Company culture has become a top priority for most HR professionals but one industry expert says some leaders are being fooled by a false perception – could you be among them?
“We have a saying in our office that the true character of a person is what they do when no one is watching,” says Piyush Patel, author of Lead Your Tribe, Love Your Work.
“What does the energy feel like when you walk into an office? Is there panic and a flurry of movement or is it calm and collected?” he asks. “When you look at a company don’t mistake movement with progress.”
Somewhat unexpectedly, Patel says walking into the office bathroom can also offer insight into the true culture of your company.
“Walk into the restroom and see if it’s a mess and if there is toilet paper,” he urges. “I believe if your team is generally cleaning up after themselves that’s a true look into the culture of a company…it’s not about a messy desk, but if they’re leaving a mess in a common area for someone else to clean up, they’re essentially saying they don’t care about the person who must clean it up.
“If you leave the restroom without changing the toilet paper roll you are saying to your team that you don’t care about them,” he continues. “How do you think that person is going to play on your team today?”
Finally, Patel says if HR professionals don’t think they have a company culture, they should think again.
“I hear from the clients I work with that they don’t have a culture and they need help making one. The first thing I do is help them see that they have a culture, it just might not be the one they want,” he tells
HRD. “If leadership doesn’t set the culture one will form and it may not be healthy.”
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