We send our kids off to their first day of school, hoping they “fit in” because we know this is key to their wanting to go back to school the next day and every day for the rest of the year.

It’s really no different for employees looking for a workplace where they fit in. A sense of common purpose attracts employees who are engaged in their work, want to stay with the organization and, most importantly, do what we are all hoping for from our staff: provide compassionate care and service to the residents who have chosen to live with us.

When I arrived at Chartwell Seniors Housing REIT in January 2008, in the new position of Executive Vice-President, People, I noticed lots of common ground on what was important to the people of Chartwell, and a good feeling among staff in both the corporate office and retirement residences I visited. This had yet to be translated, however, into words and phrases we could all get behind – probably not surprising for an organization that did not exist until November 2003 and had grown to over 275 retirement residences and long-term care homes across North America in only four years.

We needed to take a breath and write down what we wanted our values to be. An absence of common values, as well as initiatives to make them really live, creates a risk that your corporate culture will be defined for you, not by you.

A common thread of values is even more important for large organizations with employees spread out geographically. And, in the case of the retirement home sector, larger players often have a mix of new properties where the culture slate is clean and acquired properties that come with their own defined culture.

Developing corporate values is crucial, but it’s just the beginning. The harder, ongoing journey is making sure employees and employers are aligned on the values, and that, collectively, they’re living them every day.

There is no recipe for success. The effort is in fact much more like cooking than baking: there are some key ingredients, but precise measurement is less important than spicing up your initiatives with a variety of creative ideas that work for you.

The foundational ingredient, however, is support from senior leadership. And I don’t just mean during the week you launch the values or the first year when there is excitement around them. This buy-in has to be for the long haul. At a “fireside chat” session with CEOs from three of Canada’s top employers, I heard all of them talk about their ongoing commitment to their corporate values and the values agreement they had with their employees.

Your values should also be built into your recruitment process. Ask candidates what makes them tick, what they value, and see if their answers correspond with what you are looking for as an employer. Make sure the company’s values are a key part of the orientation process and the performance appraisal program. At Chartwell, we have added a section to our performance appraisal forms where employees tell us how they are living the values. Be clear, though: this is a two-way street. During the performance appraisal process, and really anytime, employees should feel safe to discuss situations in which they believe the company is not living up to its end of the value pact.

Clear values can also improve dialogue between co-workers. We challenge people to first ask themselves whether their own behaviour is aligned with company values before they demand that of others.

Your values should be reflected in your employee recognition programs. For example, if “commitment to the organization” is a value, it means that you consider staying with the organization important, so length-of-service awards would be appropriate. If you value giving back to society, you can demonstrate this through corporate-giving initiatives and create a recognition program for employees who volunteer outside work.

Look at recognition programs you’ve had for years; if they do not fit with your values and the culture you are trying to create, change them. For example, at Chartwell we had a lucky draw every December for cash prizes. Of the 10,000 employees across Canada, 23 would win based on their name being pulled from a drum. Although the contest was exciting for those particular individuals, luck is not one of our values; so we changed it up. Our budget stayed the same, but instead of a draw we created a Living our Corporate Values Contest. Now the entire team of employees in 10 homes or residences across the country has the opportunity to share in the winnings based on submitting a story, a video, a scrapbook or an audio tape that demonstrates how staff are living our corporate values. Not only does this activity match our values, but it allows us to share stories and ideas with employees throughout the company.

We consciously decided not to dictate how to live out our values. Instead we asked people to come up with ways to demonstrate this themselves. The creativity has been amazing. Here’s a sample:

One corporate office department developed a code of conduct on how staff will behave with each other and with their customers to demonstrate the organization’s values. They asked that feedback be built into their next performance review.

Another group ends every monthly conference call with their general managers with three examples of people who have demonstrated the values that month.

In its lobby, a retirement residence posted examples of how they live each of Chartwell’s seven corporate values, generating lots of interest from residents and visitors alike.

Thanks to another group, operations reports that previously carried only financial and resident-care data now include examples of staff living out the values.

Turning off BlackBerrys in meetings was adopted by one group as a commitment to living our value of respect.

And this is just the beginning. As Steve Suske, CEO and Vice-Chair of Chartwell, says, “This is exactly what we were hoping for. I can’t wait to see what people come up with next.”