Workplace culture - are we speaking in different languages?

Understanding our own company values

To understand where the disconnect is happening, let’s take a look at (the fictional) ‘Jolly PLC’ who has just re-published its values of Authority, Accessibility and Action.  

Accountability

(employees are authorised and encouraged to be accountable) 

When you (the employer) say you want accountability, I (the employee) hear that the organisation wants to be more transparent, own up to its errors, rectify past transgressions and generally be more responsive to feedback.  

What I (the employee) probably don’t hear is that the organisation wants me to be responsible for and take action on not just tasks within my job description, but for anything I come across that may be in the wider needs of the organisation … a lost visitor, a new starter who’s struggling, a box dropped on the staircase that needs moving, a broken tap in the toilets that needs reporting! It also wants to me to: 

• Own up when I have no work to do. 
• Be responsible for my own development and learning (where possible). 
• Actively consider ways to improve systems/processes etc for increased organisational success.  
• Maybe even act like an entrepreneur/manager, even though that’s not my job or my skill set. 

Remote working

(the employer seeks to make working accessible which includes a drive to fully remote or hybrid working) 

When you (the employer) say you’re happy with hybrid or remote working, I (the employee) hear that the organisation is happy with not always knowing what I’m doing and keeping me happy is important to the business. I feel I’m trusted, that I don’t need to be micromanaged, and that being visible/face-to-face isn’t important and being remote/less visible won’t impact my career or pay. My employer understands the importance of setting my work up in such a way that I feel engaged and they are accepting of me balancing my work with things that are going on at home.  

What I (the employee) may not hear is, it’s now my responsibility to …

• Live up to the trust placed in me.
• Get up and get dressed ready for work when I am supposed to be working.
• Not allow myself to get distracted from work with home chores.
• Not look after children at home while I’m supposed to be working.
• Not find devices to keep my mouse moving so I can pretend to work while no one is around to check up on me. 
• Not take advantage by taking time off without authorisation.

Speak up

(the employer seeks to encourage staff to speak up i.e. take action, if they have issues or concerns) 

When you (the employer) say that you want me to feel able to speak up about what has upset me, what I (the employee) hear is that whenever I am upset, I can raise a complaint with my manager or HR who will then take steps to resolve it. I believe there will be no adverse repercussions from speaking up and that all my complaints will be taken seriously.   

What I (the employee) may not hear is that my employer wants me to: 

• Take responsibility for raising issues that cause me upset or frustration and have the courage to have adult and respectful conversations with those who upset me.  
• Develop my skills so that I can be appropriately assertive enabling me to be professional in my communications.  
• Seek to resolve issues that upset or irritate me, and only escalate to my manager or HR when necessary or I’ve been unsuccessful.  
• Understand the difference between day-to-day frustrations and genuine complaints or upset/harm. 

Wellbeing

(the employer has new wellbeing policies, has trained up mental health first aiders and educated managers in how to better support with wellbeing – taking action) 

When you (the employer) say that employees’ wellbeing is the priority, what I (the employee) may hear is that I’m encouraged to take time off (or finish early) when I am ill, feel down or tired. I can also talk to my manager when I’m feeling anxious, or unwell and I’m encouraged to share any personal, health or medical details that I feel comfortable sharing. I can also talk freely about my personal difficulties at home and know that I’ll be supported however I’m feeling and whatever is going on with me.   

What I (the employee) may not hear is that: 

• My employer wants all its employees at work as much of the time as possible.
• I don’t have the right to expect my manager to give me as much time as I need to talk about my issues.  
• My employer is not replacing my GP (or partner or mother) as the first port of call when I am ill or unhappy.
• I will be formally managed if my absence is considered excessive or ‘frivolous’.  
• My employer expects me to take reasonable steps to resolve my own personal issues if it’s impacting my wellbeing.

The distortion of key workplace values

When considering organisational culture for this HR Blast, I Googled ‘top workplace values’. The only results that came up were articles about what employees want, with no mention of what employers want or need. This is an astonishing contrast to my last search a few years ago when I was preparing for a values training session with a Trade Union.  

We have to be really careful when focusing on culture that it doesn’t become a reactive approach to what Google tells us is important or what we read in the media about what we OUGHT to be doing. Neither Google nor social media cares if our organisation is still alive and successful in 5 or 10 years’ time. We therefore need a much more measured and considered approach and only by understanding our own business, people, customers, challenges etc. can we then identify the culture we need and will work towards. 

What does your organisation need for the year 2030?  

Successfully rethinking and reworking workplace culture  

Rethinking or reworking culture needs to be considered, and thought through – no knee jerk reactions, no impetuous ‘give aways’ to make us popular or get extra marks in our next staff survey, no following like sheep what social media tells us to do but we must check understanding every step of the way to ensure we are all speaking the same language.  

Culture change or culture development needs to be viewed as a cross functional project, involving all parts of the organisation. In terms of timescales, I can’t see how the project plan could have less than a 5-year focus as it takes time to achieve sustainable change. I once laughed to myself when a head of L&D asked to me guarantee that a 90-minute session with staff would deliver behavioural change (we were discussing unconscious bias and inclusion). Short cuts to change are seldom, if ever, successful. 

So, my recommendation is that before you even start to talk about reworking or developing your culture, you focus on developing communication and collaboration skills as these are the two key skills that I believe could make or break your culture change project. 

Key skills to develop before you start: 

• How to actively listen to understand, rather than listen to respond.
• How to disagree respectfully (adult/accountable language – transactional analysis).
• How to give constructive/solution focussed feedback that is respectful and maintains relationships.
• How to avoid or recognise Group Think.
• How to check understanding and how to receive and respond to messages or feedback you don’t like (accountability and responsibly and appropriate assertiveness).
• How to build and preserve relationships at work (social intelligence).
• How to value what others bring to the table that you do not (valuing diverse thinking and experiences).
• Understanding the fears and emotions that build walls and silos that all prevent cross function collaboration (emotional intelligence and adaptability quotient).

I can pretty much guarantee that a major win for all businesses that focus on developing these skills before starting a culture change project will be increased engagement, reduced conflicts and grievances, and a boost in collaborative problem-solving. 

Now you have a team ready to work together to build the culture that can make your organisation both successful and sustainable for 2030! Good luck! 

Workplace culture change support

If you’d like to grow and develop a workplace culture that reflects your values and priorities, please take a look at the links below to explore a few of suggestions. If you’re not sure where to start or if you’d prefer to talk things through, get in touch to see how we can help. 

• Effective relationships and communication skills
• Understanding social and emotional intelligence
• Collaboration skills 
• Respect in the workplace 
• Workplace champions