Creating a positive corporate culture is top of mind for employers looking to recruit and retain talent, according to a new study from global staffing firm Robert Half. The research, which surveyed Canadian and U.S. senior managers and professionals, examines why workplace culture is increasingly under the microscope;  it’s featured in a report, Organizational Culture: The Make-or-Break Factor in Hiring and Retention.

Key findings:

• Two in five workers in Canada (40 per cent) wouldn’t accept a job that was a perfect match if the corporate culture clashed. More than one-third of U.S. workers (35 per cent) felt similarly.
• Nine out of 10 Canadian (90 per cent) and U.S. (91 per cent) managers said a candidate’s fit with the organizational culture is equal to or more important than their skills and experience.
• While workers in both Canada and the U.S. said their ideal corporate culture is supportive or team-oriented, most described their company as traditional.

“Today’s professionals are looking to do more with their careers than satisfy a job description; they want to be part of an organization whose values align with their own and feel inspired with a sense of purpose in the workplace,” said Greg Scileppi, president of Robert Half, International Staffing Operations. “For companies, this means evaluating more than a candidate’s skills or qualifications to find the right fit for their business. There has to be a focus on identifying individual motivations and promoting the type of work environment that puts employee engagement and success at the heart of the corporate culture.”

About the Research

The surveys were developed by Robert Half and conducted by independent research firms. They include responses from more than 500 Canadian and more than 1,000 U.S. workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments and more than 1,200 Canadian and more than 5,500 U.S. senior managers at companies with 20 more employees.

About Robert Half

Founded in 1948, Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm. The company has more than 300 staffing locations worldwide and offers online job search services on its divisional websites, all of which can be accessed at roberthalf.ca.