Workplace that aligns with your values

How to choose a workplace that aligns with your values?

June 09, 2022

Joanna Trautsolt-Johnson, Julita Trautsolt Sixsentix Culture

Meaning and purpose of a workplace

The meaning and purpose of a workplace have changed considerably over the recent years. A growing number of companies (Sixsentix amongst them, of course!) recognize that a workplace needs to exist for the benefit, not only of customers or shareholders, but also of employees. These employee benefits include professional training, support in keeping work-life balance and more, and they are linked to workplace values and work culture. They are equally important as a good salary. At Sixsentix, we are proud to talk about our core values and make sure they are put to practice. Team spirit, trust, breaking limits, ownership, continuous improvement, and grit, these values guide the way we work as a team and do business.

Choosing job offers

Given the job market changes, salary is no longer the main factor when selecting your workplace. When you choose an offer, you also opt for a certain set of values. The question is how to align the personal and company values. The alignement is key to staying motivated, satisfied and fulfilled at work. With the values in sync, you are clear about the sense and direction of your efforts!

Aligning personal and company values

The most important step is to define your own core values. Pick a few from the top of your list. These values are the ones you do not want to compromise, they give you a sense of purpose and make you want to go the extra mile. You also need to get to know the company values, of course. This seems easy enough, but requires a reality check. You need to verify if presented values really guide the ‘everyday life‘ at the company. A job interview is an excellent source of information. Right from the start, the very formal versus informal character of the interview, will give you some hints about communication and hierarchy. Office space and its arrangement will also say a lot. They might strike you with creativity, or exactly the opposite. To verify how a company implements its values, you should approach its employees too.  Contact them on LinkedIn, visit the company’s FB page and attend any open event where you can meet the staff. Ask them about the company’s structure, communication style, work arrangements and anything else that is important to you.

Our core values

At Sixsentix, we have six core values. Team spirit to begin with, as it is very important to us. It means we value inclusion, supportive attitude, open communication, and working together towards the same goals. It  is displayed through our collaboration and communication in Circle meetings, or through our global All Hands Meetings. The latter are open to employees from all our locations. We discuss the matters we consider important. Everyone is encouraged to propose discussion points, ask questions and make suggestions. As we can speak freely during these meetings, we feel engaged, as a part of the team. The second value is trust. We are trusted to achieve our goals in the work arrangement we think is best. Our options are: part-time work, fully remote, or hybrid work. We are also trusted to take on duties out of our comfort zone, to take on new responsibilities, and explore areas we are passionate about. This brings us to breaking limits and continuous improvement. They are shown through training opportunities we offer, and knowledge sharing culture we promote. Ownership is the fifth of our core values. It is supported by our flat organizational structure and short decision making paths. And finally – grit! At Sixsentix, your voice is heard and you feel connected. In times of adversity, grit keeps us going with a positive outlook! If the above are also important to you, we might have our values alligned ðŸ˜Š!