine whether an organization is a good place to work. Learning about a workplace's culture involves:

• Looking at the company’s website to see how they describe themselves
• Checking out ratings on company review websites
• Asking the right questions in an interview

Catch the full episode of the WorkInSports Podcast as VP of Content and Engaged Learning Brian Clapp walks you through how to research company culture, and be sure to subscribe for more sports career advice. You can also find additional content on our YouTube channel and TikTok!