According to this article, one of the top challenges facing human resources this decade is HR culture management. But what is HR culture management? And what does it have to do with employee screening anyway?
Let's dig in...
First, let's back up. What is corporate culture?
We love this definition of corporate culture from Indeed: "Corporate culture is an organization’s values, ethics, vision, behaviors and work environment. It is what makes each company unique, and it impacts everything from public image to employee engagement and retention. If employees share a company’s ethics, vision and other cultural elements, it can positively affect a company’s bottom line. Companies with good corporate culture often have high workplace morale, and highly engaged, productive staff."
What is HR culture management?
HR culture management is exactly as it sounds: The human resources department manages the company's corporate culture.
This makes sense, right? HR is involved in human capital—the people a company hires. While the C-suite might dictate what the culture is—Here's who we are, our vision, our ethics, what we want to be known for—HR deals with the day-to-day aspects of maintaining this culture. This involves hiring people who share the company's values. In other words, HR determines which candidates will be a good culture "fit" for the organization.
What does employee screening have to do with HR culture management?
A lot! Your company's employee screening process does two important things when done right:
- It helps you determine whether a candidate would be a good fit for your organization.
- It gives the candidate a sneak peek of the organization's ethos.
How does employee screening foster and reinforce your company's culture?
OK, let's break it down with a hypothetical that will illustrate our points.
Let's say your organization is spearheading a new diversity and inclusion initiative next year. Now, let's also say you're interviewing for a new manager within the organization. You've narrowed it down to two candidates. Both have stellar resumes, and both aced their interviews, saying all the right things, particularly about the new initiative.
You conduct social media background checks as part of your applicant screening program. One candidate's social media screening comes back clean—no red flags. But the other candidate's screen reveals a history of using racist and toxic language online. Yikes! What if you had hired that person?
Different types of background checks can help HR confidently hire candidates who'll be a good fit for the organization's corporate culture:
- Employment and education verifications. If you're fostering a culture of honesty and authenticity, then you're going to want to avoid candidates who embellish—or downright lie.
- Drug and alcohol testing. If your organization is promoting a drug-free workplace, a pre-employment drug and alcohol test is a must.
- Criminal background checks. Here's the reality: 77 million Americans have a criminal record. (That's 1 in 3 adults.) If a candidate has a criminal record, that doesn't mean the person wouldn't be a good fit for your organization. Like so many things in life, it depends. It depends on the crime, how long ago it was, and many other factors. Having insight into a person's criminal history is simply one more piece of intelligence than can help you make a more informed hiring decision. For example, someone who has learned from a past mistake and has turned their life around might be exactly the person you want on your team because it reflects your organization's ethos.
- Social media background checks. As demonstrated in the above hypothetical, you can learn a lot about a person's true colors by what they say online. In addition to flagging toxic language and problematic behavior, our social media screening solution also captures the positive. So, for example, if there's a news story about your candidate organizing a blood drive, you'd see that info as well.
- Professional reference checks. A professional reference check provides another opportunity to confirm whether the candidate will be a good fit for your organization. Previous supervisors can vouch for the person's work ethic and abilities. Questions asked might include: "What are their strengths?" And the all-important: "Would you rehire the person? If yes, why? If no, why not?" Answers would provide insights that you can't glean from a polished resume or even during an in-person interview.
How can employee screening help candidates get a sense of your corporate culture?
This ties into creating an excellent candidate experience. If the candidate experience is smooth, prompt, and respectful from start to finish, the candidate will probably have a positive impression of your company even if they don't get the gig.
A poor candidate experience, however, can leave candidates with a bad taste in their mouth. If the experience was disorganized or rushed, for example, the candidate might wonder what sort of work environment they're walking into. Or they might not be too enthusiastic when they start.
We've written extensively about creating positive candidate experiences:
- Eight strategies to improve the candidate experience
- Three quick ways to evaluate your current candidate experience
- 4 ways to improve remote candidate experiences
- How Good Egg creates better candidate experiences thanks to a candidate-centric background check process
Let us help you find more good eggs who will be a great culture fir for your organization.
We can help you with your HR culture management. Get in touch and let's chat about your needs.
