As society has evolved, so too has the modern workplace. What once was accepted as fair treatment and even progressive in terms of workplace culture and engagement with employees is now considered archaic. But why? What changed in the employer-employee relationship, and how do employers respond to a constantly evolving and employee-centric workplace?

At one time, the workplace was primarily seen as a necessary evil for employees. A place where you showed up, did a job and earned a paycheck. One that you built your life around not through. Now, it’s a place that must adapt to your life and meet you where you’re at. One that you seek a sense of belonging and community from and one that provides you with meaning and fulfillment.  

We have to go back over 50 years to understand where the first concept of workplace culture began. It began with research done by Elliot Jaques on factory workers, which he wrote about in his 1951 book, “The Changing Culture of a Factory.” Jaques defined workplace culture as the customary and traditional way of thinking and doing things shared by all members of an organization.

Jacques surmised correctly that culture is at the core of a successful organization and the most critical component of employee engagement. The concept evolved into a more popularized term “corporate culture” by the 1980s and continued to gain steam as a significant contributor to employee satisfaction and productivity, as well as a strong predictor of organizational performance and success.

Baby Boomers, known for their work ethic and preference for a more traditional organizational structure, helped define upward mobility to reward hard work.

Boomers entered the workplace during times of economic boom and straddled two industrial revolutions, the Technical Revolution (1940-1970) and the Digital Revolution (1975-2021). In many ways, companies were less motivated to make substantial changes to work life at a time when company loyalty was a driving force behind retention.

As the dot-com era approached, Gen Xers entered the workplace with motivations different than the generations preceding them. While Millennials are credited for sweeping changes to workplace culture, Gen Xers were really the first to introduce a more informal style and desire to find more meaningful and autonomous work opportunities.

While Boomers and Gen Xers helped shape workplace culture, Millennials are widely regarded as the generation having the most significant impact on it.

As millennials entered the workforce, employers realized the need and, in many respects, were forced to adapt, yet again, to a generation much different than those that came before it. A tech-savvy generation determined to challenge the status quo and motivated by the ability to work from anywhere, growth opportunities, transparency, and work-life balance.

This evolution will only continue with each generation as we are already seeing a social awakening within the workplace brought on by Gen Z.  It starts before a new hire even steps in the door during the job search process.

Gen Z is ushering in a social consciousness that places pressure on companies to not only offer a great workplace culture but to also take their social responsibility seriously. It’s not enough for a company to talk about making the world a better place, they must act on it as well.

Many companies will have to reckon with this new way of operating or they may end up on the outside looking in and struggling to attract and retain top talent. Whereas before it was enough for most companies to pay and treat their employees fairly, now employees want respect and empathy. Companies need to not only accept employees from all walks of life but also understand where they come from.

While some might say this is a step too far in the direction of employee-centralism, it isn’t so far-fetched, and it is becoming less of a nice perk and more of an expectation. It alludes to a future where employees seek alternative ways of shaping their work lives. One where the American Dream is no longer climbing the corporate ladder but finding fulfillment in life by focusing on what matters most like family, mental health, and personal growth.

But before employers make the shift, it’s important to understand that changing a culture is one of the most difficult challenges for businesses. It requires an intentional and repeated effort over time to begin seeing the positive results. Policy and initiatives alone will hardly scratch the surface if all levels of leadership aren’t buying into changing goals, processes, values, communications, attitudes, and practices.

Understanding where the culture currently is and having a clear vision of where you want the culture to be is critical to defining the changes that will need to take place.

Communicating clear and concise vision to employees.

When an employer wants to change something as profound as the workplace culture, there needs to be a strong message behind it. Employees need to understand what is changing and how work life will be different. Far too often, the executives of a company and HR will discuss the culture and what needs to change but do not share the reasons behind it with the workforce. This can lead to leaders and employees feeling confused and even more reluctant to accept new initiatives.

Fostering a feedback culture.

Even when all the key metrics are saying something is wrong, it may not be truly accepted by leadership until they hear it directly from the workforce. Surveys are a great way to provide a channel for giving feedback and having the employee’s voice heard. It is essential to the success of an employee feedback culture to take the results seriously, respond, and take action. Offering several opportunities to listen and to be heard will help create a safe space where trust can begin to grow.

Prepare for resistance.

Expect challenges and take them head-on. Some of the most resistant employees will be within the leadership team. Tenured leaders may fear what employees will say or struggle with doing things differently. Shifting a culture can be difficult for employees to accept at first, which is why consistent and intentional actions are so important.

Embrace change.

They say change enables us to enter the growth zone but why then do we fear it so much? It might be that we fear failure, or we lack the motivation to do things differently. Whatever the reason, the most important rule for making an impact on moving the culture of a workplace is that everyone must commit to embracing change. There are no exceptions to this rule, especially within leadership.

One of the quickest ways to destroy a change initiative in the workplace is by a leader who undermines it. Invite those conversations into closed-door meetings and hash out the concerns but when everyone leaves that room everyone should be on the same page. This doesn’t mean concerns shouldn’t be considered or that tweaks can’t be made along the way, but the overall goal needs to be supported.

Shaping a culture isn’t for the faint of heart.  

Moving the culture of a workplace is not a short-term goal. It takes time (after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day!). According to Gallup, on average, organizations see the greatest improvements in three to five years. Several factors can influence the timeline for culture-shifting such as the size of the company, organizational structure complexities, and engagement, to name a few.

Regardless of the unique factors an organization must overcome, setting expectations is a crucial step in the process of changing a workplace culture. This level setting is perhaps most important for leadership. Executives may want to see immediate results in employee feedback surveys, which can place unrealistic expectations on people leaders.

Organizations that understand the importance of remaining agile will find that their ability to pivot when something isn’t working may just be the secret to its success.