It is critical that your company has developed a clear set of values that speak to the mission and vision for your company. Think of values as a compass that gives your business direction. These are foundational values that are developed over time by your leadership team in tandem with your employees. But how can you tell if your employees actually embody the corporate values that you’ve been trying to establish?

Here are some signs that you are doing a good job of getting buy-in from your employees in terms of your company values, and what to do if there are problems.

Do the values mean something to your employees?

Corporate values should not be a set of meaningless words left up on a wall somewhere. Instead, they should be values that come from the core of what your business stands for. Employees who embrace your values demonstrate them in their day-to-day interactions with each other and with clients.

Are values answering the why of your business?

Corporate values often come from a historical perspective of your business. This can include how your business was started and why it is so important to continue. Employees should easily be able to tell from your values the WHY of what they do every day. If they don’t relate, it’s time to make some updates.

Are employees engaged with your corporate vision?

Oftentimes, a vision statement can seem very obtuse to employees who do not understand how they fit into the bigger picture. It is important to know if your employees are actively engaged with what you are trying to accomplish as an organization. This should be clear from their behaviors and actions.

Can employees recall and relate to your corporate values?

From day one all the way through retirement, employees should know and understand what the corporate values mean to them as an individual. Such core values as respect, customer service, and quality should be something they understand well. These values must be something they can easily recite and explain to others outside of the company.

About Staffing Resources

Staffing Resources, established in 1985, is a privately held Atlanta-based corporation and a certified Female Business Enterprise. We provide a wide range of full- and part-time employees to businesses, associations, government and non-profit organizations in the metro Atlanta area.