While there’s no doubt that workplace culture plays a critical role in employee satisfaction and retention, a new study by Dayforce reveals that it can be difficult to zero in on what steps organizations should take to cultivate a better workplace.

According to the study, 7 in 10 respondents said they would turn down, or have previously turned down a job opportunity because the culture didn’t feel like the right fit.

And although both employers and their employees agree on the importance of workplace culture – executives are 35% more likely than workers to say their organization actively engages in improving company culture.

This disparity between employees and executives is significant, as the study points out, workers who are happy are more likely to talk positively about their job to others – helping to attract great talent and appeal to customers. The study found that while 69% of executives said they are proud of where they work, only 50% of people managers and 42% of workers agreed.

“People who work in a great culture tend to enjoy what they do. And when employees enjoy their work, they care more,” said Thomas Noorkah, Director of Financial Systems, City of Columbus. “A positive culture minimizes time lost to internal conflicts, improves customer service, enhances the quality of goods and services, boosts productivity, and increases retention – both of employees and customers. It is far more cost-effective than constantly replacing them.”

Related: Workers generally happy with benefits but see room for improvement, according to study

According to the study, organizations will need to make smarter decisions when it comes to investing time and resources into company culture in order to ensure their efforts are felt and appreciated by employees.

For example, when it comes to benefits 72% of executives and 66% of HR leaders say they rate their benefits offerings as meeting their needs compared to only 49% of managers and 42% of workers.

Culture can affect every part of the workplace and so the study recommends organizations pay attention to communication and listening channels, recruiting and onboarding processes, efficiency, learning and development opportunities, as well as employee benefits if they’re hoping to improve workplace culture as a whole.

Instant Insights /

7 out of 10 employees would turn down a job opportunity because of poor culture

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