"Corporate Culture: It's Not Just Slogans on Posters"
Let me take you behind the scenes of how the corporate culture at the largest tech unicorn in the UK was built and evolved over time.
Corporate culture isn’t about catchy phrases plastered on posters for everyone to see. It’s about shaping the way employees interact with each other and the emotional atmosphere they work in. It also provides the framework for making better decisions. What's unique is that every employee plays a role in shaping this culture. At our company, this is embedded in the way we operate.
Why Corporate Culture is Crucial
When the company first started, there were only 12 people. As the team rapidly grew (300-400 employees by 2020, and expanding post-pandemic), we realized the need to reinvent our corporate culture. The goals were clear:
- Quick decision-making: Even as a company with over 3,000 employees, we maintained our startup spirit. Decisions had to be swift, allowing teams more autonomy.
- Employee loyalty (eNPS): We measure employee happiness quarterly, ensuring that everyone feels good in their teams and understands their purpose.
The Evolution of Culture
From our humble beginnings in 2015 as Charge, the company grew exponentially. By 2016, roles were limited to CTO, development, and testing. But as we scaled to 100 employees by 2019, we transitioned to cross-functional teams. Fast forward to 2021, with new roles like data analysts, architects, and cybersecurity experts, it became clear that we needed to reboot our culture to foster collaboration across business units.
We conducted a thorough cultural audit to identify what was working and what wasn’t. Drawing from our startup roots, we evaluated old practices to retain agility while adapting to our new corporate reality.
The Role of Hiring in Corporate Culture
Talent acquisition isn’t just a business function; it is one of the most influential factors in shaping corporate culture. As our team grew and more specialized roles were introduced, we realized that hiring people who align with our cultural values is just as important as their technical expertise. Our recruitment process started reflecting this, integrating cultural fit assessments that measured how candidates would thrive in a collaborative, fast-moving, and innovative environment. For making things happen right, I recommend you to learn about 10 essential HR skills - 10 Markers of True HR Expertise: Find the Right Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Partner
A culture that thrives on autonomy and responsibility requires employees who are not only highly skilled but also self-motivated and adaptable. That’s why, during interviews, we began asking questions that dug deeper into how candidates make decisions, handle ambiguity, and collaborate across teams. Hiring for cultural alignment ensured that the people we brought on board would not just survive but thrive and contribute to the growth of our company culture.
One of the key aspect which plays a key role in right growth described in our article Taking Control of Your Talent Strategy: Why Proactivity Beats Passivity
One of the key aspect which plays a key role in right growth described in our article Taking Control of Your Talent Strategy: Why Proactivity Beats Passivity
A Transparent HR Approach
No single individual is responsible for "building culture." As part of the HR team, we revamped recruitment and onboarding processes, emphasizing transparency. New hires were immersed in our company values from day one. Every employee had a mentor to guide them through nuances like workplace etiquette—even where to grab lunch! We then expanded benefits, offering things like sports compensation and exclusive discounts.
In 2022, we refined our conflict resolution guidelines and encouraged ecological communication—a key to creating a harmonious work environment. Leaders from various departments, including IT, sales, and healthcare, were involved in shaping this new vision. This collaboration helped align our core values with real workplace dynamics.
As we scaled to over 1,500 employees, maintaining this culture during the hiring process became essential. For example, when hiring leaders, we look for those who can drive cross-functional collaboration and lead with transparency and openness—values that are deeply embedded in our culture. This has helped us preserve the essence of our work environment, even as we continued to grow rapidly.
A New Era: Intranet and Health Initiatives
By 2022, we launched a corporate intranet portal that became the heart of internal communication. Employees could join interest-based communities, earn points for active participation, and exchange them for company merchandise. This initiative boosted employee engagement by 20%, and feedback became more frequent and actionable.
By 2023, we introduced new cultural projects—catalogs of rewards, gratitude modules, and employee satisfaction surveys. After gathering feedback, we integrated fresh ideas while staying aligned with our core mission of promoting health and well-being.
In 2024, we took things up a notch with an internal health community led by doctors. Employees could ask health-related questions, participate in sports challenges, and even join virtual fitness sessions hosted by company physicians. These initiatives enhanced both employee well-being and the informal connections between colleagues. The engagement rates were impressive, with 20-50% participation in most activities.
Learn more about: How to Develop Employee Engagement Strategies in Remote Environment? and Why is Employee Engagement Crucial for Companies?
Learn more about: How to Develop Employee Engagement Strategies in Remote Environment? and Why is Employee Engagement Crucial for Companies?
Core Values: The Guiding Principles
Today, our corporate culture is defined by these core principles:
- Product and Business Focus: We prioritize our in-house product and avoid custom development.
- Responsibility: Deadlines and agreements are respected without reminders.
- Focus: We don’t multitask with priority projects, ensuring deep engagement and quality results.
- Quick Feedback Cycles: We aim to see project results within a week or two. If not, we reevaluate the project.
- Autonomy: Every employee is aware of business goals and the impact of their work, with decisions made collaboratively.
- Transparency: Open communication about challenges is encouraged at all levels, with space for proposing solutions.
- Partnership: Cross-functional collaboration between product managers, developers, and analysts is a staple.
- Proven Technologies: We avoid unnecessary risks by choosing reliable, time-tested solutions.
Sustaining Culture in a Growing Company
Maintaining culture requires consistent monitoring through surveys, identifying areas for improvement, and providing feedback channels. A team lead plays a crucial role in onboarding new employees, educating them on cultural values and norms.
The biggest takeaway? Don’t relax. As the company evolves, so must the department responsible for maintaining culture. Engage with employees directly—ask them if initiatives are still relevant and keep the dialogue open. After all, we’re all human, and culture should reflect that.
Final Thoughts
Corporate culture, especially in a fast-growing environment like the UK’s tech unicorn, isn’t static. It’s a living, breathing entity that must adapt to the evolving needs of the business and its people. What I find most inspiring is how it goes beyond mere perks or slogans—culture here is about empowerment, transparency, and true collaboration across every level.
If you're aiming to reshape your corporate culture, start with the team responsible for shaping it, introduce changes thoughtfully, and always check that the values you promote align with reality.
If this resonates with you and you share our values, we would be glad to help you with hiring and talent acquisition. Contact us today for a special offer.
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