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

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.