How company culture influences our performance

Why is it important?

You go to work every day and spend there most of your time. So you must have something that motivates you, that pushes you to do the best you can. Let’s admit it. You won’t be able to work like that in a company that promotes competitiveness. If you keep doing this, soon you’ll have no fun out of what you’re doing. You can even experience professional burnout. And it’s important to like your job. Mostly because you’re going to be working for years. Am I right?

Elements of company culture

According to Investopedia, company culture is about beliefs and behaviours that influence the relationship between a company’s employees and management. It’s shaped by a country’s culture, traditions and current business trends. There also should be a connection to the company’s strategy – its mission, vision and values. These factors give employees a purpose to strive for and show that actions prove the brand values. 

“There are many things I like about working in Gorrion. But the main is that we really are a team. We know each other extremely well, and we’re eager to help in any situation. There’s a move to a new place? Sure, no problem. Did something go down in a project? No problem, I’ll help you right away. And anyone who has come here sees it and soaks up in the atmosphere. This welcoming, relaxed atmosphere. But here’s the trick – from the very beginning, from the job interview, we immediately recognise Gorrions. I feel like this is what makes us so special, the people.”

Dominik Guzy, Full Stack Developer

Perks of having a good company culture

• Boost of productivity & engagement

The sense of belonging to the group improves employees engagement and motivation. As a result, they want to contribute to the client’s success by coming up with innovative ideas and initiatives in the project. An increase in productivity leads to improved profits and satisfied customers.

• Teamwork makes the dream work

Employees connect with each other by participating in the organisation’s events. This has an impact on team collaboration, which is more likely to be smooth and without misunderstandings. Creating social opportunities to meet and bond is a significant factor in company culture. 

• Long-term relationships with clients

In other words, improved retention. Excellent company culture contributes to relations with the customers. Thanks to effective teamwork, the client is saving his money and is provided with a thoughtfully analysed product. You’re going to achieve better results, have loyal customers and higher turnover.

• Successful cooperations

With a good company culture comes satisfied clients. As a result, they’re happy to give you a positive review and recommend their software provider to others.

• People stay in a company longer

An organisation that cares for its employees and creates a positive environment is the one worth working for. Learning opportunities and facing challenges, motivates people to perform their job better. Especially when they are rewarded for what they do. Even a small “Thank you” or saying something like “You did a great job yesterday” can make somebody feel appreciated. Because who would want to leave the company that takes care of its employees?

• More candidates for vacancy or internship

Happy employees are more likely to boast about their work. Whether it’s by recommending it to friends, taking part in the conferences as company specialists or wearing clothes with the company’s logo on it. These actions create a positive reputation which ensures that people will look for an opportunity to become a part of the team.

Our culture

At Gorrion, there’s a whole range of personalities with different positions and responsibilities. And yet when it comes to teamwork, we’re doing a pretty good job. Want to know our secret? It’s the feeling of community. 

 Here are our top 6 factors of Gorrion’s company culture:

1. Promoting autonomy in the project – because of trust placed in our teams, we’re more engaged and cautious of our actions. Feeling responsible for the project makes us generate more ideas to improve the product, which contributes to the overall success.
2. Transparency – by that, we mean open communication. In this way, there’s a lower risk of misunderstandings in teams. We know that we can openly talk about new ideas, challenges or difficulties. Whatever we say, no one will judge us. We’re a team, and we always try to help each other.
3. (After)work activities – we spend a lot of time together. And I’m not talking only about work time. We take part in Gorrion’s events, such as Gorrion Unplugged meetup, internal parties, trips, Gorrion Cover Day and many more.
4. Traditions – from fresh fruits every Thursday to Cover Day. There’s a tradition of bringing cake on birthday, writing cards on Valentine’s Day and preparing Christmas presents. We also go wakeboarding or kayaking every year. Moreover, we have monthly Gorrion meetings, which is a kind of recap of the company’s matters. It’s a great way to get employees feedback. What do we like the most? Dominik says his favourite tradition is Gorrion Cover Day, and for Mateusz, it’s watching games in the office after hours.
5. Inspiration & appreciation – we continuously learn from each other. Thanks to presentations and workshops, we share knowledge and grow as a team. We also show appreciation of every effort and celebrate each success.
6. Let’s grow together – after moving to our new place, we seem more professional, more corporate-like. However, we take from it only the best stuff. For example, we’ve got a mentoring system It’s an excellent solution for both juniors and seniors. Because of this, we continuously learn from each other. As a result, everybody in Gorrion grows professionally. We want to try new technologies, a new approach, take up a new career.

“I like that when it comes to a project, we make all the decisions together so that it works well for everyone. Also, we’ve got our way of doing things in the project process, which is great for the client and us. There’s the onboarding process for business partners which is later followed by development and design.

Thanks to that, a client knows all the stages and what to expect. We talk about the costs and explain to him how various actions have an impact on the final product. We also adapt ourselves to how often we communicate with the client so that he feels secure but not overwhelmed. And of course, we make sure that all aspects of the product are refined.”

Mateusz Michalski, Mobile Developer

It’s worth the effort

Summing up, there are many reasons for a great culture. Above all, it creates a positive environment. Therefore, it attracts passionate employees eager to work on projects. Also, communication is open and active, and there are more valuable ideas to choose from. 

Want to learn more about how we work? Book a meeting with Leo or send us a message. We’d be happy to meet you.

Editor’s note: We’ve originally published this post in July 2020 and updated it for comprehensiveness.