What makes a workplace feel different from another? Why do some companies attract and keep great people, while others struggle just to keep the basics running? In our experience at EWS Limited, we’ve seen one thing stand out every time: authentic company values are the root system of a great workplace culture. They ground decisions, shape how people treat each other, and give employees a clear sense of purpose.
But saying “we care about our values” is not enough. Too many firms, especially during rapid growth or cross-border expansion, slip into the trap of “values washing” or let their culture drift. This article will show how we, and our clients, build genuine company values that don’t just sound impressive—they actually change the way people work, lead, and grow a business.
Let’s start with the business case. Multiple studies confirm that clear company values are one of the biggest drivers of positive culture, engagement, trust, and performance.
Values act as an internal compass—making tough decisions simpler, encouraging accountability, and giving employees a reason to feel proud of their work. For those leading global mobility, diversity, or onboarding programs, values help create consistency across countries and teams. And for growing firms (Series B/C, or fast-expanding IT companies), strong values support sustainable growth and make scaling possible without losing the company’s character.
Culture is built—or broken—by the values we choose every day.
We’ve seen how values, when clear and alive, show up everywhere.
This is especially helpful for small businesses and startups, which may not have huge budgets to compete on salary or perks. Our clients often start with fewer resources but gain an edge by attracting and keeping people who connect with their mission and culture. A great example is our feature on employer branding, which highlights how values-driven messaging sets firms apart.
It’s easy to make mistakes with company values—especially for ambitious and fast-growing businesses. In our years working with companies across more than 100 countries, we’ve seen these pitfalls over and over:
If your values don’t match daily behavior, they can backfire and damage trust far more than having no stated values at all.
So how do we, and our clients, create authentic, effective values that shape the real culture of the business? Here’s a proven process:
Begin by talking with your team. Survey employees at every level. Hold interviews or open workshops. Instead of inventing “aspirational” values, ask:
Invite managers, team leads, and long-serving employees. Make sure the discussion is open—no “right” answers, just honest observations.
Look for themes and specific stories—not just buzzwords.
Strong values reflect what makes your business unique. Avoid copying big brands or trends. Instead, anchor in your own stories, markets, and people.
A value must be easy to spot and hard to confuse. To do this, turn abstract statements into clear “this looks like/doesn’t look like” scenarios. For every value, list:
For instance, let’s say your value is “Take Ownership.” The examples could look like:
Positive example: “When a customer flagged an issue, Ella fixed it herself even though it wasn’t her project. She updated the team and suggested a new process to prevent future errors.”
Negative example: “A problem was ignored and blamed on another team, leading to delays and frustration.”
We’ve found one of the best ways to keep values alive is to summarize each on a single, quick-reference page or card. For each value, list the name, supporting behaviors, positive examples, and a violation example. Include these in your onboarding, HR systems, and team meetings.
Keep it short. Keep it real. Keep it present.
Before publishing, run the draft values and examples by a broad mix of staff. Ask if they feel authentic and if it’s realistic to expect these as daily behaviors. Adjust language where it feels forced or jargon-heavy. The aim is to create “living” values that people can use in real conversations and choices.
A company’s values shouldn’t gather dust in a handbook. Here’s how we—and many of our global clients—integrate values into the rhythms of company life:
Include values in job ads, screening, and interviews. Instead of asking, “Are you a team player?” we suggest:
During onboarding, share real stories and examples of each value in action. Make time for discussion—new employees remember stories more than slides.
Add value references to job descriptions and integrate them into HR systems, platforms, or dashboards. Visual reminders in your HR software help values stay present.
Tie annual or quarterly reviews to behaviors from your values overview. Make sure feedback includes examples of living the values—not just hitting metrics.
Set up regular recognition, like weekly shoutouts or a channel for team-wide thanks tied to values. Even simple gestures (an email, a mention in a meeting, or a small reward) help keep values top of mind.
Recognition for value-aligned actions sends a clear message: This is who we are and what we reward.
When facing hard calls—like layoffs, handling mistakes, or resolving conflicts—use your documented values as a guidepost.
Empower managers to give feedback or coaching using the language of the values. And remember, building a values-driven culture is not about being perfect. It’s about steady progress, learning openly, and keeping the conversation real.
We’ve written about building inclusive teams and engagement strategies—both benefit when values drive the conversation.
If values are a foundation, how do you know they’re holding up? At EWS, we use several sample metrics and encourage clients to gather feedback often.
For more on improving engagement and wellness, our guide to nudging well-being and productivity is a helpful resource.
If you’re seeing better collaboration, faster resolution of problems, and more genuine recognition, your values are truly taking root.
It’s a common belief that well-defined company culture is a luxury of big organisations with big HR budgets. We’ve seen the opposite. Strong values give smaller companies a secret advantage—helping them:
When expanding internationally, especially as a first hire in a new country, clear values and documented practices support consistent, compliant onboarding—an area in which EWS Limited supports clients globally.
Culture is the engine; values are the fuel.
To bring the process to life, here are real examples we’ve seen among our clients:
Each of these values is supported by clear behaviors, real stories, and routines—not just posters.
We use and recommend modern HR and operations platforms that centralize the people process—making it easy to include values in onboarding, review forms, internal communications, and analytics. By connecting payroll, compliance, benefits, and documentation in one place, you reduce friction for HR teams and employees alike.
Digital systems become even more powerful when they make your values visible and part of the workflow, not a hidden file on a drive.
With EWS Limited’s global expertise, we help clients embed these values and processes in compliant ways—so growing across new locations doesn’t mean losing cultural cohesion.
For fully remote or hybrid teams, values provide the “glue” that keeps collaboration healthy, as we explored in our article on recruiting and maintaining remote teams.
Creating authentic, lived company values takes focus, honest feedback, and real commitment from leadership. But the payoff is massive: stronger engagement, faster growth, easier decision-making, and lower risk of toxic culture or high turnover. This is as true for a small, scrappy startup as for a company expanding into new global markets.
We’ve seen again and again that the most successful, inspiring workplaces are those where values are more than a slogan—they are a promise lived out every day.
If you want support building a real values-driven culture, or need help expanding your team across borders while keeping your unique identity, get to know EWS Limited today. Let’s connect the dots for your growth and help your values work as hard as your people do.
Company values are the guiding principles that shape how a business and its employees operate, make decisions, and relate to each other and customers. They act as a foundation for culture and are often captured in a short set of beliefs or priorities that define “how we do things around here.” Examples might include integrity, ownership, collaboration, or continuous learning.
Company values provide a clear sense of direction for everyone—leadership and employees alike. They influence hiring, performance reviews, problem solving, and recognition. When lived daily, values drive engagement, boost trust, and help maintain consistency during growth or times of change. Without strong values, companies risk misalignment and a toxic or dysfunctional culture (as highlighted in studies from the MIT Sloan Management Review).
Start by listening to your people. Use surveys and workshops to identify behaviors that drive real success. Keep the list short (3-5 values), make each value clear and actionable, and always provide concrete examples of both living the value and what violating it means. Test with employees to ensure values feel authentic. Document each value on a single page for reference, and bring them to life in all HR processes.
Values turn into culture when employees experience them every day—through recognition, decision making, and leadership actions. They create shared expectations, help resolve conflicts, and give employees pride and motivation. Companies with clear, well-lived values see greater commitment and lower turnover, especially in periods of fast change, as shown by studies at the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.
Effective communication means integrating values into every stage of the employee experience—job ads, interviews, onboarding, meetings, and reviews. Use real stories, visible reminders in the workspace or HR software, and regular recognition programs. Leadership must model the values, and feedback should reference specific behaviors. Keep discussions open, and regularly revisit the values to ensure they stay current and alive in daily work.
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