The CEO of Platinum Solutions, Laila Rossi, was recently featured in the June 2009 issue of Washington SmartCEO Magazine describing Platinum’s employee on-boarding process. New employees, having gone through a rigorous interview process designed to weed out all but the top 10% of candidates, are rewarded on their first day with a hand-written letter from Ms. Rossi, an engraved Platinum Solutions coin, a company jacket or polo shirt, Platinum candy, and a cubicle decorated with balloons. All of these items might seem like fluff in the big scheme of things, but they are integral in creating a welcoming community atmosphere, immediately establishing the fact that employees are appreciated and expected to uphold the company values of Integrity, Nothing is Impossible, Dedication to the Mission, Efficiency in Execution, and Alignment with the Client.

Perhaps most important to me as a new hire are the New Employee Journals. I, along with my fellow new hires, have been asked for eight weeks to send to Ms. Rossi, President Adam Rossi, and HR Director Mary Millholland a weekly journal describing the projects I am working on, what I have learned during the week, any issues I have encountered or changes I would make, and any positive experiences I have had. Based on their emailed responses, I am confident that these journals are read and digested, and this has opened the door for candid dialogue between employees and the Platinum executives.

This open communication between employees, management, and executives is the cornerstone of good company culture.

Prior to working at Platinum, I worked at NetApp, which was ranked the #1 Great Place to Work in 2009 by Fortune Magazine, and I learned a lot about company culture by working there. When I once mentioned to my manager that we ought to consider getting a ball pit, free cafeteria, and solar-charged electric car fleet like Google, she taught me the important lesson that it’s not the perks you get, but the people you work with that make a company a great place to work. And she was right.

Dave Hitz, co-founder of NetApp, wrote about corporate culture in his book, How to Castrate a Bull. In an interview with CNBC, Hitz talks about the importance of a good corporate culture in an economic downturn, highlighting not the benefits of a game room and cafeteria, but the more significant benefit of trust, which needs to exist on the organizational chart horizontally between employees and vertically with management and executives.

According to Hitz, another important factor of good corporate culture is the pride employees have in their work. In his book, he discusses the difference between working at a cattle ranch and running a high-tech start-up company, and he mentions Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in making the connection between the work one performs and the human need it fulfills. Here at Platinum Solutions, it is easier to make that connection and find importance in our work, as we create software that saves lives, helping the federal government monitor terrorist communications, arrest violent criminals, and improve the safety of prescription drugs. Most people feel pride in working towards something that makes a difference in the world, and that’s what we are doing here.

The benefits of good corporate culture are numerous, and I have had the privilege of witnessing many of them first-hand. They include improved employee productivity, communication, cooperation, and loyalty. Customers are more willing to interface with companies that value trust and integrity above making a quick buck, and employees react more positively to managers who share the truth instead of what they think everyone wants to hear. When employees are focused on how to get the job done instead of power-grabbing, everyone benefits.

So is good corporate culture important? Absolutely. And what makes for a good corporate culture? Trust, openness, a sense of community, and pride in work. Platinum Solutions began as a very small company and is rapidly expanding as more contracts are awarded, and it will become increasingly of the essence to ensure that its core corporate culture is not only maintained, but also improved upon as it is instilled in each new employee.