You’re Doing Culture Wrong
by Lisa Bodell for Forbes
Most workplace experts define a good company culture as having a positive and productive work environment. This translates into a strong mission statement, open communication, emphasis on well-being, team collaboration and more. For employees, a good company culture is one where they feel valued, supported and empowered to contribute their best work.
At a moment when attracting and retaining talent is crucial, I constantly observe heads of HR and Chief Culture Officers calling out the impressive aspects of their company culture: robust wellness programs, modern workspaces and inclusion initiatives. Yet according to Gallup’s 2024 Employee Engagement survey, only 20% of employees are extremely satisfied at work; just 47% know what’s expected of them at work; and a meager 34% report being able to “do what they do best.”
My theory for this disconnection? Benefits are irrelevant if your daily work is “broken.” People are drowning in meetings and emails, and exhausted by task lists that drain our energy and morale. While certain perks undoubtedly attract employees, they’re not enough to retain them. After all, if amazing perks and Instagram-worthy workspaces kept employees happy and engaged, Google would have a 100% retention rate…but they don’t.