Business values

It is important to communicate your business values to employees at all levels so that everyone understands what they mean. This will also help employees know how they will be expected to behave to deliver the business values in practice.

You and your senior managers need to practice the values of your business every day, leading by example, to show employees what is expected of them and encourage them to do the same.

How to raise awareness and understanding of values

There are many practical ways you can raise awareness and build understanding of your core business values among employees. For example, you could:

• publish details of your business values in recruitment and induction materials
• discuss core values with senior managers to make sure they understand the importance of the values to your business - brief managers on business values
• provide a face-to-face induction session regarding the business values and what they mean for all new employees
• create a specific statement or picture of the core business values - for example - on wallcharts, posters, or postcards
• use internal communication channels to explain more and show how business values are guiding behaviour
• recognise and celebrate people who demonstrate the business' values in practice
• quote or refer to the values in your presentations, briefings or written communications so that employees see how important they are to you - for example - articles in newsletters or a blog
• write to colleagues congratulating them on examples of behaviour that delivers the values and celebrate these examples with other employees
• make a symbolic commitment - eg a pledge to business values - that you sign up to and ask employees to follow suit
• hold question time sessions that invite employees to ask you and other senior managers how you are delivering values in practice
• hold an employee workshop to explore values and behaviours
• include regular features or case studies in internal newsletters - or on the intranet if you have one - to show how employees have used the business values to inform their decision making
• create an online quiz so that employees can test their own understanding of the values and explore required behaviours
• invite employees to articulate what values mean to them in their own way - for example by submitting photos, films, or objects
• invite employees to nominate colleagues they feel are really living the core values, and celebrate these colleagues - for example - through internal publications, the intranet or your own messages and briefings
• ask employees or external experts to give lunchtime talks on what the values mean or how other businesses have embedded their values