Hopefully, you’re a business owner that’s determined to create a great place to work. If so, you’ve probably already realized that a lot goes into cultivating a positive work environment for your employees, and if you’ve been working towards that goal for a while, you’ve likely seen the benefits that come along with treating your employees well.

When it comes to a positive workplace, how much does company culture matter to employees? And how can you build a great company culture?

We’re going to cover the basics in this article, including what makes up a company culture, why it matters, and steps you can take to strengthen your company culture.

What is company culture?

Company culture refers to the behaviors and attitudes of everyone inside a company from leadership to entry level. It’s about the company’s goals and how it reaches them.

The Entrepreneurial Operating System that CareerPlug follows defines company culture as, “The way your people in your company act and how they treat each other. It’s how it feels when anyone interacts with your organization.”

Culture consists of many elements, like:

• How coworkers communicate
• How information is passed down
• The company’s core values
• The company vision
• How decisions are made
• How people are hired and developed

Does company culture matter to employees?

How much does company culture really matter to employees? One study from Glassdoor presents some pretty powerful evidence:

• When searching for a new job, 77% of applicants said they would consider a company’s culture before applying.
• 65% of American millennials are more likely to care about work culture over salary.
• 89% of adults polled told researchers that it was important for employers to “have a clear mission and purpose.”

In our recent Toxic Work Environment Report, we asked hundreds of employees about what makes a great and not so great place to work and the changes they’d like to see their employers make.

We found that a whopping 87% of employees have experienced a workplace where a negative atmosphere caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture, makes it difficult to work or progress in a job. We also found that 72% of employees have left a job because of a toxic work environment and 51% said they plan on leaving their current job for the same reason.

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