Are Your Company Values Still True?
Most businesses have values. They’re printed on posters, shared in slide decks, and mentioned at town halls. But here’s the question:
When was the last time you reviewed them?
Values are not fixed. They are shaped by people, leadership, and the realities of how your business operates. Over time, they change. New leaders bring fresh ideas. Strategies shift. Cultures evolve. Yet many businesses still hold onto values written five or six years ago, treating them as permanent when, in reality, they may no longer reflect the current environment.
Ask yourself: are your values still accurate?
Can you really describe your business as collaborative if the marketing team updates the careers page without speaking to Talent Acquisition? What about the senior leader who regularly undermines others, do they genuinely model integrity, or just use the word in presentations?
If your stated values no longer match the day-to-day reality of how people work together, then you are not building trust. You are risking it. Employees notice when behaviour and messaging don’t line up. New hires feel it too. That kind of misalignment often leads to early disengagement, poor performance, or quiet exits.
This is not just theory.
A 2022 study by Qualtrics found that 52 percent of employees would take a pay cut to work at a company whose values better align with their own. At the same time, while 89 percent of leaders believe people leave for money, only 12 percent actually do. More than half of employees say they would quit if the culture does not feel like the right fit.
Values are not just a branding exercise. They influence retention, engagement, hiring success, and reputation.
They also play a critical role in onboarding. If the version of the company that was described during the hiring process does not match the experience in the first few weeks, new hires will either leave or mentally check out. Either way, it impacts productivity, morale, and momentum.
At the end of last year, I spoke at the Auckland Recruitment Meet Up on employer branding. One theme stood out across every conversation: the most important thing is to be authentic. It is not about being perfect. It is about being honest.
You would not market a product using features it no longer offers. So why promote a set of values that no longer reflect how your business operates or who is leading it?
Here is the takeaway:
Review your values regularly. At least once a year, and especially after major leadership changes.
Do not treat values as a top-down exercise. Involve people across teams and functions.
Make sure your external messaging — especially your careers page — reflects the culture people actually experience.
Use onboarding feedback to test whether new hires are feeling what was promised during the recruitment process.
If your values have not been reviewed in years, or if they no longer reflect who you are, now is the time to revisit them. Not for branding. For trust.
And if you’re thinking about how your values, culture, or EVP are showing up in market, Northborn can help. Whether you’re refining what you stand for or just want an outside perspective, we’re here to assist.
Talk to Northborn.
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