Many people nowadays know the importance of a good workplace culture. 65% of working professionals in AU/NZ have left a job due to toxic workplace culture, so it’s no surprise that when interviewing, people have questions about what the culture’s like so they know what they’re getting into.
But workplace culture is more than just ping-pong tables, free food, and other perks, and if you ask an interviewer about the culture straight-up they’ll tend to give you answers like that. Today, we’re going to explore what culture really is and go through some questions you can ask when you’re looking for your next role.
💖 What culture actually is
Culture is about the default behaviours people exhibit in the workplace. It include:
the way they treat each other in stressful times,
how they collaborate, or work together,
how they make decisions,
what is celebrated or rewarded.
In other words, culture is how people behave when nobody is watching.
There’s no universally perfect culture because everyone thrives in different settings. That’s why it’s important to identify what matters to you most in a culture and ask questions to get a decent picture.
💬 Culture questions to ask
Most job interviews will give you a chance to ask your own questions, so this is a great time to get a feel for the culture. Here’s a list of questions to inspire you:
Questions for potential teammates
What do people who thrive here have in common?
When you disagree with your manager or a stakeholder, how do you typically handle it?
What’s a recent mistake or failure that happened? How did leadership respond to it?
Questions for leadership
What kind of culture are you trying to build?
Can you tell me about someone on your team who’s grown a lot? What’s enabled that growth?
When’s the last time you changed direction on a project or initiative based on feedback from an IC (Individual Contributor)?
Questions for anyone
Can you give me an example of how a company value showed up in a real situation here?
How do important changes or updates typically get communicated here?
When two teams have competing priorities, how is it handled?
When you can identify what’s most important to you in a culture, you can choose to ask questions that will help you uncover what it’s really like. Focus on getting the interviewees to give you real examples so that you can be more confident!
