Company values are the few core principles and beliefs that guide how a company makes decisions and how its people behave at work. They are also called core values or workplace values.
Values sit underneath the company culture. They set how employees treat each other and customers, which trade-offs leaders make when goals conflict, and what the company will not do even when it would be profitable. Written down, they are a short list; lived, they show up in hiring, reviews, promotions and everyday decisions.
Company values, core values and workplace values
The three terms are used interchangeably. "Core values" stresses that these are the fundamental few, the backbone of the culture, rather than every nice-sounding quality. "Workplace values" usually refers to how those principles show up in daily work: how meetings run, how problems are raised, how decisions are made.
Examples of company values
Common values include integrity, accountability, respect, teamwork, innovation, transparency and customer focus. A value only means something once it is translated into behavior:
| Value | What it looks like in practice |
|---|---|
| Transparency | Open communication and honest updates, which build trust and make collaboration easier |
| Teamwork | People help each other reach shared goals and are recognized for it, not only for individual wins |
| Customer focus | Empathy, responsiveness and service quality are part of every role, not only customer-facing ones |
| Sustainability | Decisions that reduce waste, use resources efficiently and support environmental initiatives |
| Accountability | People own their commitments and outcomes, and mistakes are acknowledged and fixed |
How company values shape HR
Hiring. Values give interviewers a benchmark for whether a candidate's values align with the company's, which supports cultural fit and later retention.
Onboarding and training. New hires learn not just the rules but the reasons behind how things are done.
Performance management. Many companies review how people work as well as what they deliver, using the values as the yardstick.
Employee relations and decisions. Values give managers a consistent reference point for difficult calls, especially in challenging times.
Brand and reputation. Customers and partners consider a company's values and ethical stance when deciding whether to buy from or work with it.
How to define your company values
Values that leadership writes alone tend to stay on the wall. A better process gathers input from employees, managers and HR through surveys, workshops and discussions, then narrows it down:
Collect what people believe the company already does at its best and what it should never compromise on.
Keep a short list, usually three to six values, each with a one-line description.
Define the behaviors that show each value, and the ones that break it.
Build them into hiring questions, onboarding, reviews and recognition.
Communicate them repeatedly, and let leaders model them.
Values work best alongside a clear vision statement: the vision says where the company is going, the values say how it will get there.
When values and behavior do not match
If the stated values are not reflected in how people actually behave, or in who gets promoted, employees notice the gap. The result is disconnect from company goals, lower engagement and morale, and higher turnover. HR's job is to keep communicating and reinforcing the values and to flag where policies or leadership decisions contradict them.
How it works in Skailer
In Skailer, HR can tie employee recognition to the values: add a badge category with your own badges, for example one per value, and set who can give them. Each award stays on the employee's profile with the giver, the date and a comment, so the values show up in everyday work, not only on a poster.
To see how your values, surveys and recognition compare with the rest of your HR processes, take the free HR health check.
Why are company values important?
They guide decision-making, align the team around a shared purpose and shape the culture. Clear values also influence how customers, partners and candidates see the company.
What are examples of core values?
Integrity, accountability, respect, teamwork, innovation, transparency and customer focus are common. Each should come with concrete behaviors; if teamwork is a core value, people are expected and recognized for collaborating and supporting each other.
How do company values impact hiring?
They give a benchmark for assessing whether a candidate's values align with the company's, which leads to a more cohesive team and better retention.
How do workplace values affect company culture?
They set the tone for how colleagues interact, how leadership is perceived and how work gets done day to day. Strong alignment between values and culture tends to produce a more engaged and productive workforce.
What happens if core values are not aligned with employee behavior?
Employees disconnect from organizational goals, engagement and morale drop and turnover rises. HR needs to communicate and reinforce the values consistently and make sure policies and promotions match them.