Culture Mismatch, and how you can change it!
5 July 2017
How did you get your idea/concept for your business?
I had run a HR and recruitment firm for a number of years and during that time I realised that when people were leaving their jobs they were leaving because they did not fit the culture. This would also be my clients biggest complaint when they were experiencing high levels of churn. It was crazy, as a huge amount of money was spent on skills and competency screening but none on fit. In fact the ways companies were measuring fit were often wrought with bias and scientifically inaccurate, so I thought there must be a way of fixing this. So I met my Co-founder Business Psychologist Becca Brighty and we got together to fix the problem.
What is unique about your business?
We Love Work measures organisational culture and predicts culture fit and values alignment between individuals and teams. Our online platform can be used for desk culture audits, hiring, performance management and M&A.
We have productised our culture audit so it can be done online in minutes in a scientifically accurate way. Our platform can also be used to predict fit in an unbiased way during the hiring process.
Many companies have never taken a culture audit and when they begin to experience the effects of “culture mismatch” which are high churn, poor performance and disengaged employees it’s highly costly and takes huge efforts to fix.
We Love Work helps companies measure desk culture against their aspirational culture in minutes. Our platform produces visual data insights on the cultural trends across teams and can help companies align desk culture with the aspirational culture of the business. Our online platform uses culture assessments, predictive analytics and machine learning to reduce churn and bad hiring decisions. Companies can use this to hire and engage their employees by understanding their values and what motivates them on a daily basis. It can also be used to drive cultural change.
How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
Unlike competitors We Love Work allows companies of any size to measure their existing culture in minutes. Our matching Algorithm assigns job applicants a culture fit score and can be used to screen candidates for culture fit fast and effectively. We are essentially an organisational development tool and a hiring tool for culture in one!
What is the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
To never give up no matter how hard it gets and to make sure I pay it forward and make a way for the next generation to do the same.
If you could time travel back to day one of your company, and have 15min with your former self, what would you say?
Be patient. Overnight success may take ten years.
What are some of the biggest lessons that has impacted the way you work?
Well people and those in your team are everything. Choose your circle wisely , surround people who share your values, but who are smarter than you, think differently and challenge you to produce the best results.
Do you have any tips on how to manage work life balance. Do you have any hobbies that help you switch off?
Exercise religiously. Being a founder and being in-front of a screen all day long is not good for your health or your soul. Working out will help increase your productivity and your creativity one hundred fold.
What is the best advise you received, and that you still follow?
Be yourself. Comparison is the thief of joy.
If you had one piece of great advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Enjoy the journey and the process. There is no fast track to success, we all have to go through the processing to be able to handle. Being a great leader is as much about your character than it is about your skills, competencies or ideas.
What business owner or entrepreneur do you admire most?
I have always loved Elon Musk, he is extremely inspiring. I also really admire Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company, he is doing really great things.