Our Corporate Culture Code: Unlocking the Secret to our Success

A Google search for “corporate culture” turns up over 700 million results in a fraction of second, garnering information from Forbes, Inc.com, Harvard Business Review and other well-known publications. With so much data available, the only thing that is clear is that corporate culture is often misunderstood, plus there is some confusion and disagreement about what it actually means.

What corporate culture exactly is?

There are numerous definitions of corporate culture, however, the basic idea it refers to is the collection of values, attitudes and practices that characterise how an organisation operates and drives all employees toward a common objective.

• Values: It focuses on what an organisation does, what it hopes to achieve, and how it represents itself
• Attitudes: It is developed through the actions of an organization that inform what its employees think and are up to
• Practices: It is about what a company represents in the form of leadership & management, operations, infrastructure, policies, employee training, dress code and more

Why is corporate culture such a big deal?

“Corporate culture is the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within the control of the entrepreneur. Develop a strong corporate culture first and foremost.”

— David Cummings, Co-founder of Pardot.

Corporate culture can be considered as the only unique identifier of an organization; everything else (products, services, strategies, marketing and even innovations) can be replicated. Creating the right corporate culture is vital to an organization’s long-term success – it helps attract and retain top talents, maximize employee engagement, find solutions to the most complex issues and deliver optimal business results.

Corporate culture today

The traditional corporate culture relied on clearly defined roles and relationships (between top management and employees). In fact, there was a clear chain of command – orders were given from the top and were implemented by the employees without any disagreement.

In recent years, corporate culture has seen some significant changes based on the ways how people live and work. The following table shows the evolution:

In order to succeed in this cut-throat business environment, incorporating the modern corporate culture has become critical. The modern corporate culture creates an environment of positivity and supportiveness, which motivates the employees to perform their job well and strive to reach both their individual and the company’s goals.

Unlocking the Secret to our Success…

Corporate culture at Helios

Helios is a global provider of IT solutions and business & technology consulting that helps businesses transform for the digital era. While our robust service portfolio contributes valuably to the growth of our business, what sets us apart from the competition is our rich corporate culture.

Our corporate culture is all about modern values, attitudes and practices:

Values

• CLIENT-FOCUS

Client-focus is our north star. We put our clients at the center of everything we do because their satisfaction is the foundation of our business.

• DIVERSITY

This arguably is one of the most important of our core values. We have a strong commitment to diversity with the ambition that each and every employee has a full sense of belonging within our organization.

• EMPLOYEE-FOCUS

We make solid efforts to ensure that our employees stay happy and motivated. By creating a workplace that encourages well-being, we bring out the best in our employees.

• HONESTY

We value those we serve. We speak truth in all situations and remain sincere in all transactions.

• INNOVATION

We never settle for what we know and therefore we foster an environment of creativity and innovation. We believe that coming up with fresh perspectives is how a business can thrive.

• PASSION

We enjoy what we do. As a team, we are passionate about technology and embracing new challenges. It is this passion that impels us to evolve and deliver complex tasks with ease and win the trust of our clients.

Attitudes

• WE LIVE POSITIVE

At Helios, positive attitudes dominate and everyone feels like they’re on the same team. We believe that anything can be accomplished with the combination of smart ideas and joint efforts.

• WE RECRUIT EXCELLENCE

We put in sincere efforts and time to find, assess, and recruit great talents. Their commitment and coordination is the core to our success.

• WE HAVE AN APPETITE FOR RISK

Because of our ‘never say die’ attitude, we don’t fear to take risks, instead, we have an appetite for risk. Our risk management approach of test > learn > improvise has helped us deliver success all the time.

• WE ARE PROACTIVE

We try to address issues beforehand through preventive means: staying one step ahead of the curve. In this way, we are better prepared for what lurks around the corner.

• WE ARE INQUISITIVE

To better respond to a more complex and less predictable business environment, we prioritize learning and agility. This is why we encourage our employees to ask questions and explore new ideas. 

Practices

• LEADERSHIP

Effective leadership is about winning hearts and minds, and inspiring employees to utilize their skills and talents in a common direction. Our leadership ensures that employees remain aligned with what our organization represents (there is transparent communication from leaders about the vision), development path is strictly followed and growth milestones are effectively met. Our leadership not only praises the strengths of our employees, but also acknowledges the weaker areas and helps to improvise them.

• EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

Just because our employees punch the clock Monday through Friday and seem happy doesn’t mean that they are engaged; rather they have an emotional and functional connection with the company. Our employee engagement activities are designed to ensure that employees stay committed to the company’s goals, motivated to contribute to organizational success and are able to enhance their own sense of well-being.

• WORK-LIFE BALANCE

We know that for every employee their social life is as much important as is their professional life. This is why we take great care in maintaining the work-life balance of our employees. We follow practices such as encouraging short breaks throughout the day, allowing flexible schedules, organizing fitness programmes, offering leaves for life events and more.

• RECOGNITION OF EMPLOYEE PROGRESS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We facilitate a practice of gratitude within our company to show how important employees are for us. We offer some creative workplace awards and constantly implement ways to celebrate accomplishments/milestones within the office, such as offering fun prizes and providing treats on festive occasions.

• FUN

We foster a sense of community and encourage fun in the workplace. We believe that if employees are having fun at work, they’re going to work harder, stay longer, maintain their calmness in a crisis and take better care of the organization.

• COMPENSATION

We are dedicated to promoting our employees’ quality of life. Therefore, we provide them with a competitive compensation plan that matches their performance, expertise and experience.

• TRAINING

For us, training and development of employees are of prime importance, so we encourage and provide them with opportunities for personal and professional growth whenever possible. We provide trainings focused on emerging technologies, business etiquettes, inter-personal skills, time management, conflict management and more.

Our corporate culture is the foundation of our success. It has helped us serve our clients and develop our employees in the best way possible. It has indeed allowed us to make a positive impact!

Staying ahead of the game!

We have soared from a start-up to a global company in IT domain in a matter of years, and our corporate culture has played an instrumental role in this momentous journey. It has enabled us to grow as a strong employer brand. It has helped us build an extraordinary team that is fully committed to achieve perfection and deliver excellence.