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I see culture as a hygeine factor, meaning that as long as it meets minimum standards for my ability to get work done, I don't particularly care. Make sure I ge

I see culture as a hygeine factor, meaning that as long as it meets minimum standards for my ability to get work done, I don't particularly care. Make sure I get paid on time, make sure I have something worthwhile to do and don't screw with my benefits or my ability to have a life outside of work and I'm fine. I don't particularly care, for example, for places that have free beer on Fridays (I don't drink). Company parties and other events seem like a waste of time that I could spend with my real friends or my family. I enjoy a company that espouses employee autonomy where I can get it (think Southwest's customer service), but that's just because it makes it easier for me to get work done. Basically, I come to work to do something I find interesting and get paid for it. If I meet interesting people while there, that's icing on the cake, but I want to introduce them to my non-work life on my own terms and not in the name of "company culture."

forcer 16y ago
thanks. I think your post + the others makes me realize that everyone prefers different things. what's hard though to figure out what those things are in the hiring process :) I think people often say everything about the interviews, or sometimes they dont realize what they actually want.
- bartonfink 16y ago
  I agree, it's not an easy problem, and I think you're right that many people don't feel comfortable speaking up in an interview. I've never let my thoughts slip in a job interview the way I did above, because it makes me look like an asshole and that's a great way to not get a job. I am brutally honest in exit interviews, Whatever culture you decide to push, I think intentionality is the best policy. If you want people to get lots of work done, make that clear and then set things up to reflect that. For example, you might tell people you're looking for results, and as long as they can get results you don't care if they go home early. If you want people to feel "at home" when they're at work, make that clear and think of perks that would minimize the "pain" of being at work instead of taking care of "real-world" problems. If you aren't intentional about culture, though, the message is just going to get lost in the noise of day-to-day operations.

forcer 16y ago

thanks. I think your post + the others makes me realize that everyone prefers different things. what's hard though to figure out what those things are in the hiring process :) I think people often say everything about the interviews, or sometimes they dont realize what they actually want.

bartonfink 16y ago
I agree, it's not an easy problem, and I think you're right that many people don't feel comfortable speaking up in an interview. I've never let my thoughts slip in a job interview the way I did above, because it makes me look like an asshole and that's a great way to not get a job. I am brutally honest in exit interviews, Whatever culture you decide to push, I think intentionality is the best policy. If you want people to get lots of work done, make that clear and then set things up to reflect that. For example, you might tell people you're looking for results, and as long as they can get results you don't care if they go home early. If you want people to feel "at home" when they're at work, make that clear and think of perks that would minimize the "pain" of being at work instead of taking care of "real-world" problems. If you aren't intentional about culture, though, the message is just going to get lost in the noise of day-to-day operations.