Corporate Culture: “I’m Kind of a Big Deal”

From revenue to the quality of products and services, many factors influence how outsiders see a brand. But what about the perceptions of the people on the inside? For them, it’s the corporate culture that will likely have the most profound impact on their experience.

Most companies will tell prospective employees that they offer certain benefits and that they support this charity and that cause, which is always great. But benefits are hard to distinguish from one company to another. Same with charitable affiliations. Almost all companies will associate themselves with some kind of charity or non-profit organization.

In order to enhance employee satisfaction and create an atmosphere that employees truly enjoy coming into every day, a firm must differentiate it from other workplaces and make its culture unique. Much of this will be contingent upon the size of the company, but the key is ensuring that employees are happy.

If you’re a smaller company, such as a PR agency, it may be something as simple as grabbing drinks once a month at the local watering hole. For larger companies (or even small ones for that matter), a “Company Olympics” or field day is something all employees could look forward to. It doesn’t necessarily have to incorporate strenuous, athletic events; but instead a few interactive activities, or even office-related events that all employees can enjoy.

Paragon is a small agency but we have a fantastic culture and a dynamic work atmosphere. All of us regularly engage on various projects and client initiatives and we feed off of one another because of the great energy and support that resonates around our Hoboken office. I’ve worked at agencies in the past, some large and some small, that have very limited culture and personality. While I’m a firm believer that this starts from above, it’s a reflection of everyone who comprises the company.

So many companies put such a strong emphasis on client and customer satisfaction that they forget about the satisfaction of the people that make the company run. Obviously customer and client satisfaction is pivotal to the long-term success of any company, but so is the experience of the workforce, and, with a negative or non-existent company culture, it’s hard to avoid employees from looking for employment elsewhere.

I chose to write our latest blog post on this topic because I strongly believe Paragon’s culture is what makes us great. I’d put any other agency or Fortune 500 company up against us to see if they exhibit the same levels of employee and client satisfaction, and that’s a tribute to the great people that make up Paragon. There’s a scene in the movie Love Actually where Hugh Grant (playing England’s prime minister) says to the media during a press conference, “We may be a small country, but we’re a great one.” Well, it’s a similar story for us. We may be a small agency, but we sure as hell are a great one.