While Profits Soar, Company Culture Is Still Tanking

We are living through a revolution in how we relate to the office. But the dinosaurs who want to claw us back and the people who want to stay right where they are both have a massive blindspot.

Despite many companies experiencing record profits, work in our society continues to suffer from a lack of consciously created culture.

As people emerge in starts and stops from the pandemic, we have a lot to negotiate. What did we learn during the work from home era?

It seems like there are now two camps in the fight: those who want to go back to the way things were before, and those who want to keep things the way they are.

But neither of those is going to cut it. But if we focus on company culture, maybe some new way of working together can.

The Way Things Were

You can’t turn back the clock. And even if you could, why would we go back to the old status quo?

The fact is, a lot of people can do much of their work from home. And if that set up is preferential, what’s the harm?

The assumption that people need to march into an office and sit there for 40, 50, 60 hours a week makes no sense in a world where we can easily accomplish our duties from home. We are more productive as a workforce since going into work from home and hybrid work styles.

What’s even better? Work from home saves tens of millions of hours of commuting. What’s not to love?

And if people can wrap up work a little early and score some extra time with their kids, hobbies, pets, and friends — why not let them?

The Way Things Are

But keeping things the way they are also presents a problem.

With so many professionals working from their homes, a deep disconnect begins to open up among teams. It’s difficult to feel like you are collaborating with anybody on shared goals. Instead, it makes work a bit like browsing the internet, just a little less fun.

Is this the only alternative?

No, but to get it right, we need to take company culture seriously.

So much of what makes high performing teams what they are is the human connection between them. In a world with ever decreasing face-to-face interaction, work sadly seems like one of the last places people can actually come together and do something as a group.

And putting attention and resources into company culture seems like the one way we can have our cake and eat it too.

Building a New Company Culture

It turns out, you don’t have to force people to commute every weekday just to have personal connection. Companies can emphasize things like company offsites and team building workshops.

There can also be a greater role for the people doing the work to identify how they do it best and what they need to perform at their highest potential.

When people have the choice, they’d rather be the best at what they do. And they should be allowed to advocate for what they need to get there.

By emphasizing a stronger company culture — rather than getting stuck in false dichotomies — we can dramatically improve our lives. And we can reinvest these record profits into something that makes a difference.