Workers appreciate the strides their companies have made in an effort to create a more enjoyable workplace, but that won’t stop them from pointing out the shortcomings, too.
One in five workers say declining company culture is the main reason they are looking for a new job, according to a recent survey by software company BambooHR. And although the majority of employees agree there’s been progress in areas such as supporting mental health and DEI initiatives, they want more from their leaders and what they get out of their work experience.
“It means your mission, your vision and your values,” says Cassie Whitlock, head of HR at BambooHR. “It means how you interact together and how you treat each other on the day-to-day. It means that every individual has a role to play. This movement to remote work really emphasized that as a business leader, you cannot ignore it.”
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Going remote changed what company culture looks and feels like for employees. The majority of respondents now agree that culture is not defined by a physical space — 77% of employees wish their company would have done something different to help promote a positive remote or hybrid working environment, BambooHR found. Yet leaders and their team disagree on how that translates: while 94% of vice presidents and above say culture is strong, only 65% of individual contributors say the same.
“You have to prioritize addressing [culture], whereas before maybe you didn't need to at the same level,” Whitlock says. Employees want to see more cultural change when it comes to their pay and benefits (43%), communication from leadership (41%) and better work-life balance (40%), according to the survey.
While tangible things like pay and benefits rank higher on employees’ list of wants, communication from leadership can be the most damaging if not addressed. Poor communication creates a deep sense of distrust between employees and executives — a third of office workers say they regularly experience HR saying one thing, with direct managers and leadership contradicting it with something else.
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Beginning to bridge that gap will require CEOs at the top to provide direction and ensure that it's prioritized correctly. Leaders should create time and space to talk about the psychological needs of employees, in addition to their physical needs, Whitlock says.
In turn, employees should be pushing and advocating for more support for managers and HR professionals from their CEOs. In order to begin creating a space that works for everyone, it will take heavy lifting from everyone.
“Every employee has the power to influence culture,” Whitlock says. “And you don't have to change jobs in order to do that. But you do have to invest.”
