Values at work: turning good intentions into everyday decisions

READ TIME - 4 minute read

Having organisational values is something that I have always felt very strongly about. Not just in terms of having values but to truly live by them.

By this I mean not to have values painted on your wall and on your webiste, but not one person in the organisation knows what they are (unless stood next to said painting) and certainly don’t know what they mean.

At Gateway HR our values are central to all that we do. All business decisions (including turning potential clients away), how we recruit for our team and how we recognise perfromance and great work. Yes we have them painted on the wall, but we all know exactly what they are and what they mean to us.

The difference between values that sound good and values that actually work is simple: are they used in everyday decisions, or only talked about?

The most effective organisations weave their values into how they recruit, manage, support and — when needed — challenge people. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

Start with recruitment (before day one)

Values shouldn’t be something employees discover six months in.

• Ask values-based interview questions, such as:
  “Tell me about a time you had to challenge something that didn’t feel right.”
  “What does ‘respect at work’ look like to you in practice?”

• Ask them how they interpret our values (also makes sure they have done their research)

• Share real examples of how values show up in your organisation — including the tricky moments..

Use values in performance conversations

Values shouldn’t sit separately from objectives — they shape how work gets done.

• Performance reviews that ask:
  “How have you demonstrated our values this month?” “Where have you found them challenging?”

• Recognising people not just for results, but for how they achieved them.

• Giving feedback through a values lens:
  “The way you did not give up on that project even when it got really tough, showed our value of resilience.”

Values as the anchor for difficult decisions

When behaviour needs to be challenged, values provide clarity. Used well, they:

• set clear expectations around conduct

• help managers explain why behaviour is unacceptable

• support consistency across teams

For example:

• “This behaviour isn’t aligned with our value of respect.”

• “Our value of integrity means we address issues early, not ignore them.”

This approach often feels more balanced and less personal than relying on policy wording alone.

Bring values to life (without it feeling forced)

Values don’t have to feel corporate or worthy. Some simple, effective ideas we’ve seen work well:

• asking teams to share examples of values in action at meetings

• rotating a “value of the month” with real stories, not slogans

• recognising people when they live the values — publicly and privately

• using scenarios or short discussions to explore what values look like in grey areas

There are some brilliant practical examples of this in the book Bring Our Values Out to Play, which focuses on making values human, memorable and usable — rather than theoretical. Well worth a read.

A final sense-check

If your values are working well, everyone in the organisation should know what they and just as importantly what they mean. People managers should be able to:

• refer to them confidently in everyday conversations

• use them to guide decisions without second-guessing themselves

• explain expectations clearly when things don’t go to plan

If you would like to know more about the Value of Values, you can watch my webinar here.

Until next week…

Best wishes,
Emma

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