56 Core Company Values That Will Shape Your Culture & Encourage Your Employees

Company values enable you direct all and sundry in your team toward a standard goal. They remind you that you just share a much bigger purpose.

Businesses often look to one another to work out the best way to refine their values, habits, and concepts right into a set of values. To continue to grow, firms need something their teams can get behind and understand.

This search has led many individuals to HubSpot’s culture code — and the unique 2013 deck has almost 6 million views online.

On this post, we’ll explore why company values are necessary. We’ll show you the best way to create your core values and serve up some industry favorites for inspiration. And we’ll discuss how HubSpot created our culture code and work to grow higher.

Keeping these common values top of mind will enable you make business decisions which might be consistent with your core principles and stay true to the corporate vision.

Why are company values necessary?

Core company values give employees purpose. Purpose is undeniably critical for worker satisfaction. The truth is, a McKinsey & Company survey of employees found 70% of employees said their sense of purpose was largely defined by work. Nonetheless, that number drops significantly to fifteen% when non-executive participants were asked in the event that they live their purpose at work.

For this reason it is important your core values are embraced at every level, not only by the chief team. Purpose doesn’t just improve worker satisfaction — it also increases your bottom line and builds trust with customers.

Professor and writer Ranjay Gulati explains in his book Deep Purpose that “To get purpose right, leaders must fundamentally change not only how they execute it but additionally how they conceive of and relate to it.” Gulati calls this process deep purpose, which furthers a company’s reason for being in a more intense, thoughtful, and comprehensive way.

Ultimately, core values are critical if you need to create a long-lasting, successful, and motivating place to work.

Whether you’re employed for a latest company in need of core-value inspiration, or an older company in need of a worth revamp, you are in luck — below, we have cultivated a listing of a few of the very best company values. Moreover, we’ll examine how some firms truly honor their values.

Elements of Company Core Values

1. Clear and Concise

It is important to maintain your organization values clear in order that they will be understood and embraced by employees, no matter their level or position in the corporate.

Your organization values should be certain that employees know what to anticipate and effectively communicate what’s necessary to the organization.

2. Temporary and Memorable

Don’t over explain your organization values — keep them temporary, as a substitute. Having bite-sized values will make them easier to recollect, making it more likely that they shall be internalized and adopted as a part of your organization culture.

Plus, having short and catchy values can assist create a particular brand identity, giving your organization a competitive advantage. It’ll be easier to distinguish your organization from others out there when the values are memorable and unique.

3. Motion-Oriented

Want values that create a major impact? Make them action-oriented.

Relatively than specializing in abstract ideas and ideas, establish core values that function a guide for a way employees should act and behave of their day by day work. This can help establish accountability amongst your employees and empower them to do their best work.

4. Reflective

Your core values establish the muse of your organization’s culture, which is why they need to be unique to your organization and accurately reflect your mission, vision, beliefs, and objectives.

Keeping your values consistent along with your objectives can assist create an authentic brand image and foster trust amongst your customers, partners, and employees. It’ll also help attract and retain employees who’ve the identical beliefs, leading to a more cohesive and effective staff.

5. Adaptable

While your core values should at all times be consistent along with your overall mission, do not be afraid to make adjustments as your organization grows. Your organization may not seem like it did when it first started off, and your original values will not be as relevant or effective as they were then.

For example, HubSpot has updated its Culture Code over 30 times since its founding.

As your corporation evolves, frequently obtain feedback from employees and other stakeholders, and re-assess your core values when essential.

Examples of Firms with Inspiring Core Values

1. Patagonia

1. Construct the very best product — Our criteria for the very best product rests on function, repairability, and, foremost, durability. Amongst essentially the most direct ways we will limit ecological impacts is with goods that last for generations or will be recycled so the materials in them remain in use. Making the very best product matters for saving the planet.
2. Cause no unnecessary harm — We all know that our business activity—from lighting stores to dyeing shirts—is a component of the issue. We work steadily to alter our business practices and share what we have learned. But we recognize that this isn’t enough. We seek not only to do less harm, but more good.
3. Use business to guard nature — The challenges we face as a society require leadership. Once we discover an issue, we act. We embrace risk and act to guard and restore the soundness, integrity and fantastic thing about the online of life.
4. Not certain by convention — Our success—and far of the fun—lies in developing latest ways to do things.

For Patagonia, company values aren’t just just a few feel-good statements to placed on the “About Us” page. When founder Yvon Chouinard’s first enterprise, Chouinard Equipment, found that their pitons were damaging natural rock, they developed an environmentally-friendly alternative — aluminum chocks.

This daring act was the primary of many, including offering on-site childcare, creating the Tools for Grassroots Activists conference, and Patagonia Motion Works. Probably the most recent is the news that Chouinard is shifting his family’s ownership of the corporate to a trust that can support future operations. This $3 billion decision also has the potential to contribute about $100 million a 12 months to climate change research.

“While we’re doing our greatest to deal with the environmental crisis, it isn’t enough. We wanted to search out a approach to put more cash into fighting the crisis while keeping the corporate’s values intact…

Truth be told, there have been no good options available. So, we created our own.”

This move is a transparent reflection of the corporate’s core values above.

2. Google

1. Deal with the user and all else will follow.
2. It is best to do one thing really, rather well.
3. Fast is best than slow.
4. Democracy on the net works.
5. You do not should be at your desk to wish a solution.
6. You possibly can earn a living without doing evil.
7. There’s at all times more information on the market.
8. The necessity for information crosses all borders.
9. You possibly can be serious with out a suit.
10. Great just is not adequate.

On Google’s philosophy page, they do not just list their core values — in addition they provide examples.

For example, consider their value, “You possibly can earn a living without doing evil.” While many firms likely tout the advantages of integrity, Google references strategic efforts it has made to avoid “evil” business, including — “We do not allow ads to be displayed on our results pages unless they’re relevant where they’re shown … We do not accept pop–up promoting, which interferes along with your ability to see the content you have requested … [and] Promoting on Google is at all times clearly identified as a ‘Sponsored Link,’ so it doesn’t compromise the integrity of our search results.”

Fulfilling values like “don’t be evil” will be complicated. As Google grows and develops more products, there may be more tension and scrutiny. Ultimately, a core value doesn’t have much power if your organization cannot list intentional, calculated decisions it’s made to place values ahead of profit.

3. Coca Cola

1. Individuals are at the middle of all the things we do, from our employees to those that touch our business to the communities we call home.
2. Each one in all us could make a giant difference for a greater shared future.
3. We value diversity, equity and inclusion — 700,000+ people around the globe work at Coca-Cola and our bottling partners. We champion diversity by constructing a workforce as diverse because the consumers we serve. Since the more perspectives we have now, the higher decisions we make.
4. We value equality — Empowering people’s access to equal opportunities, irrespective of who they’re or where they’re from. Our company has signed several gender diversity pledges and is working towards a fair split of men and women in leadership roles.
5. We value human and workplace rights — For 130+ years, we have now built a popularity on trust and respect – in every single place we do business.
6. We commit to supplier diversity — Our commitment is to spend $1 billion with diverse partners. We’re greater than doubling our spending with Black-owned enterprises across our U.S. supply chain—by no less than $500 million—over the following five years.

Coca-Cola demonstrates its diversity core value with its public Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page. It lists the corporate’s diversity-related efforts, resembling, “It’s our ambition by 2030 to have women hold 50% of senior leadership roles at the corporate and within the U.S. to have race and ethnicity representation reflect national census data in any respect levels.”

Moreover, Coca-Cola’s Sustainability page exemplifies its commitment to climate, as well. This page includes charts and statistics about water usage, recycling, and more. By acknowledging each its efforts and its shortcomings, Coca-Cola is capable of show its desire to live as much as its values, while taking responsibility for any mismatch between its ideals and reality.

4. Whole Foods

1. We Sell the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Foods
2. We satisfy and delight our customers
3. We promote team member growth and happiness
4. We practice win-win partnerships with our suppliers
5. We create profits and prosperity
6. We Care About our Community and the Environment

Underneath each of its values on its core value page, Whole Foods provides a link, resembling, “Learn more about how we care about our communities and the environment.”

Ultimately, their page demonstrates their ability to walk the walk. For example, to exemplify their commitment to local communities, Whole Foods created a Local Producer Loan Program, which provides as much as $26 million in low-interest loans to independent local farmers and food artisans.

Moreover, Whole Foods provides a list of environmentally-friendly efforts they’ve practiced since 1980, including “Printing and packaging using recycled paper and water- or vegetable-based, composting to diminish landfill waste, and no single-use plastic bags at checkout since 2008”.

Amazon’s acquisition of the grocery chain in 2017 caused some loyal shoppers to query the authenticity of the brand. But they brought in a latest CEO in 2022 who desires to more deeply connect with the core values of Whole Foods. And a 30% increase in local brands and double the variety of banned food ingredients in stores show that the corporate remains to be focused on its core values.

In the event you’ve ever been to Whole Foods, you realize they’re serious about their efforts to scale back waste and help the area people. The truth is, it’s a part of the rationale so many purchasers are brand loyalists — because they support those efforts, too.

5. Nude Barre

1. We try to be certain that that each one hu(e)mans feel seen and heard.
2. We consider that everyone deserves to search out their perfect hue. — The varied world we live in needs products that account for all skin tones and body types. Every hu(e)man deserves a alternative. Our company is pioneering the change we wish to see in retail by providing an unmatched level of selections, no matter hue!
3. We consider in eliminating the “other.” — Gone are the times of “sun tan” and “beige” being the one options for nude. Nobody should need to dye or customize their hosiery and intimates. Through our 12 inclusive shades, we’re committed to creating undergarments that look good, feel good, and are the proper hue for you!
4. Because all of us should be center stage. — Here at Nude Barre, we’re on a mission to reclaim and revolutionize nude. We offer individuals who have been historically ignored and underrepresented with resilient and comfy bodywear that becomes one along with your skin. Our 12 unique shades close the representational gap and elevate all hu(e)mans. Because if we do not, who will?

Nude Barre founder Erin Carpenter used her experience as an expert dancer as a place to begin for her product.

“I might spend hours dyeing my tights and ‘pancaking’ my shoes [applying pancake foundation to shoes with a sponge to mattify and change their color], and had many friends and colleagues who were doing the identical to satisfy the industry’s requirement of nude undergarments.”

These frustrations didn’t just lead her to unravel an issue that she struggled with for years. They helped her create a set of company values that emphasize empathy, access, representation, and awareness.

This clear story and set of values have led to over $1.5 million in funding to proceed to grow her business.

6. Gusto

1. Embody a service mindset. — Never stop advocating for the needs of others.
2. Dream big, then make it real. — Be ambitious. Show and do is larger than tell and talk.
3. Be pleased with the how. — Ensure deep integrity in all the things you do.
4. Embrace an ownership mentality. — Take initiative to go away things higher than you found them.
5. Debate then commit. — Share openly, query respectfully, and once a choice is made, commit fully.
6. Construct with humility. — Put collective success before individual achievements.

This popular payroll app supports 200,000+ businesses in america. Gusto doesn’t just discuss supporting the needs of employees and customers. Leaders at this company make it occur with radical transparency.

For instance, Gusto’s chief security officer recently wrote for Fast Company about transparency. His article talks about why he shares every performance review with each of Gusto’s 2000 employees.

“Many organizations espouse transparency as a core value, however it typically doesn’t extend to performance reviews. While leaders are sometimes aware of our teams’ reviews, it’s rarely a two-way street. The result’s that for many individuals, it’s uncomfortable to present and receive constructive feedback at work.

After I first shared my review, the Google Doc…broke because lots of of individuals—nearly 30% of our workforce—tried to read it that very same day. Similarly, almost 40% of employees read our co-founder and CTO’s review the day he first shared it.”

This easy approach to company values shows their team how their leaders hold one another accountable, and that “it’s okay to fall short sometimes so long as we commit to growth.”

7. American Express

1. WE DELIVER FOR OUR CUSTOMERS — We’re driven by our commitment to deliver exceptional products, services and experiences to our customers. We value our strong customer relationships, and are defined by how well we deal with them.
2. WE RESPECT PEOPLE — We’re a various and inclusive company, and serve diverse customers. We consider we’re a greater company when each of us feels included, valued, and capable of trust colleagues who respect each of us for who we’re and what we contribute to our collective success.
3. WE CARE ABOUT OUR COMMUNITIES — We aim to make a difference within the communities where we work and live. Our commitment to corporate social responsibility makes an impact by strengthening our connections.
4. WE MAKE IT GREAT — We deliver an unparalleled standard of excellence in all the things we do, staying focused on the most important opportunities to be meaningful to our customers. From our modern products to our world-class customer support, our customers expect the very best —and our teams are proud to deliver it.
5. WE NEED DIFFERENT VIEWS — By being open to different ideas from our colleagues, customers and the world around us, we’ll find more ways to win.
6. WE DO WHAT’S RIGHT — Customers select us because they trust our brand and other people. We earn that trust by ensuring all the things we do is reliable, consistent, and with the best level of integrity.
7. WE WIN AS A TEAM — We view one another as colleagues – a part of the identical team, striving to deliver the brand promise to our customers and one another day-after-day. Individual performance is important and valued; but never on the expense of the team.

American Express doesn’t just hit the bare minimum in relation to polite, helpful customer support. They go above and beyond to unravel for his or her customers, even when there is not any protocol in place.

For example, Raymond Joabar, the Executive Vice President at American Express, told this story in a Forbes interview: “One time, a hotel café manager [an Amex merchant] alerted my team that he had by accident sold a display cake with harmful chemicals and needed to search out the shoppers before they ate it. Obviously, there is not any procedure for that, but our team took ownership of the issue. They gathered all the knowledge they may from the record of charge, identified 21 Card Members who used their cards on the café during that timeframe, reviewed the accounts to search out the suitable match, after which called the Card Member in time before they served the cake at an anniversary party.”

“The necessary point here,” Joabar noted, “apart from that everyone ended up secure and sound — is that there is not a script for each situation, so we empower our care professionals to do what’s right for the client. And we recognize what they do with this empowerment as well. We give awards to employees who go above and beyond to assist customers and we share their stories across the corporate.”

This anecdote exemplifies American Express employees’ commitment to their customers even when it’s hard, and demonstrates the corporate’s dedication to living by its values.

8. REI

At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) we consider a life outdoors is a life well-lived!

We consider that it’s within the wild, untamed and natural places that we discover our greatest selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outside, for all.

Since 1938, we have now been your local outdoor co-op, working to enable you experience the transformational power of nature. We bring you top-quality gear and apparel, expert advice, rental equipment, inspiring stories of life outside and outdoor experiences to enjoy alone or share along with your family and friends. And since we have now no shareholders, with every purchase you make with REI, you might be selecting to steward the outside, support sustainable business and help the fight for all times outside.

So whether you are latest to the outside or a seasoned pro, we hope you will join us.

Recreational equipment co-op REI has remained true to its values since its founding in 1938. The co-op model allows them to take a position a good portion of profits back into their community through worker profit sharing and donations to nonprofits dedicated to the outside.

Since 2015, all REI stores close on Black Friday — perhaps the most important shopping day of the 12 months — so employees can enjoy time outdoors with family and friends.

The corporate states “We give all our employees a time off to #OptOutside with family and friends on the busiest retail day of the 12 months. We proceed this tradition because we consider in putting purpose before profits.”

But some employees feel that the corporate could do more to satisfy the expectations set by its ambitious value statement. They don’t seem to be the one people who feel this fashion about an employer. A 2022 Gartner survey says that 50% of employees have modified their employer expectations for the reason that pandemic.

It’s not enough to have a transparent set of company values, firms must show motion toward those stated goals. In accordance with a 2021 McKinsey report, only 30% of consumers wish to hear a brand’s stance on societal issues. At the identical time, 61% wish to see firms take motion on those issues.

Company values are greater than a page on the web site. They should be a plan for what your organization stands for over time. Let’s discuss how you’ll be able to create authentic company values for your corporation.

Methods to Implement Core Values

Now that you’ve got seen what core values seem like at other firms, you could be wondering the best way to create and implement your personal. While defining your core values could also be a hefty task, there are just a few easy steps that can enable you develop and iterate your personal.

1. Check in along with your team.

A fast approach to start is to seek the advice of your founders or executive team. They’ll often have already got a mission statement or vision for the corporate values.

If not, you could wish to arrange just a few brainstorming sessions along with your team. Company values also can come up as your team solves problems together.

As you begin your corporation, jot down ideas as they arrive up, and keep them somewhere that is easy to search out. This fashion you’ve a straightforward place to go for inspiration once you draw a blank or get stuck.

Once you’ve that framework, you’ll be able to work on fleshing out your organization’s core values.

In the event you’re having a tough time getting began, this company culture code template can assist.

How HubSpot accomplished this step: HubSpot was operating for 3 years before co-founder Dharmesh Shah began work on HubSpot’s culture code. He began the project by asking questions and sending surveys to the team.

This took several rounds because one in all the common themes was that employees love working at HubSpot due to the people. It took more effort and time to find why and the way that feeling could translate to a set of company values.

2. Solicit feedback.

The extent of feedback you wish for a project like this is not a one-time and done form of effort. While the responses to a matter like “Why do you like working here?” may feel good to listen to, they will not be specific or honest enough to construct your core values on.

You’ll be wanting to ask tough questions and get into the small print. This can enable you collect constructive criticism. It’ll also enable you understand the culture your corporation already has. Constructing in your existing values is the very best approach to create a long-lasting company culture.

It is also necessary to key into informal conversations and non-verbal signals. Let your team know what you are doing and why. Then, practice energetic listening. It could be tempting to argue or defend your perspective during these conversations. But interrupting in this fashion could mean that you will lose beneficial insights.

These are some useful resources for gathering feedback out of your team:

How HubSpot accomplished this step: HubSpot’s core worker values were initially outlined within the acronym HEART:

• Humble
• Effective
• Adaptable
• Remarkable
• Transparent

While getting feedback for HubSpot’s culture code update, co-founder Dharmesh Shah realized that something was a bit off. He found that the acronym was missing one integral a part of how HubSpot does business: empathy.

In response, Shah proposed replacing “Effective” with “Empathy” and encouraged employees to submit feedback via an internal wiki page.

3. Implement feedback.

Part of making a set of company values is ensuring that employees buy into those ideas. So, if collecting feedback is a necessary step, the following step must be putting that feedback into motion.

While not each piece of feedback shall be useful, it is important to acknowledge these contributions. As you review updates out of your team, you’ll be wanting to check these insights and begin to search for patterns. Once you’ve some clear ideas of what you need to add or update, outline your next steps to place these changes into place.

Then, share the plan along with your team and thank them for his or her insights.

How HubSpot accomplished this step: In HubSpot’s case, the team decided to update our culture code and the HEART acronym modified to Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, and Transparent.

This process took several years of refining. After this alteration and plenty of rounds of feedback, the culture code was shared globally.

4. Make your core values unique to your brand.

Many industries have catchy phrases or jargon which might be central to your corporation. But those phrases probably aren’t the very best approach to communicate the unique values of your brand.

Your organization values aren’t only a blueprint for what your corporation does and what your employees consider in. It’s about what separates your team from all the things else on the market.

You learn from one another and develop tactics and techniques day-after-day. These habits come from a foundation of shared values. So, your goal during this step is to bring those distinct values to light.

This may increasingly mean collecting quotes that encourage your team. It could arise from offsite meetings or impromptu conversations.

Irrespective of what your creative process is, to make your organization values unique, you’ll be wanting to take into consideration what you would like those values to do.

Ask yourself:

• How can my team act on these ideas?
• What’s going to make these ideas easy to recollect?
• Do these ideas encourage me to do my best?
• Are these ideas inclusive and relevant for everybody on the team?
• Are they specific enough to guide us when making tough decisions?

As you refine your core values, be certain that that they embody the spirit of your corporation and team.

How HubSpot accomplished this step: Core values often relate to the issues your corporation wants to unravel and the way that pertains to your personal values.

For instance, in a chat at Stanford University, Dharmesh Shah shared the quote, “Sunlight is the very best disinfectant.” He told a story of how he interpreted this Louis Brandeis quote after which explained the way it got here into conversations that he and co-founder Brian Halligan were having about transparency.

You possibly can hear the total story within the video below:

Company values often use short sentences and declarative phrases. For this reason, it could even be useful to elucidate how your team interprets an easy phrase inside your values. For instance, the culture code explains what transparency is and what it’s not at HubSpot.

5. Proceed to evolve when essential.

Change is the one constant. Your enterprise will change over time. Societal norms, values, and trends will change too. To maintain your organization culture consistent with the times, you’ll be wanting to revisit your values frequently.

First, spend a while along with your core values. These will often stay the identical. That said, the way in which your corporation applies or interprets these values could have shifted.

Next, add or remove values consistent with changes to your culture. Take care to make thoughtful updates and produce in a gaggle of engaged employees to supply early feedback.

Once the group feels satisfied along with your updates, share them with the total team for an additional round of feedback. Staying open throughout the method is vital for keeping your team engaged.

Your organization values should consistently reflect the core of your corporation. Which means the way in which you write and edit them will impact each person connected to the corporate.

As you make changes, start with leadership and ask them to model these updated values. Find ways to encourage employees to embrace updated values. And have interaction as many individuals as you’ll be able to to be certain that your organization’s culture stays top of mind, fresh, and current.

How HubSpot accomplished this step: As HubSpot continues to grow there are latest ideas to contemplate. For instance, the culture code covers concerns about day without work, distant work, and more with an easy phrase – use common sense. Leaders at HubSpot talk continually in regards to the culture and HEART comes up in each tactical and strategic conversations.

In some ways, the team built HubSpot’s culture code in the identical way they create HubSpot’s products — thoughtful updates, regular feedback, and continuous investment.

This slide from the culture code deck emphasizes the importance of updates to company values:

As of this writing, HubSpot’s culture code has seen over 33 revisions. Updates undergo a beta testing process that collects each quantitative and qualitative data. And HubSpot employees work with HEART & SOUL.

Strong Company Values are Good for Business

Ultimately, good core values can assist an audience discover with, and stay loyal to, your brand, fairly than flipping between you and competitors. To make sure long-term success and long-term worker retention, it is vital you create — and live by — certain non-negotiable company values.

Editor’s Note: This text was originally published in November 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.