<p>Looking for your next career opportunity can be a challenge that takes a lot of effort and energy. Before making final decisions on accepting a position, candidates should always assess their potential new employers carefully. More than ever you need to take control of your career, so don’t forget, it is about finding the right organisation for you and your plans.</p>
<p>To make sure you get as much as you can from a new job you need to consider things like the work culture, as well as the right salary and benefits. Most forward-looking companies have a mission statement and a set of core values, but how this translates into the live working environment is what matters.</p>
<p>A culture of trust and engagement is what makes a great employer because when management and staff work together on a common vision, everyone is invested in building a successful business and it's a genuine win:win, which is great for the organisation as well as for your personal growth.</p>
<h2>So what makes a great work culture?</h2>
<p>It all starts with trust. Employees need to trust their leaders to make the right decisions to achieve business goals but also provide support for their workforce. Leaders need to trust staff to make decisions that grow the business. And colleagues need to trust each other to allow for a productive work atmosphere.</p>
<p>With trust comes transparency and openness, where honest feedback from staff is encouraged and management doesn’t operate behind closed doors. Communication flows naturally and isn’t reduced to weekly company-wide emails and monthly check-ins with management.</p>
<p>Trust, transparency, open communication and a shared vision bring a real sense of ownership to the workplace, everyone is invested in the success of the business beyond growing revenue and profits. A culture built on these lived values will ensure you get the freedom and flexibility that you need to get your job done and will provide you with plenty of learning and training opportunities to progress your career.<br><br>
In the annual <a href="Randstad">http://www.randstad.com/randstad-award/what-is-the-randstad-award/">Ran… Award survey</a>, which measures the attractiveness of the UK's biggest companies as employers, the results have identified the companies more people would like to work for in the UK. Long-established UK industry icons like John Lewis, Rolls-Royce and British Airways regularly take the lead. Looking at those that regularly flagged as great places to work can only be useful and John Lewis has been ranked UK’s most attractive company to work for by Randstad Award respondents three times in the past five years.<br><br>
“Want to be part of something extraordinary?”, that’s the leading headline on John Lewis’ jobs page. People working for the UK retailer become part of the John Lewis Partnership, they become Partners in a co-owned business, not staff, employees and definitely not numbers. The organisation sets clear and high expectations, but also highlights the opportunity to take ownership of your career.<br><br>
It’s not fun perks and playful office spaces that make John Lewis stand out, there’s no mention of ping pong tables or free snacks. But there’s the clear message that people are treated well, creating a pleasant working atmosphere and offering a good work-life balance. And as the Randstad Award survey shows, the management is well respected and the organisation scores high for environmental and social awareness. The shared vision and the established trust make the UK retailer a great employer.<br><br>
So, <a href="/job-seeker/career-hub/archives/five-tips-on-how-to-find-a-job-you-love_1035/" target="_blank">when you are out looking for your next job</a> take the time to not only assess the offer but take a close look at the organisation that is offering the job to find out if their lived work culture is a match for you!</p>