Corporate Cinderella: When The Job Is Pretty But The Culture Just Doesn't Fit

The year is 2020. You’re a fresh graduate, receiving your digital certificate via email just a month ago. Never would one think that this is how one would conclude a 3 - 4 year degree of your blood, sweat and tears – but then again, who could have predicted the Pandemic?

Now, the sheer length of the pandemic has affected us in many ways. Political issues that are ever-changing, the roller-coaster of good news and bad news that puts us in emotional tug of wars, and economies impacted. Above all that, we still carry the anxiety of the well-being of our loved ones. 

If there’s one thing the Pandemic taught us, it's that life is unprecedented and that is our new normal. In fact, one might argue that fear was a common theme circulating the first few months of the pandemic. With news of unemployment being an all-time high in 2020, securing one’s economic stability in the form of employment is only natural for Millennials.

A job role has caught your eye – tasks and responsibilities seem to be in your area of interest, impressive employee and healthcare benefits, and an even more impressive salary. Before you jump the gun and say yes to the offer, workplace culture is an imperative aspect to consider as an employee.

What is Workplace Culture and Why Should It Not Be Overlooked?

In simple terms, organizational culture refers to a system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that guides its employee in interaction and performance. How do people in the team communicate and work with one another? Is it more of a flat-structure, which prides on collaboration, or is a bureaucratic with the ways of hierarchies and power dynamics?

In a survey conducted by the management consulting firm Bain & company in 2009, worldwide business leaders identified corporate culture to be as important as corporate strategy for business. Positive organisational culture attracts and retains better talent. When employees are made to feel appreciated and respected, it's likely they stick around for the long-term. Cultures that promote employee wellbeing are equal to promoting employee productivity, creativity and resilience. This heightened performance in turn reaps the benefits of business profits and revenues. It’s a rather symbiotic relationship.

From an employee-wellbeing perspective, it’s no rocket science that having a bad boss is bad for your health. It has been a long-standing belief that business needs to be cutthroat to survive. That stress and pressure push employees to perform better and faster. However, that cannot be further from the truth. In the long-term, studies have found that health care expenditures in cultures that value high pressure are almost 50% greater compared to other organisations. The American Psychology Association reported that more than 80% of doctor visits from employee are stress-related, and occupational stress is linked to various health problems such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases and eventually, the human mortality rate.

If you were experiencing chronic stress and anxiety at work before the pandemic, a bad workplace culture will only exacerbate its effects in such a vulnerable time. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s attitude towards institutions, and towards employers in particular.

The Millenial Corporate Revolution in Time of COVID

The workforce is now accomodating a new generation of the corporate Millennials (whether Boomers like it or not), and prompting an generational change. Unlike the generations before, Millennials uphold these 3 values as the driving force when seeking employment: flexibility, purposeful labor and economic security. When these 3 main values were compromised occupationally, Millennials were not afraid to walk out the door. Such contributed to ‘The Great Resignation’ that occurred in September 2020, where a Microsoft survey found that 41% were considering quitting or tendered their resignations, of which 54% of the demographic were young workers.

Millennials have begun to value employee wellbeing and meaningful community over pay, more than any other generations before. And what promotes employee wellbeing other than company culture?

How Do You Determine The Right Cultural Fit for You?

It’s all a correlation. Finding the right culture to work with can increase the level of purpose you find in your work and positively impact your well-being.

Firstly, you need to determine what needs enables you to thrive in the workforce. Some examples of reflective questions to ask yourself are:

• Do you thrive in a collaborative or a competitive work environment?
• Do you prefer a structured workday and flexibility in setting your hours?
• Do you want more independence or a hands-on leadership approach?
• How will this organization be able to help you with your learning goals?
• How important is balancing work and life for you?

Answer these questions, and get to know yourself. Everyone truly values different things. From there, it should be easier to find a company whos values align with your own. The more you can understand about the leadership and culture that you value, the better you’ll be positioned to make a smart choice about what kind of company is right for you.