10 ways to promote core values in the workplace

Core values matter. Yours tell the world about your brand, your organization's beliefs and your team's goals.

Your core values are also a key driver of your employee experience. When core values resonate with employees, organizations see higher engagement rates, better retention and even an increase in attracting candidates. 

When used effectively, core values drive employee motivation and unify company culture. It can also create a sense of purpose, a critical characteristic for younger employees in the workforce, driving job satisfaction for 89% of Gen Z and 92% of millennial employees. More than half of these populations add that they're more likely to stay with an organization if their values align.

So when it comes to core values, you should know that these guiding principles go beyond words on a page. Core values define your company culture and what drives your workforce, but in order to be successful, core values need the right strategy.

The business case for revisiting your core values

Core values only work if they're embraced and championed by your team members. Values, as business leader and expert Simon Sinek once said, are verbs. Things we do. So ask yourself how your leaders, business and employees live out your values.

According to a Gallup report that surveyed U.S. employees,

• 23% understood how company values showed up in their work
• 27% believed in their organization's core values
• 26% say their organization delivers on its promises

Encouraging your employees and leadership to demonstrate workplace values everyday is a critical piece of your overall employee engagement.

1. Ask for feedback on your workplace core values

As your organization grows and evolves, so should your core values. Your community, current events and culture can impact your employees' wants and needs.

In our “Love your people” podcast episode with Sonya Tolson, Chief People Officer of global management firm McLarens, she discussed how her team reassessed their employer value proposition (EVP) to align better with their growing team.

“It’s become increasingly important to understand what motivates our colleagues,” Sonya said. “If we could crack the code on our value as an employer, we could realize better engagement and retention and also performance and productivity.”

As a large organization with people across the globe, McLarens hosted focus groups of employees at all levels and used an employee survey to understand what employees cared about the most. The high participation rate told Sonya a very crucial takeaway: “People want to have a voice and believe that their voice matters,” she said.

Ask if your core values serve your employees’ needs. Start a conversation with employee engagement, a focus group or a pulse survey. You'll learn how you can make core values stand out and see what drives your employees and leaders.

2. Engage employees with gamified learning

The more employees see core values demonstrated in real-world situations, the better they understand how to embody a value themselves. Leadership can tie these guiding principles back to big decisions as they present in meetings. Managers can offer feedback or performance reviews with them as a guide. One of our favorite ways to educate and engage employees is through online challenges.

Through ITA Group's Cooleaf employee engagement platform, challenges gamify how we embrace core values. Team members earn points or incentives for participating in these online activities:

• “Recognize our values” challenge: Team members share a story of when they or someone else on their team demonstrated one of your values.
• Video-storytelling challenge: Team members record a video of themselves sharing what a key core values mean to them.
• Give-back challenge: Put those words into action. Whatever your key values are, find organizations or nonprofits that align and organize a volunteer day or fundraise to support.

Related: Are your employee engagement programs aligned? 

‍3. Recognize employees for demonstrating workplace values

Employee recognition is a powerful way to inspire and motivate teams. Positive reinforcement nurtures employee satisfaction and promotes productivity. It also sets the tone for your company culture. People routinely recognized by their managers feel 40% more engaged at work than those who didn't receive praise.

On ITA Group’s employee recognition platform, managers can tag core values on their recognition for employees. Recipients can feel confident and proud from that positive callout, and see how their work impacts the organization’s mission.

Everyone can see the recognition on their newsfeed and celebrate in the comments and see how that value shows up in their department's work.

4. Launch peer recognition

Peer recognition is a great way to encourage employees at all levels to co-lead and embrace your values. Coworkers understand those daily responsibilities and challenges better than anyone, so this type of recognition can even feel more meaningful.

Peer recognition also helps employees proactively identify values in action. As they tie values to behaviors, this repetition and application helps team members learn and embrace them better.

Leadership can use this opportunity to review core value alignment. Managers can take note if one key tenant is used frequently or whether any employees are leading the way, embodying one value often. Many recognition platforms also offer data insights to make it easier to review. This transparency can lead to great takeaways, signaling whether a manager should add education around a core value or award that superstar employee.

5. Embrace core values in your employer branding

Core values need to be front and center for your entire team, so make it stand out and make it memorable. You can strategically communicate your core values through your employer branding:

• Career and team pages
• LinkedIn posts when sharing team news
• Office murals
• Company swag and goodies
• Conference room names
• Employee newsletter
• Digital assets (video backgrounds or desktop wallpapers)

It’s not just a motivational poster in a conference room. By making your core values a priority in your employee communications, you remind your people about their importance. It’s a tool to motivate your people when they need it most.

In terms of employer branding, your values add a more meaningful messaging beyond a company logo. On a shirt or hat, it goes beyond sharing where your team works but what your team stands for.

6. Create a “culture deck” for onboarding

Company “culture decks” are a great way to introduce new hires to your work culture. If you haven't used one before, they’re a visual representation of your culture in action. It can tell new employees about employee resource groups, mentoring opportunities or where to go for certain questions.

Be sure to include core values in your onboarding deck, so new employees have a deeper understanding of how they apply to your mission and goals. You can even give some examples from your meetings or recognitions.

Your culture deck should be conversational but set expectations of your work culture. 

7. Use core values for conflict resolution

A set of values can guide behavior and that includes when team members need help navigating conflict. Create an outline for managers who need to help mediate with team conflict and use your organization's core values as a guide.

This tool keeps everyone on the same path toward success, and helps leadership prevent potential conflict down the line.

With core values as a unifying North Star, employees and leaders are accountable to the same standards. It helps answer conflicting priorities and shows how we show up and collaborate with each other.

8. Lean on core values during challenging times

The real test for your company values happens when things aren’t going well. Do you stick to your core company values even when you’re not hitting those big goals? Even when external pressures may weigh you down?

Being a value-first organization can help you navigate the ups and downs new challenges bring. They act as sturdy ground during uncertain times and help teams navigate big decisions that can impact their employees.

This consistent direction helps employees understand leadership's hard decisions and builds trust and accountability across the organization.

9. Coach teams using the values

Value-driven feedback nurtures growth in your organization. It allows each role, employee and mentor to embrace their unique strengths under a consistent, unifying message for success.

When Biggby Coffee Co-Founder and Co-CEO Mike McFall spoke on ITA Group's "Love your people podcast," he talked about the difference between management and leadership. Managers, he reasoned, look at their roles as keeping the business profitable while leadership is about having a positive impact on the world

"This is where purpose comes into play," he explained. "People want to know that their life's work is contributing to something that is having a powerful and positive impact on the community. And you, as a leader, need to identify what the purpose of the organization is in order to have powerful, positive impact on the world."

By coaching employees through a value-based lens, mentors give them the tools to feel empowered. They can better understand how their individual contributions lead to that purpose, driving retention because it creates a more fulfilling work experience.

Related: [Love your people podcast] Leading a people-first franchise

10. Use examples of your core values during hiring interviews

Introduce potential new hires to your core values to show what your organization stands for. You can ask how they interpret your core values or how they embraced them in the past.

This isn't to find a culture fit, but to see how candidates can complement and build up your team. Your company values are a guide for what you want your team and organization as a whole to achieve, and it’s an opportunity to find the right people to help. 

Promoting core values builds consistency and trust

Helping your team members not only understand but embody your company core values creates a unified culture. Not only do these values summarize your organization's goals, but when used effectively, they act as a guide for everyone in the company.

Core values aren't just words on your website. They outline how your organization stands out on the market and builds its employee experience. One of the easiest ways to help encourage adoption is through employee engagement initiatives like surveys, onboarding and recognition. Employee recognition platforms are an easy way to streamline the process for HR teams:

Want to learn more about how employee recognition brings company core values to life? Download our guide on how to personalize your recognition program.