Broadcasts.com - "Work Culture" (Life is Work)

Result: To provide a definition of work culture, how a company that advertises “healthy work culture” usually manifests, and how you can influence your work culture as an employee and a leader.

Work Culture
- Definition
  - Organizational culture encompasses values and behaviors that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of a business. The organizational culture influences the way people interact, the context within which knowledge is created, the resistance they will have towards certain changes, and ultimately the way they share (or the way they do not share) knowledge. (Wikipedia)
- How it typically manifests in a company that advertises “healthy work culture”
  - Transparency vs. You get what I tell you but you have to tell me everything
  - “Ownership of work” vs. do what I say even though I say to trust yourself
  - Unlimited sick days vs. take them and you’re lazy OR you’re gaming the system
  - “Flexible” work time/Remote work vs. you better be on your computer 24/7 or else you aren’t actually working
    - Related “floating work from home day”
  - “We’re like family here” vs. we’re like a very shitty, unhealthy, problematic, dysfunctional family here
  - I am not the micro-management type vs. i’m not equipped to be a successful supervisor so i’m going to control everything
  - I’d really love your feedback on this vs. i’d really love your positive feedback on this
  - We’re mission driven, value centered vs. we’re money driven and looking-good-centered
  - Free snacks/catered lunches/alcohol to promote “fun” and “wellbeing” vs. (yeah this place sucks, but there’s free snacks!) because we provide these fun “perks” you won’t complain when things are difficult/challenging/no support is provided in ways you actually need
- How You Can Influence Your Work Culture
  - Transparency
    - As an Individual
      - Say What You Mean - be clear about your needs/boundaries/who you are
    - As a Leader
      - Modeling
      - Check yourself b4 u wreck urself
      - Tool: Workplace Culture Form
  - “Ownership of work”
    - As an Individual
      - Ask clarifying questions - what is my role? How can I support?
      - Provide feedback when you have it - strengths based feedback (instead of “I don’t like this,” suggest positive changes)
    - As a Leader
      - Be clear up front with what you want/need & what the team/work wants & needs
      - If you need to be more hands on, be transparent about your role & expectations of yourself and others
      - Tool: B.A.R.T
      - Dynamic Governance
  - Taking sick/vacation time
    - As an Individual
      - You can let ppl know where you are going/what you are doing as you feel comfortable (vacation, sick time, personal time, etc). But do not feel that you need to justify it - do the self work to feel confident in your decision to prioritize what you need to prioritize over work (ex. Danielle getting her hair done, ep. 3)
    - As a Leader
      - Modeling behavior
      - Leads to more productive employees & workforce/outputs
      - If you have boundaries around time off (deadlines, a particular time of year where everyone is hands on, major projects, etc). Communicate them to staff and ensure they understand how important the time is, but do NOT make them feel that they can’t take time for themselves if they need -
        Have a back up plan in case something happens, and share that with the team so they know you are genuinely thinking about them as people
  - “Flexible” work time/Remote work
    - As an Individual
      - Clarify with team & supervisors what norms are, what the work needs (and do this from the onset - in interviews! You are interviewing the workplace as much as they are interviewing you)
      - Communicate your preferences and boundaries (this helps remove “bad assumptions,” if you have already communicated that you like to vacation on your birthday, take one big trip a year, visit your family at X time, everyone understands your intention)
    - As a Leader
      - Be clear about expectations/roles
        This eliminates confusion around “what does Cam even do when he works from home?” Use tools like B.A.R.T. as needed so everyone know who is doing what and what is expected
        Tool: B.A.R.T.
      - Establish norms
        Model
        Don’t tell your employees that work time is remote/flexible but then expect them to be in the office when you are
        Again, be clear about your expectations (maybe everyone needs to be there in person for particular meetings, but not necessarily bc you like to drive in on Tuesdays)
      - Encourage employees to meet & communicate as they best need/want
        Be humble! You do not have to be in every meeting for it to be productive. My best meetings often occur without my “direct supervisor” at a coffee shop. Let your employees do their thing and empower them to do so!
  - “We’re like family here”
    - As an Individual
      - Communicate needs clearly - what support do you need? Communicate your boundaries
      - You determine what ‘family’ means to you, you are not obligated to conform to the business’ definition of family. Make sure you understand their definition and assess if it aligns with how you want to be treated at work
    - As a Leader
      - Family means different things to different people - provide clarification for what this phrase means
      - Choose a different phrase - we care about you, we see you as a whole person and want to support your wellbeing, etc.
  - I am not the micro-management type vs. I’m not equipped to be a successful supervisor so i’m going to control everything
    - As an Individual
      - Ask clarifying questions - what is needed/required? Many times micromanagement shows up as a miscommunication of needs
      - Identify a solution that meets both your needs and your supervisor’s
      - Ask for a template
    - As a Leader
      - Be flexible in management style - some ppl need more guidance than others, especially in younger workforce
      - Be clear about expectations, deadlines, and milestones/progress check-ins/updates on front end
        If there are changes, communicate as soon as you know them
      - TRUST YOUR TEAM
  - I’d really love your feedback on this
    - As an Individual
      - Ask up front if there is specific types or areas of feedback ppl want
      - Be clear about how you best receive feedback
      - Phrase feedback as a question - I’m wondering if - I’m hearing that -
    - As a Leader
      - Spend time understanding individual needs
      - Reflect and gain clarity on how you best receive feedback
      - Understand the feedback necessary to the work as well as that necessary to the team
  - We’re mission driven, value centered
    - As an Individual
      - Be clear about what your mission and values are - do they align with this organization?
    - As a Leader
      - What does this mission/do these values mean to the organization, and how does that translate into the system practices of the business? How does it transfer to the one to one relationships with employees?
  - Promote “fun” and “wellbeing”
    - As an Individual
      - Encourage fun in your work/your scope of control
      - Continue to communicate your own needs and boundaries
    - As a Leader
      - identify/ask what your team needs & wants (see form above)
      - modeling!

Question Submissions:

We have lots of questions around Work Culture, stay tuned for episodes where we address them!
Mel’s Mindful Minute - 1:06:36
- Grounding Technique - 5 Senses Meditation
We Are Always Students
- Individual
  - The Desire Map
- Leader
  - Be Our Guest
  - Re-Shout Out To: Radical Candor, Restoring Sanctuary
- Stay Tuned For:
  - Trauma-Informed Care
Sharing is Self-Caring
Self-care - Start With You!
- Take your vacation & sick days
- Clarify own needs/values
  - If unsure, start reflecting on what you like/don’t
Community-care - Taking Care of Others
- Make time for your team
  - Ask how they’re doing and make time to listen
- Read the room
  - Notice coworker norms and how those change in different environments/situations
Systemic/Structural-Care - The Wider Systems We Live & Work In
- Advocate for accountability
- Challenge norms
- Question policies and push for reform for more equitable policies