Workplace Culture Insights

You can be excellent and still be MISUNDERSTOOD, and it can cost you. You can be visible and unclear to people around you. Perception doesn’t always begin with your work. It begins in the smallest rooms, long before performance is ever discussed. Here’s where it starts: • Someone says you’re hard to read and asks someone else what you’re like (I hate this one so much) • You skip small talk, and people assume you’re uninterested in building a connection • You ask clarifying questions, and it’s taken as pushback or doubt • You keep your personal life private, and people think you’re not invested • You don’t speak first, so they think you don’t have a point of view To be clear, none of these examples are personality flaws, but the unfortunate reality is that these human patterns can get misread in high-stakes environments. Now here’s how to shift that: • State how you work best before people assume it for you • Offer one personal detail that builds warmth without feeling performative • Lead your questions by naming your intent clearly and respectfully • Share something meaningful, even if small, to invite connection over time • Speak early when you have something to contribute, not once it’s safe You don't need to change who you are to make yourself "easier to see." As much as we may not like it, there are some things in the corporate world that are akin to pageantry. Here's how I recommend sharing more about yourself in layers: (progressive trust) Level One: Presence Communicate how you operate. Be explicit about your rhythm, preferences, and style. Level Two: Personality Share what keeps you motivated, curious, or proud. Let people see your drivers. Level Three: Perspective Reveal your beliefs and worldview through earned trust and shared experience. The way people "feel" about you is their business. (This will always be true) But it's your business to ensure that how they "feel" or "perceive" you does not stop opportunities for you. Even if that means not changing how they feel, but ensuring their views about you are isolated, which in turn shifts the power from you to them, being a misread. (chess, not checkers) The moment you spot a vague assumption, nip it.

Equal Pay Day moved BACKWARD in 2025 to March 25th, revealing a harsh truth: transparency without enforcement doesn't create equality. 60% of job postings now include salary information—up from just 18% in 2020—yet women still earn just 85 cents to a man's dollar. Even more disturbing? The gap is widening. Of 98 countries with equal pay laws, only 35 have implemented any accountability mechanisms. We're seeing the illusion of progress without the substance. True salary transparency requires action at every level: For individuals: - Share your salary information with "trusted" colleagues - Explicitly ask for pay ranges before interviews - Document salary discussions and decisions - Normalize compensation conversations in your workplace - Research industry standards using sites like Glassdoor and Payscale For managers: - Conduct regular pay equity audits in your teams - Establish clear compensation criteria based on skills and responsibilities - Remove salary history questions from your hiring process - Advocate for transparent promotion pathways For organizations: - Implement formal pay bands with clear progression criteria - Regularly publish company-wide gender and racial pay gap data - Create accountability mechanisms for addressing inequities - Train managers on recognizing and addressing unconscious bias in compensation decisions The data is clear: companies with meaningful transparency see pay gaps narrow significantly in the first year alone. But posting a salary range isn't enough if there's no accountability behind it. Let's move beyond performative transparency toward meaningful equity. Please share this post if you think salary transparency should come with real action. Joshua Miller #SalaryTransparency #PayEquity #Workplace

A terrible manager is not a bad apple. They are a canary in the coal mine signaling that there’s too much stress and fear in the environment. Likewise, a problem employee is not a bad apple or a terrible person who somehow wandered into your organization. They are a canary in the coal mine showing us that there is too much fear in the environment. Both problems spring from the same root cause. More fear in the culture will yield more bad managers and all the problems poor management brings – low engagement, absenteeism, discontent, slowdowns, resignations and accidents. Too much fear in the culture will also lead to a higher level of disciplinary infractions and employee problems that an undiscerning manager or HR leader will attribute to individual employees and their personalities, rather than the environment. Of course, the more fear in the environment the more likely leaders and HR people will be to blame employees for everything that goes wrong. That’s why I so often hear from HR leaders who say, “I just started as HR manager in this company and I already have three managers who want to see me about writing employees up. It’s a normal, daily occurrence here. They don’t realize that writing people up is not leadership. They don’t realize that they wouldn’t have to write all these people up if they solved the problems in the culture that I am becoming aware of day by day.” Culture is everything. It impacts every result of the organization and every employee who works in it. Leaders broadcast their misunderstanding of what culture is when they tell the media or their own teams, “We need everyone in the office five days a week for our culture.” The truth is that they need everyone in the office five days a week to assuage their insecurity. Culture is what results from the environment leaders create. They do not control the culture directly. They do not get to say what culture is. Every employee knows what culture is – it’s how they feel when they think about going to work on Monday morning. It’s how they feel when they walk into work or log on to start working. It’s how they feel during the work day and after work. No one can tell employees what culture is, because they live it. It affects their health and well-being. It affects their relationships. It affects their self-esteem. Keep this in mind: there would be no brutal managers if we did not have organizations that hire them, train them, supervise them, promote them and reinforce their behavior. It’s the culture. It’s the culture. It’s always the culture.

I watched a talented employee cry in their car last Sunday. Not because of a personal crisis. Not because of financial trouble. But because of workplace culture. Company culture isn't about words painted on walls. It's about how your people feel on Sunday nights. If your team spends Sundays dreading Mondays, that's not "just how work is." It's a cry for help. Here are 5 culture-transforming principles I've learned: 1. Trust is everything • Share decision-making rationale openly • Create psychological safety for new ideas • Remember: trust flows from leaders first 2. Recognition matters • Celebrate small wins consistently • Make "thank you" a daily habit • Be specific about contributions 3. Rest isn't weakness • Stop sending midnight emails • Champion genuine breaks and PTO • Show that unplugging is respected 4. Communication creates safety • Give growth-focused feedback • Set realistic expectations • Keep people informed 5. Actions trump words • Model work-life boundaries • Share your own challenges • Live the culture you preach The truth? Culture isn't built in a day. But it can be destroyed in one poor decision. Your team's Sunday night experience is the ultimate culture metric. What are you doing to make their Mondays worth looking forward to? ♻️ Share this to inspire someone. ➕ Follow me for more leadership insights.

I once lost my best team members to a "better opportunity." Turns out, the "better opportunity" was just a healthier work environment. It was a hard lesson. According to a recent study, a toxic workplace environment significantly impacts employee engagement. Key findings: • It reduces individual worker productivity • It leads to health issues like anxiety and burnout • It strengthens employees' intention to leave But here's the good news: We can turn this around. In my experience leading clinical research teams, I've found these strategies effective: 1. Communicate openly about challenges 2. Provide support for employee wellbeing 3. Recognize and reward positive contributions 4. Address conflicts fairly and promptly Remember: A positive work culture isn't just nice to have. It's essential for innovation, productivity, and retention. Leaders, our actions shape our team's environment every day. What's one thing you're doing to create a more positive workplace? #EmployeeEngagement #WorkplaceCulture

So, about that RTO (Return to Office) thing. Last week I wrote a post that, well, really ruffled some feathers. The point of the post, which many missed, is that the RTO requests are going to be happening for 2024. And each person is going to need to evaluate how they will handle it. Here's some data from McKinsey that both executives and employees need to recognize. The theme overall is about employee engagement. Thriving stars (4%): These top performers prefer fully remote or hybrid models for optimal work-life integration. They are highly self-driven and value autonomy. Forced RTO disrupts their adaptability, negatively impacting their motivation, productivity, and work-life balance. They may start looking elsewhere if not given flexibility. Reliable and committed (38%): This core organizational group dislikes fully remote work but thrives under a hybrid model. For them, moderate in-office time maintains connection while remote work enables productivity. While willing to come in, mandated full-time office work strains their work-life balance, lowering motivation. Double-dippers (5%): Many in this group secretly hold multiple jobs and depend on remote work to make double-dipping feasible. Forced RTO eliminates the ability to work a second job, negatively impacting this group. They are split between engaged and disengaged, but mandatory office presence pushes them toward disengagement. Mildly disengaged (32%): While not as outwardly opposed to RTOs as the disruptors, this large group was demotivated by being forced to come in. They value flexibility and autonomy. Mandatory office presence made them feel micromanaged, further disengaging them. Allowing hybrid or fully remote work is crucial for re-engaging this group. Disruptors (11%): This actively disengaged group was the most vocal against RTO mandates, seeing it as an infringement on their autonomy and an unnecessary hassle. Forced in-office work further disgruntled this group and fueled their disengagement. Making them come back full-time would likely increase turnover among the disruptors. Quitters (10%): Mandatory return-to-office policies hasten the departure of the quitters, a group comprised of disengaged and mostly high performers feeling undervalued. Forced on-site work removes the location flexibility these employees desire, making them feel micromanaged. Top talent offered positions elsewhere will likely depart rather than lose autonomy. Retaining valued quitters requires proactive efforts to convey their importance through competitive pay, career development, and work-life balance flexibility before counteroffers become necessary. Overall, mandated office presence fuels quitters’ belief that they can find better opportunities elsewhere, pushing talented employees already prone to leaving out the door even faster. Source: https://lnkd.in/eSnv_nR8

When Pay for Performance Becomes Pay for Politics Let’s talk about a hard truth: “Pay for performance” often isn’t. In many companies, compensation is tied to subjective performance ratings, political capital or savvy, or proximity to power instead of not true business impact. This creates a toxic workplace culture where: (a) Visibility matters more than business value creation (b) Quiet contributors are overlooked consistently (c) High performers disengage or leave (d) Pay equity erodes under the surface and causes mistrust What’s driving this? * Vague performance criteria or inconstantly applied criteria * Performance rating inflation to avoid hard conversations * Giving all employees the same pay increase regardless of their performance * Lack of fact-based data to support pay decisions * No formal process with consistent use of the same non-discriminatory factors when making pay-related decisions * Inconsistent manager discretion without scrutiny, guidelines, or an audit Here’s how to course-correct: #1 - Define what “impact” or “high performance” means in each job #2 – Consistently use a mix of competitive total compensation data, peer feedback, and outcomes to make pay decisions #3 - Calibrate performance across teams to reduce bias #4 – Build a workplace culture where difficult conversations are possible and bias is minimized #5 - Separate career development feedback from pay decisions when needed True pay for performance doesn’t reward politics. It rewards people who move the business forward with integrity, leadership, collaboration, skill, and business value. It’s time to rebuild trust in how we link pay and performance. #Compensation #PayForPerformance #Leadership #HR #FairPay #PerformanceManagement #CompensationConsultant #HumanResources #WorldatWork #SHRM

Employees don’t leave for more money. They leave because they feel unseen. 👇 Key Insight People crave meaning, not just a paycheck. Retention is rooted in recognition. Employees want to feel like they matter. A quick story: An employee once told me: "I don’t need a raise — I need to know that my boss sees what I do." The Breakdown ❌ Ignored contributions ↳ Silence says: "You're replaceable." ❌ One-way communication ↳ Without feedback, belonging never takes root. ❌ Surface-level check-ins ↳ "How are you?" isn’t enough. ❌ Inconsistent recognition ↳ Praise shouldn’t be random or rare. ✅ Celebrate impact ↳ Recognize outcomes, not just effort. ✅ Create safe dialogue ↳ Invite honest conversations regularly. ✅ Go beyond titles ↳ Acknowledge personal growth and potential. ✅ Normalize gratitude ↳ Make appreciation part of daily culture. Closing Takeaway Retention isn’t complicated. Make people feel seen, heard, and valued. That’s the real currency of loyalty. ❓ How does your company make employees feel truly valued? ♻️ If you believe people deserve to feel valued at work, share this. 👋 Follow me (Dr. Chris Mullen) so you don't miss the next post.

8 signs you’re in a healthy workplace culture (not just surviving, but actually growing): Most people can name the red flags. But the green ones?  They’re just as important. Here are 8 that give careers a huge boost: 1. You can question ideas without fear    ↳ Teams aren’t meant to agree on everything.    ↳ Healthy challenge leads to sharper thinking. 2. No one gets away with bad behavior    ↳ Gossip, favoritism, and poor conduct aren’t ignored.    ↳ Everyone is held to the same standard.    3. Leaders expect more, and help you get there    ↳ The bar is high, but so is the support.    ↳ Set clear goals. Provide the tools to succeed. 4. You’re trusted to own the work    ↳ You’re not just executing tasks.    ↳ You’re shaping outcomes.    5. Feedback flows freely, and helps you grow   ↳ It’s part of how people work together.    ↳ Early, honest, and focused on growth.    6. Recognition is real, and earned   ↳ Effort is seen. Impact is acknowledged.    ↳ And not just once a year.    7. Your career is a shared priority   ↳ You’re not left to figure it out alone.    ↳ Leaders care about where you’re heading next.    8. Everyone takes pride in their work   ↳ Not because they have to. Because they want to.   ↳ That energy is hard to fake.    A high-performance culture doesn’t mean perfect. It means working in a place where people  challenge, support, and respect each other. If you’ve found that, it’s worth holding onto. And if you haven’t, now you know what to look for. What would you add to the list? Reshare ♻️ to help someone in your network. And give me a follow for more posts like this.

Culture isn't beers, bean bags, and benefits. Culture is the behaviors that drive high-performing teams. Chris Donnelly nails the 12 key traits in his insightful graphic. Leadership expert Peter Drucker famously said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast." Because strategy without aligned behaviors isn't a business.  It's just an idea. And culture is not something you work on occasionally.  It's how you and your team show up every day. - In every email. - In every meeting.  - In every interaction. So here are the 12 Green Flags  For Great Company Culture: 1. Performance Driven  Focus on value and impact, not face time. 2. Clear Vision Repeat it until they can finish your sentence.  3. Embraces Failure Celebrate good mistakes as learning. Eradicate the bad mistakes. 4. Values Your Time Ruthlessly prune useless meetings, inefficient processes, and bad clients. 5. Shows Empathy Only hire people who are comfortable operating on the far side of the fair. 6. Adapts to Change Make "continuous improvement" the expectation at every level. 7. Open Communication Empower your team with the info they need to make quality decisions. 8. Corrects Bad Behavior You set the floor of your culture with everything you tolerate. 9. Empowers Hard Work The path to exceeding expectations is clear and generously rewarded. 10. Accepts Disagreement Inspire healthy debate. Require it to result in mutual commitment. 11. Value Driven The behaviors are about winning, not virtue-signaling. 12. Encourages Diversity Diversity isn't hitting a quota. It's a competitive advantage. Culture isn't a poster on the wall.  Culture is everything you celebrate minus everything you tolerate. You set the tone as a leader. "What you do is who you are."  And what you do is what your team becomes. Build the team culture you'd want to be a part of. Steal this sheet today.  Your team will thank you. What's your biggest culture green flag?  Let me know in the comments ⬇️ ♻️ Repost this so your network can build high-performing team cultures. And follow Dave Kline for more! - - - - 📌 Liked this? I share my top leadership tips in my newsletter, MGMT Playbook. Join 25,000 people receiving my weekly newsletter with one tip, tool, or tactic for leading high-performing teams. Subscribe here: mgmt.beehiiv.com