Millions of employees have returned to work after the holidays. And as 2025 begins, many companies are seeking new employees, partners, and their next CEOs. Surprisingly, not all realize how vital the reputation of their culture is to prospective employees.
We spoke with Erin Andersen (shown here), a career transition coach, hiring consultant, and workplace culture expert, to glean insight into why culture is so vital yet so often overlooked by organizations. As a coach and consultant, she advises employees on how to effectively brand themselves for career transition navigation and LinkedIn, interviews and salary negotiations; and helps organizations hire the right talent. As a workplace culture expert, she supports organizations looking to cultivate positive and inclusive team cultures.
How do you define workplace culture, and why is the reputation of workplace culture pivotal in retaining and attracting workers?
When employees think of workplace culture, it’s hard to not focus on the worst cultures we have endured in our careers. Many organizations do not undertake the effort to optimize their workplace culture, so we have a negative connotation with the phrase. Organizations that do nurture a positive workplace culture can stand out to potential talent and retain current talent, because competing organizations are likely not focusing on their culture.
The reputation of a firm is crucial during the hiring process as much as it is pivotal to retaining talent. Everyone really knows each other within an industry. As demonstrated by our LinkedIn connections, we all have mutual ties. Although a job posting can be very enticing, if someone has heard negative feedback about a firm from their network, they will be extremely cautious in regard to applying for that position. In addition, current talent will be worried about staying at an organization with a declining reputation because recruiters will be aware of the culture they were a part of.
Can you provide examples of organizations that have intentionally worked to develop positive workplace cultures?
I can speak to examples that have really stood out to me while onboarding new organizations for hiring. These examples include unlimited paid time off, the flexibility to work abroad, having the opportunity to attend your children’s school functions as needed, and team activities that are placed on the calendar in advance. Employees actually crave community, and an organization can easily and inexpensively provide this to them.
As a placement specialist, how do you evaluate a workplace culture?
The first step during a consultation, in which I decide if I am going to work with this client or not based on their needs and workplace culture, is to ask them what their retention rate has been. It usually takes them by surprise, but it is crucial for me to know. I then inquire why it has or has not been as high as they would like it to be. I ask to speak to the owners and senior leadership, as well as with employees who have been at the organization for a long time. In a world where employees are constantly approached by recruiters on LinkedIn, I want to know why they have chosen to stay at this organization. Often, it is the employees that are better at identifying the workplace culture, rather than their owners who create the culture! It’s fascinating.
What can an organization do to assess and improve their culture? Then, how do they amplify those changes to overcome a previous reputation for a bad culture?
Talk to their employees! It’s unbelievable to hear how many organizations fail to turn to their employees when they are losing talent. This includes exit interviews – yes, that means interviewing your employees who have decided to resign and go elsewhere. Once the leaders of the organization can identify what is working and what is not, they can develop a strategy (often with a workplace culture and hiring consultant like me) to improve their culture. To overcome a reputation for a bad culture, I would suggest being very visible with changes over social media. For example, an organization can take action on LinkedIn by posting photos of ways that have enhanced their culture for the better. The best thing to do is own it.
How do you measure the success of cultural changes in a workplace?
It really comes down to employee happiness and retention. It’s important to not only focus on retention, because some employees (especially those that are older), will stay for the wrong reasons such as job security and fear of ageism in the hiring market. I would suggest to the leaders of a firm to ask employees about planned and executed changes and watch their commitment to their work afterward. Are they approaching their work with more enthusiasm? Do they appear happier in the office? Be mindful of your employees’ presence in the workplace!
Erin Andersen is a Career Transition Coach, Workplace Culture Consultant, and Hiring Specialist based in New York City. She works with individuals aged 30-65 on transitioning in their careers. She also supports organizations in creating or fostering a positive workplace culture and consulting on their hiring needs on a flat-rate basis, which allows the firms to scale more easily. You can connect, follow, and contact Erin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yourbrandnetworker or by emailing her directly for a free consultation: info@yourbrandnetworker.com.
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This is part of our continuing series of interviews with experts whose work relates to reputation management.