Southwest Airlines is a company that is well known for having a very strong organizational culture. I know many Southwest employees who have worked with Southwest for years. Southwest Airlines gets millions of applicants but they only hire candidates that they feel will fit in well with their organizational culture. They put their employees first before their customers. They treat their employees as valuable assets and heavily invest in their employees. They have a very loving, happy, fun work environment and amazing team spirit. Their employees are very loyal and happy. They stay with the company for the long term. I have so many family members and friends who have worked for Southwest Airlines for years and are still current employees there. They love their jobs and have grown with the company. That’s why Southwest Airlines has highly satisfied employees and attracts many applicants.
The Southwest example is a great application culture. Culture can make or break a team/unit/department/company. The stats shared demonstrates who that makes a financial and HR impacts. Turnover is expensive. So, how can a leader build a culture that supports this? Is it from the top down or can middle managers do it regardless of the company’s focus?