How you DON’T create a company culture

Posted on: July 6, 2016 at 10:42 AM by New Benefits Blog

I’m always asked, “Why do you like working here?”  Hands down… the culture.

However, I don’t think you can create a company culture.  You believe in the company.  You believe in the people.  That becomes the culture.

I believe in our CEO.  I believe in his passion and his commitment.  I believe in him as a person.  It’s easy to follow the leader when you believe in the leader.

I approach work very similarly to the way I approach personal relationships.  I’m personally close to and nurture relationships with people with whom I connect, people who have similar interests, people who bring me joy, people who are hard-working, people who like to have fun, people who are drama-free, people who are low-maintenance.

While some may disagree, I think establishing personal relationships with co-workers is incredibly important to a positive work culture.  It just organically produces good work.  This company taught me personal investment.  Through high expectations and incredibly candid (and sometimes incredibly tough) feedback, I grew with every failure.  Over the years I realized my motivation for getting my job done was driven by my personal connection to the company and the people within it, not my job description.  I wanted to make my managers proud.  Because I like them.  Because I care for them.  Because they care for me.  I never intended to stay at New Benefits when I first applied to be the receptionist (which I didn’t get).  16 years and probably a good 10 positions later, they’re my second family.

My work family is comprised of people who exhibit the following traits (to name a few):

  • Teamwork
  • Motivation
  • Consideration
  • Selflessness
  • Happiness
  • Excellence

Those are the people who make up our culture.  Our culture is people.

Don’t get me wrong...  We have plenty of paycheck employees.  And that’s okay.  But those who are emotionally connected, those who are genuinely interested in their professional growth, those who welcome higher expectations…  those are the ones who can inspire the next generation of employees.

And it’s more important than ever because the latest generation of employees are job hoppers.  I actually kinda get it… the days of settling down with one employer are long gone.  Personal connections to a company are no longer necessary.  The number of likes and followers on social media now validates a person’s existence so the need to feel a part of something bigger (and actually real) is unnecessary.  And that’s sad to me.

Thankfully, I didn’t just cash a check.  I got the opportunity to feel the growing pains.  I got to see the excitement of automation and the incredible impact it had on the business.  I got to see the company move the holiday party from our CEO’s office (we all managed to squeeze in there) to an outside venue and being completely stoked about it.  I got an opportunity to watch the underdog work their tail off and be promoted numerous times into the perfect position.

That was just the beginning and there’s plenty more exciting changes to come.  And it’s those people who want to be part of a company, its DNA, that make the culture.  Because they’re not just employees…  they’re family.
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-Dulce Bozeman, EVP

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