The Culture Catch-all
Many employers place a significant emphasis on workplace culture, and rightly so – a workplace that holds itself and its employees to a high standard - set against an identified set of values - is likely to garner support and respect from employees, clients and the public.
Hiring for culture fit is about bringing employees into the mix whose beliefs, behaviors, and values align with those of the organisation. This is not the same as hiring people who merely share similar backgrounds and experiences. It’s essential to include diversity while hiring for culture fit because different perspectives and experiences will help your company improve and scale. When more emphasis is placed on the diversity aspect, it is sometimes viewed as hiring for culture add rather than culture fit.
Part of an effective hiring strategy is to look for individuals who have the right combination of attributes — a good education, relevant job experience, and the right technical skill sets and knowledge. There are other criteria that’s equally as important, if not more so, to consider: culture fit.
Employers with a strong sense of culture seek employees who are likeminded, so questions of workplace culture and cultural fit inevitably arise in the recruitment process. When used correctly, assessing a candidate’s cultural fit is a way that employers can quickly identify candidates who will align with the organisation’s values and those who will not. Of course, values alignment does not mean “sameness” and it is important to be aware of this when assessing candidates for “cultural fit” in the recruitment process. However this can become a problem when “cultural fit” is actually being used as a “catch-all” to hide ageism, or other forms of discrimination, in the recruitment process. Anti-discrimination legislation makes it unlawful for employers to directly or indirectly discriminate against persons on the basis of a protected attribute, such as age. Employers should be mindful of age discrimination in recruitment practices, including unconscious bias. In fact, many employers have found themselves before the court for such practices. The culture of an organisation should reflect the values that the business upholds and expects of employees. While these values are timeless, employees will be diverse so it is important that cultural fit is assessed without regard to any conscious or unconscious discriminatory bias.
Disclaimer This article, and any information contained on our website is necessarily brief and general in nature, and should not be substituted for professional advice. You should always seek professional advice before taking any action in relation to the matters addressed.
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