27 Examples of Core Values in the Workplace To Help Inspire & Promote Yours
Only 23% of workers are sure they can apply their companies’ values to their work, and only 27% believe in those values. This signals the need to promote core values in the workplace, and as an HR professional, you are uniquely positioned to do so.
Core values guide how people behave and make decisions at work, shape company culture, and align everyone on the same goals. Clearly defined core values can build trust, improve communication, and support stronger leadership. They also help you hire the right people and keep them engaged by making their work more meaningful.
This article discusses core values in the workplace, their importance, 27 examples of such values, and how you can help promote them in your workplace to drive workforce morale and positive business outcomes.
Contents
What are core values in the workplace?
Why are core values necessary in the workplace?
27 examples of core values in the workplace
How to promote core values in the workplace: 5 HR tips
What are core values in the workplace?
Core values in the workplace (also called organizational values) are the fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that define how people in an organization interact with one another, make decisions, and achieve business goals. They are shared beliefs that inform everything, from leadership style to how a company handles conflict or responds to market changes.
Core values can influence strategy by guiding long-term planning, decision-making, and setting expectations for teamwork and communication. Values like transparency or empathy directly impact customers’ perception of and interaction with your company. Core values also set the workplace’s cultural tone, from onboarding to offboarding.
Why are core values necessary in the workplace?
Core values in the workplace are necessary for the following reasons:
- Consistency and trust: When your workforce knows what the company stands for, they can trust that decisions are made thoughtfully and fairly. As such, there’s less second-guessing, and staff feel more secure in their roles.
- Stronger employee alignment and performance: Employees who connect with organizational values and understand their role in the company’s bigger picture are more likely to be engaged and collaborative.
- Conflict resolution and prevention: Strong core values provide a solid basis for resolving disagreements. These values can offer direction in conflict, challenges, and uncertainty.
- Improved reputation and employer brand: Having strong core values and living up to them helps your company build a stronger, more authentic brand, which can attract and retain more top talent.
HR’s role in promoting core workplace values
Promoting a company’s values is a key HR function that allows you to add significant value to your organization. HR’s role in promoting core workplace values includes the following responsibilities:
- Hiring: Include core values in job descriptions and interview questions to give candidates an indication of what’s essential to your company. This can increase your chances of attracting talent aligned with those values.
- Onboarding: Introduce values early and explain their relevance in day-to-day work to help new hires better understand company culture, give their work greater meaning, and highlight the importance of embodying such values.
- Training and development: Reinforce values through ongoing learning programs. Interactive training can help employees better understand the company’s core values and why they matter in their daily job activities.
- Performance management: Define goals and expectations and recognize and reward behaviors aligned with values. This will help reinforce core values, increase staff morale and performance, and motivate and engage employees.
- Culture leadership: Model the values yourself. It’s critical to lead by example and champion leaders who do the same. If employees don’t see their leaders modeling the values, they are unlikely to do so themselves.
27 examples of core values in the workplace
The following 27 examples of core values in the workplace can inspire your approach to determining and driving your organization’s principles. Each value includes a real-life company example to illustrate how that organization embodies the value in question.
Example 1: Integrity
Integrity means doing the right thing consistently, even when it’s difficult or unpopular. Companies that lead with integrity build stronger relationships with employees, customers, and partners because this shows people can count on them to be honest and accountable.
Real-life example
Patagonia uses sustainable materials, promotes fair labor practices, and urges customers to buy only what they need — even if it means lower sales. It’s transparent about its supply chain and environmental impact, and has donated its $10 million tax cut to environmental groups. The brand has also transferred ownership to a trust to ensure future profits support climate causes.
Example 2: Innovation
Innovation involves encouraging creativity, experimentation, and continuous improvement to stay ahead of the current and competitive. It also allows companies to adapt and thrive in changing environments, and motivates employees to learn and develop on the job.
Real-life example
Google cultivates a culture of innovation with its “20% time” initiative, which lets employees spend part of their workweek on passion projects. Many of these have led to breakthrough products like Gmail—developer Paul Buchheit began working on it during his 20% time, and it eventually became one of the world’s most widely used email services.
Example 3: Teamwork
Teamwork is about strengthening and prioritizing collaboration, mutual support, and collective success over individual gain. It creates synergy and improves problem-solving processes, as well as stronger relationships among team members and team leads.
Real-life example
Atlassian embodies this core value with products like Jira, Confluence, and Trello, which enable better collaboration, communication, and project management. Internally, it promotes a strong team culture through cross-functional collaboration. Its Team Playbook reflects its belief in transparency and offers strategies to improve team health and performance.
Example 4: Accountability
Accountability is about taking responsibility for your actions and results and holding others and yourself to high standards. While mistakes are unavoidable occasionally, what matters is taking responsibility for your part in them and learning from them to avoid repetition.
Real-life example
Amazon uses leadership principles like ownership to instill a strong sense of accountability in employees at all levels. Employees are expected to take full responsibility for their work and results, while teams set clear goals, track progress with data, and fix problems at the root. Everyone is expected to deliver on promises and own both successes and failures.
Example 5: Customer focus
Customer focus prioritizes understanding and exceeding customer expectations. It creates loyalty and long-term relationships.
Real-life example
Zappos empowers employees to go above and beyond when serving customers, even if it means going off-script. Its support team is available 24/7, with no scripts or time limits, and is encouraged to do whatever it takes to make customers happy, including sending flowers or helping with non-Zappos purchases.
Example 6: DEIB
DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion) promotes a workplace that celebrates differences and helps a diverse workforce thrive. It ensures that all staff feel valued, respected, and empowered regardless of immutable traits like ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.
Real-life example
Salesforce invests heavily in DEIB programs and regularly publishes diversity reports, aiming for equity at all levels. It created an Office of Equality, supports employee-led groups, and practices inclusive hiring. It also tracks progress with data tools like equality dashboards and works to improve representation across the company.
Example 7: Sustainability
Sustainability entails environmentally conscious operations that prioritize conservation. It requires accountability for and transparency on governance, as well as environmental and societal impact. This includes carbon emission reduction, ethical resource use, and fair treatment of workers and communities.
Real-life example
Ben & Jerry’s integrates environmental and social missions into its business model, advocating for climate justice and sustainable sourcing. It uses fairtrade-certified ingredients, supports sustainable farming, works to reduce its carbon footprint through eco-friendly packaging and cleaner energy, and partners with non-profits to help drive climate action.
Example 8: Respect
Respect ensures individuals treat one another with dignity, listen actively, and appreciate different viewpoints. This core value is essential in the workplace as it builds trust, improves teamwork, and creates a positive environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Real-life example
Microsoft emphasizes a respectful, inclusive company culture that supports open dialogue and psychological safety. It supports diverse perspectives through inclusive hiring and employee resource groups. The company also sets clear standards for behavior, addresses bias, and creates a workplace where everyone feels valued and heard.
Example 9: Empathy
Empathy involves understanding and sharing others’ feelings, leading to stronger interpersonal relationships and a more compassionate workplace. It helps employees feel safe and supported, making them more likely to share their opinions and any issues they may face.
Real-life example
LinkedIn strongly emphasizes practicing empathy, particularly when managing teams and responding to employee needs. It encourages leaders to listen, understand challenges, and lead with compassion. The company offers one-on-one coaching to all employees, not just executives, helping staff navigate challenges like burnout and impostor syndrome.
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Example 10: Growth mindset
A growth mindset embraces challenges, sees failure as a learning opportunity, and values continual development. This value is important because it encourages learning, resilience, and continuous improvement, helping teams adapt and succeed in changing environments.
Real-life example
Netflix fosters a high-performance culture that encourages learning and adapting quickly to change. Its famous “freedom and responsibility” approach empowers teams to make decisions and learn from outcomes rather than fear mistakes. This mindset helps Netflix stay innovative and competitive in the streaming industry.
Example 11: Transparency
Transparency involves open communication, honest information sharing, and building trust through transparency in decision-making. It also inspires confidence in employees and leadership, leading to better collaboration and business outcomes.
Real-life example
Buffer is known for radical transparency, openly sharing company information — including salaries, revenue, and internal decisions — online with both employees and the public. It maintains a public salary calculator, publishes diversity reports, and discusses challenges and mistakes on its blog, reinforcing a culture of honesty and clarity.
Example 12: Excellence
Excellence drives high performance, continuous improvement, and pride in one’s work. It means setting high standards, paying attention to detail, and always striving to improve (both individually and collectively). This leads to better results and long-term success.
Real-life example
Apple’s laser focus on product design and user experience reflects a relentless pursuit of excellence. The company is known for its keen attention to detail, from product engineering to packaging, and encourages a culture of precision and craftsmanship. It also pushes employees to challenge limits and constantly improve, with a strong focus on quality over convenience.
Example 13: Curiosity
Curiosity inspires learning, innovation, and problem-solving. It involves asking questions, exploring new ideas, and being open to different perspectives. Curious employees are more likely to find better solutions, adapt to change, and help their teams grow.
Real-life example
3M focuses on curiosity to drive innovation, with its 15% Culture encouraging employees to dedicate 15% of their time to experimental projects. This policy has resulted in the invention of breakthrough products like Post-it Notes and Scotch Tape, which became two of 3M’s most prominent products and significantly boosted its innovation portfolio.
Example 14: Cost-consciousness
Cost-consciousness helps companies use resources wisely, avoid waste, and stay financially healthy through awareness of expenses and spending decisions. It also means finding ways to do more with less, supporting long-term growth, and keeping businesses competitive.
Real-life example
IKEA makes its products affordable and sustainable through smart design, flat-pack packaging, and efficient supply chains. It also encourages employees to find low-cost solutions to help the business stay lean while offering customers value. As part of its commitment to maintaining low costs, frugality is a key part of IKEA’s culture, from travel policies to product development.
Example 15: Adaptability
Adaptability helps teams stay effective amid change by ensuring they’re open to new ideas, can handle unexpected events, and can quickly adjust to shifting priorities. Adaptable employees keep businesses flexible, resilient, competitive, and ready to grow.
Real-life example
Zoom adapted rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, scaling operations and addressing new customer needs virtually overnight. It also improved its security features. Internally, Zoom supports flexible work and encourages teams to respond quickly to feedback as part of a company culture that embraces change and continuous improvement.
Example 16: Empowerment
Empowerment gives employees the confidence and authority to make decisions, solve problems, and take ownership of their work. It entails providing the right tools and support and encouraging initiative, leading to better engagement, performance, and team morale.
Real-life example
Spotify uses agile Squads, Tribes, Chapters, Guilds, Trios, and Alliances to give teams autonomy to make decisions and manage their own projects, fostering ownership, experimentation, and speed. This structure encourages creativity, fast problem-solving, and a strong sense of responsibility, helping the company stay agile and innovative.
Example 17: Collaboration
Collaboration unites people to share ideas, solve problems, and achieve common goals more effectively. This means working as a team, communicating openly, and respecting each other’s strengths, which leads to better results and a stronger, more connected work culture.
Real-life example
Slack’s product fosters collaboration, and the company culture is designed around cross-team interaction and shared goals. It uses its own product to promote open communication, cross-team alignment, and quick decision-making. This focus on seamless, transparent collaboration helps both its employees and customers work better together.
Example 18: Responsibility
Responsibility reflects a company’s commitment to doing what’s right for its employees, customers, community, and environment. It ensures everyone, especially leadership, follows through on their tasks, owns their actions, and contributes to overall business success.
Real-life example
Through its Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), Unilever prioritizes social and environmental responsibility. The plan sets clear goals (e.g., cutting greenhouse gas emissions, using sustainable raw materials, and supporting fair labor practices), and Unilever publishes regular progress reports to demonstrate taking responsibility for its social and environmental impact.
Example 19: Trust
Trust builds strong working relationships, encourages open communication, and helps teams work smoothly. This value is vital, as being honest, keeping promises, and relying on one another to do the right thing typically leads to a more positive and productive environment.
Real-life example
The Motley Fool trusts its employees by allowing them to manage their schedules, work remotely, and take unlimited vacations. The company encourages open communication and shares business information transparently. This culture of trust helps employees feel valued and motivated, leading to strong performance and loyalty.
Example 20: Wellbeing
Prioritizing physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing creates a happier, more productive workforce. This typically involves making a healthy work environment, offering support (e.g., flexible schedules and mental health resources), and encouraging work-life balance.
Real-life example
SAP ensures employee wellbeing with flexible work options, mental health support, and wellness programs focused on physical and emotional health. It provides resources like counseling, fitness benefits, and regular check-ins to support employee needs. SAP also promotes a culture of balance and care, recognizing that healthy employees are key to long-term success.
Example 21: Learning
A learning culture promotes continuous education, skills development, and knowledge sharing, helping employees grow their skills, stay up to date, and adapt to change. This often involves training, feedback, and new challenges, leading to stronger teams and business success.
Real-life example
Deloitte University is a central hub for employee learning and development (L&D), offering in-person and virtual training programs to build leadership, technical, and soft skills. It allows all employees to grow through hands-on learning, collaboration, and mentorship. This reflects Deloitte’s commitment to investing in its people and preparing them for future challenges.
Example 22: Passion
Passion drives motivation, creativity, and a strong commitment to doing quality work. It entails caring deeply about your role, taking pride in what you do, and bringing energy that inspires others, leading to better results and a more engaged team.
Real-life example
Nike embodies this value by inspiring employees and customers through its commitment to sport, innovation, and empowerment. It encourages employees to channel their love for sports and creativity into bold, innovative ideas and products, creating a workplace that channels passion into better performance and business outcomes.
Example 23: Courage
Courage empowers people to speak up, take smart risks, and face challenges head-on. It involves being honest even when it’s difficult, doing the right thing (and encouraging others to do the same), and pushing for change. This helps teams grow stronger and more resilient.
Real-life example
Airbnb shows courage by supporting refugees and immigrants through its Open Homes program. It launched Airbnb.org to provide shelter for people in crisis, and offered free stays to those affected by the 2017 U.S. travel ban. The company also pledged to house 100,000 refugees, and partners with groups like the International Rescue Committee to make it happen.
Example 24: Humility
Humility helps people stay open to feedback, learn from mistakes, and value others’ ideas. It means putting team success ahead of ego, admitting when you’re wrong, and always looking to grow. This often results in better collaboration and stronger leadership.
Real-life example
Shopify encourages humility through a culture where learning and growth matter more than ego. It encourages employees to ask questions, admit when they don’t know something, and improve through feedback. Leadership emphasizes servant-style management, where managers support their teams rather than control them, reinforcing a humble and team-first mindset.
Example 25: Efficiency
Efficiency is crucial in the workplace because it helps teams get more done with less time, effort, and resources. It entails working smart, staying focused, and streamlining processes to reduce waste, leading to better results, faster progress, and lower costs.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) has revolutionized efficiency through lean manufacturing and continuous improvement (Kaizen). Through this system, Toyota focuses on making only what’s needed, when it’s needed, and reducing anything that doesn’t add value. This helps the manufacturer build high-quality cars quickly and cost-effectively.
Example 26: Purpose-driven
Being purpose-driven entails aligning daily work with a larger mission. This boosts engagement, guides decision-making, and helps teams stay focused on long-term impact. It also gives employees a clear sense of meaning and motivation beyond profits.
Real-life example
TOMS practices being purpose-driven by building its business around social impact. It started with its One for One model, which involved donating a pair of shoes for every pair sold. Though the program is now defunct, the company has since expanded its mission to support mental health, access to education, and equity initiatives, giving a third of its profits to grassroots efforts.
Example 27: Fairness
Fairness entails treating people equally, making decisions based on merit, and consistently and transparently applying rules, opportunities, and rewards. Doing so builds trust, reduces conflict, and helps everyone feel respected and valued, increasing employee morale.
Real-life example
Accenture ensures fairness through equal opportunity, pay equity, and inclusive hiring. Additionally, it helps clients design transparent, unbiased, and inclusive AI systems and has developed frameworks to detect and reduce algorithmic bias. It also trains its teams on ethical AI practices to ensure fair AI use that benefits all users, not just a select few.
AIHR’s core values
Like the companies mentioned above, AIHR has its own set of clearly defined core values that have helped shape the company’s culture and guide its approach to all aspects of the business. These five core values and what they entail are:
- Ownership: Taking initiative, owning both successes and failures, and proactively solving problems. It also means celebrating the initiative and not just the outcome, delegating authority and enabling colleagues, and leading by example.
- Excellence: Aiming to over-deliver by always giving 100% and refusing to settle for anything besides the best. This value also involves taking pride in one’s work, and continuously improving work processes.
- Data-driven: Being data-driven entails using data to make unbiased, informed decisions, and sharing data that leads to conclusions. At the same time, it’s important to challenge available data to ensure it’s accurate and up-to-date.
- Trust: Delivering on commitments, trusting one another to make the right decisions, and always assuming good intentions. AIHR models this by encouraging autonomy, transparent communication, and openness about vulnerabilities.
- Hunger to grow: The hunger to grow involves continuously improving daily, fueling the desire to learn, being unafraid to fail and celebrate mistakes, and being proactive in sharing feedback and keeping one another accountable.
How to promote core values in the workplace: 5 HR tips
Here are some key actions you can take to promote core values in the workplace:
- Integrate values into hiring: Use behavioral interview questions to assess each candidate’s alignment with company values. This ensures you don’t just hire for skills but also for cultural fit and contribution.
- Recognize and reward aligned behaviors: Publicly recognize and reward employees who demonstrate core values, and tie recognition programs to specific value-based behaviors.
- Mention values in daily operations: Reinforce values in staff meetings, emails, and performance reviews to keep them at the top of everyone’s mind.
- Offer training tied to core values: Develop training sessions that build skills and behaviors around each value (e.g., empathy, leadership, or teamwork.
- Create a strong value statement: Write a strong and clear value statement that forms the foundation of your company’s work culture. Define your mission, determine your values, use clear language, and embed the values across the board.
To sum up
Whether you need to add to your culture or are just starting to define it, core values in the workplace are more than just corporate slogans; they influence your work environment and employer brand.
Start by understanding why core values are important, identifying the right ones for your business, and intentionally promoting them through hiring, training, and daily behavior. This will help you create and support a workplace where both employees and the business thrive.
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