Life in Sonnecto

Blog

March 2, 2022

On average, we spend about one third of our lives working. Although the gears of modern society turn through work, we do not get up every morning for the paycheck alone. In today’s world, we aim to find ourselves in our work. We study our passions, and catapult ourselves out of our comfort zones.

Here at Sonnecto, we stride to our offices with a bit of a spark: for inspiration, challenge, and human connection. Conversations by the coffee machine and water cooler boost our mood for those sprints through our tasks. The same can be said for acknowledgements and words of gratitude from our colleagues; yet, nothing beats the fulfillment that comes from believing in our company’s mission and in the work we do.

So what exactly are we talking about here? Everything mentioned above is part of a company’s culture. Everything from the way we write our emails, to the missions and values of the company, to our habits and language and the way we relate to one-another. Company culture is not something our employees bring with them: it is what they find when they set foot in the office. That is not to say that an employee cannot shape its future direction.

But why would they? What direction would they go in? What even makes for a good company culture?

Well, firstly, companies that actively manage their culture have 40% higher employee retention. So it’s definitely a must. As for what direction to take, here is what makes for good company culture:

Clarity of purpose.

At Sonnecto, employees have well-defined roles, tasks, and responsibilities. They do not simply stumble upon these. It is the responsibility of human resources, business leaders, and managers to clearly define roles and tasks, before, during, and after recruitment, and keep everyone in the loop during their employment. At the same time, every employee is aware of their contributions to the company, and its missions and values. In this way, everyone does their best in their roles, complements one another, and yet feels part of something bigger.

"Cultural add" model

Data supports that we are out with the old and in with the new. One company found that those who “like to have fun” and “love to serve others” make better employees in sales than those with good academic records. Another company’s best salespeople weren’t those from top schools, but those with no typos on their resume and with the relevant experience. This is the trend of hiring for “cultural fit”, for employees who will fit in well, with emotional intelligence and communication skills. At Sonnecto, we take this one step further: we use the “cultural add” model, in which we consider the ways employees fit into our company culture, but also celebrate individuality and diversity, and the unique traits that the employee can bring to the company. This is not something to be considered lightly: everyone in the company, but Human Resources in particular, must be trained and remain cognizant of these dynamics between the company and the employees, from recruitment to day-to-day interactions.

Employee engagement.

Even if you’ve recruited all the right people, thoroughly divided roles, responsibilities, and managed the intricacies of the culture, an employee must be prepared for their role, and stay continuously engaged. Engaged teams perform 10% better in customer ratings, are 21% higher in productivity, and produce 22% more profits. Despite its critical importance, only 13% of employees around the world feel engaged with their work. It is sad that many companies miss out on this critical growth opportunity.

Establish company core values.

A company’s core values influence company culture greatly. Airbnb is serious about its mission to “create a world that inspires human connection” which greatly influences the dynamics within the organization. Google aims to “build for everyone” and besides its great success, the entire world knows of Google as a company whose employees have great work-life balance, many benefits, and are part of a healthy company culture.

Here at Sonnecto, our purpose is #TheGreaterGrowth. You can see it in the company, you can see it in the people, and you can see it in our growth!

So how can you test company culture?

Experts say: take a culture walk! Look at how offices are distributed and who sits where? How much space is given and to who? How are the common areas used? What kind of interactions do you see?

A culture walk through Sonnecto makes it obvious that we are a “team-first” type of company. We take pride in our workplace, and believe that happy employees make for happy customers. This can be hard to maintain in a larger company, but it is well worth the effort to cultivate and maintain culture for success.

And if that wasn’t clear enough, working at Sonnecto means parties and paintball!