Culture is Not a Benefits Package
Culture is built through relationships and interactions, not an expanded benefits offering…
Are your employees happy? Do they enjoy going to work each day? Do they find what they do fulfilling? The answer to all these questions is deeply influenced by your company’s culture.
Culture is the pervasive element that weaves in and out of every aspect of your business. It is like the air your employees breathe…(deep breathe in…deep breathe out…ahhhhhh). Hopefully that breathe was refreshing, living-giving, encouraging, and mind-sharpening! If not…if that breathe was labored, burdened with concern or drama, filled with doubt or discouragement…you may need to take a deeper look at your company’s culture.
What is weighing down the heart and mind of each employee? “Heart?!?,” some of you wonder to yourself…isn’t that a bit personal? I want to know what’s on their mind, if it’s related to work, but let’s keep the personal stuff out of the workplace. As their boss, I don’t need to know that stuff…I just need to provide them motivation and the tools they need to produce and succeed during the workday.
WRONG. Perhaps as a “boss” you are right…but as a leader you are dead wrong. GaryVee, who has made a career of bluntly telling people how it is, articulates this well in his October 2021 LinkedIn post:
“YOU DON’T BUILD CULTURE BY OFFERING FREE SNACKS OR A GYM MEMBERSHIP OR OPEN SEATING.”
“YOU BUILD CULTURE BY TALKING TO PEOPLE AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT.”
People don’t feel cared for, valuable, or a part of something great based simply upon total compensation. Don’t get me wrong, total compensation (wage and benefits) is important to every employee, but it is not always the most important factor!
You could be making an astronomical total compensation, but if you don’t enjoy your job because the environment and culture is crap…I doubt the total compensation will be enough to make you stay in a job that makes you miserable! Perhaps you could “grind it out” for a couple years…but it will result in some major burnout and a dire need for detoxing after you leave. If you, as the leader, don’t think that is worth it…do you think any employee will?
So…if Weisbeck Consulting doesn’t simply recommend increasing wage and benefits…what does Weisbeck Consulting recommend?
Simple. Conversation Seeking Understanding.
As GaryVee says above, “You build culture by talking to people, and understanding what they care about.” This is you caring about what is on their mind and heart. Take the time to get to know each of your employees – what motivates them, what are their priorities in life, what are their short and long-term goals, and how do they see your company playing a role in the rest of their life? You can’t simply segment the largest part of a person’s day from the rest of their life. So why not have the largest part of their day (which is spent working for and with you toward a noble vision and unified company goals) be in unison with their overall personal goals? Wouldn’t that make them more appreciative and happier to be at work?
Yes. Encourage, understand, and embrace the entire person. Your team members and company with thrive because of it!
