by Devin Morrissey

Most people want to be around that one person who laughs, smiles, and appreciates them. The same applies to a company, no matter how big or small. Employees want to feel recognized and work in a positive environment that likes to have fun.

Your company culture may be fun and positive, but if you haven’t found the way to show the fun and happiness you and your employees share, look to social media. One thing that social media can capture is the personification of your company culture. Portraying the positivity and happiness of your company’s personality on social media not only fosters further positivity, but it’s great for recruiting other employees whose values are the same.

Read below to see how showing your company culture via social media will attract potential employees that already align with your company values while retaining the happiness and motivation of your existing employees.   

Behind-The-Scenes Look at Your Company

Instead of reading a list of company values on a job listing, wouldn’t you rather be shown? Social media provides the opportunity for you to show a potential employee, in great detail, precisely what your company holds valuable in regards to company culture. Images and videos of company events, awards, or a colorful Hawaiian shirt worn by the manager on casual Fridays can better exude a positive vibe over the written word.

Social media offers the networking and activity that is required for positive company branding. Through various social media channels, your company can portray the fun, happiness, and employee engagement. Social media can further the positivity of your existing employees and will attract prospective employees desiring the same principles in their workplace.

Picture a job seeker considering two companies when applying for the same position. One company’s application is just a submission form that only is interested in the basic information from them. The other company, however, directs them to their company Facebook page where they can see the whole staff celebrating a birthday, an important milestone for one employee, or the fact that they just won “best place to work in the city.” It’s not hard to anticipate that the company the job seeker will apply for and hope to get is the one with the social media presence. Showing off your inviting, positive company culture will make people want to work there.

Spotlight an Employee

Every employee wants to be noticed and appreciated for the contributions they make to a company. A great way to do this is to take to social media to demonstrate your appreciation for them. Expressing your gratitude for an employee, with a whole social media post dedicated to them, builds employee satisfaction. This kind of positivity in the workplace motivates employees so they’ll want to be featured next.

An employee spotlight also gives you a chance to show potential employees that you and your company places a high value on the happiness of its employees. For instance, within an employee spotlight post, you may celebrate an employee, talk about their work, and what they do in their off time. To a job seeker, this can be seen as going out of your way to demonstrate customer appreciation, provide insight into a position, and the importance and attention you give to the employee work-life balance.

A work-life balance is a workplace trend that is becoming increasingly important for employees, and showing a current employee who can work while doing what they like to do in their off time will prompt a new employee to inquire about working at your company.

Maintain Active on Social Media

Coming up with great content for your social media accounts won’t be hard, as everyone likes to see people have a good time. Your company prides itself on happiness and positivity, so why not let people know it? Continually showing the positivity and happiness of your company culture will keep you in the eyes of many potential employees who will be waiting for the next time your company is hiring.

Content could include giving your followers a behind-the-scenes look at your business and its inner workings, and interact with your followers to answer their questions about why an employee had cake in their hair. You could even encourage your employees to do the same for different perspectives and content, but ultimately, just make sure your company implements some social media policies. George Washington University sums up the significance of a social media policy, stating: “A proactive strategy can greatly reduce the likelihood of a PR crisis, triggered by anything from a lack of planning to an errant tweet spiraling out of control.”

Depicting your company culture on social media has many benefits besides further encouraging happiness and positivity. It’s also a way to consistently produce engaging content for your customers — connecting with them on a personal level. So, take a picture of the group for Casual Friday for Facebook, and Tweet about an employee who’s been doing exceptionally well. Don’t do it just for the recruitment of other employees, but because it boosts employee satisfaction.

Social media is a big part of the way that people do business in today’s society! Let us know in the comments section what you do to improve your company culture via social media!

For more on company culture:

• How to create a company culture that motivates employees
• Podcast: Transforming company culture
• Company culture mapping: Measuring the unmeasurable, making the invisible visible
• Podcast: Culture as strategy
• Always be kind: How random acts of kindness share your company values

Photo: Raw Pixel