Attracting top talent and overcoming ongoing skill shortages is no longer about offering candidates the highest pay. CFOs in the technology and engineering sector have realized the importance of a good company culture and a positive workplace for attracting and retaining top talent and driving organizational growth.
Tenets of a Good Company Culture
While there are many factors that CFOs can focus on to improve company culture, SSi People launched a poll that asked participants what the main factors are right now. 66% of participants in the survey said supporting work-life balance was a top focus, while 17% said open communication, 15% said offering a sense of purpose, and 2% said employee recognition.
Supporting Work-Life Balance
The right balance between work and life is different for every employee. However, tech and engineering CFOs can foster an environment where positive company culture can be enhanced, and everyone feels like they have an opportunity to thrive.
One way to implement a supportive environment for employee growth is by improving the workplace so employees can feel safe. The safer employees feel in their surroundings, the more likely they are to share their ideas, increase their productivity, and embrace their creativity. Tom Moran, CFO at Komi Group, a digital media company, redesigned the workplace so that the office had a homier feel and supported each employee no matter how they felt that day. There are quiet, undisturbed rooms for employees to work and a kitchen full of goodies.
In addition to making the workplace safer and more supportive, work-life balance can also be achieved through encouraging outside work endeavors. For example, part of Google’s company culture is 20% time, which encourages employees to devote a portion (20%) of their workweek to personal projects or initiatives. This concept improves creativity and encourages new ideas while also supporting employees’ interests outside of work.
Cultivating Open-Communication
Encouraging open communication is a great way to improve company culture. Not only does it allow for the free expression of ideas, discussions, and thoughts, but it also allows concerns and worries to be brought up in a respectful and honest manner. Open communication has become increasingly important for improving company culture as stress, anxiety, burnout, and mental health issues rise in the workplace.
Mental health issues are a seriously prevalent issue in the workplace. Negative company culture can contribute to stress, anxiety, and burnout, all of which decrease productivity and repel top talent. One way to foster open communication to improve company culture and minimize mental health issues related to the workplace is to position the organization and its leaders as mental health allies. This can be done by encouraging restorative breaks from daily activities such as meditation, yoga classes, stress-reducing workshops, and employee social clubs, which advertising giant Ogilvy implements. These activities help improve mental and physical well-being. Still, they also create a safe space for open conversation regarding mental health issues such as stress and anxiety, which can help improve overall company culture and an individual’s well-being.
Employee Purpose & Empowerment
Improving company culture includes ensuring employees feel valued and empowered. Tech and engineering CFOs can help achieve this by giving employees some autonomy and responsibility that can help drive the company and its culture to where the employees wish it to be.
Employees who feel a sense of ownership over their work and are trusted to make decisions based on budgets, customer interactions, etc., feel a more significant connection to their work and the ability to effect change.
For example, engineers at Netflix are allowed to make their own decisions and take ownership of their projects, which facilitates autonomy and creativity and gives employees a sense of value and motivation.
Improving company culture to attract top talent has become increasingly important in 2025. These are a few of the ways that CFOs and other tech & engineering leaders have found success in improving their culture and workplace so that they can attract and retain top candidates to help drive their organization toward growth and success.