Companies can no longer attract and keep the best talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits alone. Prospective and existing employees are looking for more – a company’s culture is proving to be the biggest drawcard and has moved to the top of the list of the most appealing factors for workers.

This is illustrated by multiple surveys by international companies. In a recent Glassdoor survey of more than 2 000 employees across the US, 73% said they valued good company culture over money. A safe, positive culture even came up trumps against other forms of non-monetary compensation such as flexibility in the workplace.

The survey also showed that corporate culture has become increasingly important as workers age: while flexibility has an edge over culture among Gen Z workers, 32% of workers aged 35–44 rated office culture as their top non-financial priority. The percentage climbed to 40% among workers aged 55–64. Even the Gen Z-preferred benefits of hybrid schedules and remote work are an off-shoot of culture: both reflect the need for work-life balance.

In an article titled World of Work Trends 2026: The Intentional Organisation, the Top Employers Institute elaborates on the impor-tance of having a defined flexible work policy: ‘While 87% of organisations already have remote work policies, what will distinguish performance in 2026 will be how deliberately flexibility is structured. Organisations with low turnover are 13% more likely to have equipped leaders to manage hybrid teams effectively. HR leaders can no longer expand flexibility by default – they must design it with boundaries that protect fairness, performance and well-being, or watch disengagement and inconsistency undermine results.’

Business Work Daily echoes this. ‘Flexible schedule options are a creative way for businesses to show employees they’re valued, even if they can’t provide a salary increase. Company cultures that accept various work schedules are more likely to appeal to new candidates. Businesses with strong post-pandemic “return to office” mandates have been met with resistance from people accustomed to working from home and benefiting from flexible work policies.’

Workers will no longer tolerate poor working conditions where there is also little regard for their needs. Today’s employees simply won’t stand for a destructive work environment, as shown by MIT Sloan research where toxic work environment complaints are the No 1 factor driving staff turnover in various industries.

So, how do employers foster a positive company culture that is more attractive to top candidates and enables them to retain their best staff?

According to Glassdoor, strong leadership is one of the most appealing factors: ‘Employees appreciate transparent communication and solid leadership. Workers at the organisations on Glassdoor’s list of Best-Led Companies consistently praised leaders’ communication skills, accessibility and commitment to company values.’

Glassdoor and Business Work Daily also both emphasise the importance of creating clarity around a company’s vision and mission. ‘If you want to use company culture to attract candidates, you have to define your culture,’ says Glassdoor. ‘Consider your organisation’s values and how they impact employee behaviour. If your organisation is built on working as a team, identify what that looks like. It’s one thing to say, “Yes, I’m a team player”, but the picture becomes much clearer if a candidate hears that camaraderie extends to things like staying late to ensure colleagues get a project completed in time.’

According to Business Work Daily, ‘people want to work for companies they believe in, so it’s crucial to have a clear and defined mission statement and vision statement that jive with current employees’ and potential applicants’ views’.

The positive trend of corporates putting people first is also becoming prevalent in SA, where they are realising that everyone benefits if they invest in a healthy work environment.

Standard Bank Corporate and Investment Banking’s (CIB) head of people and culture, Paul Lotter, says his company’s ‘human first’ philosophy is at the heart of everything the company does and is still evolving.

‘One of the promises we make is to find new ways to support our people with what they need to thrive and to make their dreams possible,’ he writes in an article on how to foster an authentic workplace culture. ‘This involves truly listening to them to understand what inspires them, and what they aspire to, personally and professionally.’

He adds that another key focus area has been to deliberately create opportunities and environments where it’s safe for employees to speak up and share their views.

‘We’ve seen a positive shift within CIB, and our people feel more comfortable to open up outside structured forums. This is key for the well-being of our people, our teams and our organisation,’ he says.

The conscious decision to focus on all-round employee welfare was one of the factors that led to Standard Bank being recognised as one of the world’s best employers in 2025 in Forbes’ annual rankings, where the company placed 28th globally, improving from 130th in 2023.

To determine the list, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to survey more than 300 000 employers in 50-plus countries. Standard Bank was also named in Time Magazine’s World’s Best Companies and was among Newsweek’s World’s Most Trustworthy Companies for 2025.

‘Our people are our greatest source of sustainable competitive advantage,’ said Sharon Taylor, chief people and culture officer at Standard Bank Group. ‘We are committed to their growth, and, in turn, they are the driving force behind the growth of our clients and the continent.’

The Top Employers Institute also identifies organisations that are making their mark with their remodelled workplace cultures. The institute evaluates companies against standards in 20 categories, including employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, and leadership development.

The Vodacom Group, which has instituted a Care culture (compassion, acceptance, respect and empathy), was recognised as Africa’s No 1 employer last year. ‘The telecommunications giant has introduced progressive policies that support employees at every stage of their lives, including expanded family leave and wellness programmes,’ reports the Daily Maverick. ‘One of its most ambitious initiatives is the Digital Skills Hub, which aims to train 1 million young Africans for the digital economy by 2027.’

 Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub said ‘the well-being of the company’s employees contributes directly to our ability to fulfil our purpose of connecting to a better future. We are cultivating a workplace where people feel valued, empowered and inspired to reach their full potential’.

This recognition from respected global bodies shows that priorities are shifting in the workplace, and this is translating into tangible results. When Daimler Truck Southern Africa climbed from fifth to third place on the Top Employers List, its chief human resources officer, Tebogo Shuma, said the achievement served ‘as a powerful motivation to continuously improve our people practices in order to offer an exceptional, sustainable work environment for our employees, because our employees make us’.

The people have spoken. There is no doubt that the management style of the ’80s belongs just there – in the past, and a healthy corporate culture established through intentional methods, not just talk, is one of the biggest assets a company can invest in.

By Philippa Byron
Images: iStock