Why company culture is subjective.

The last few decades have truly highlighted the importance of company culture, entire divisions have been created to make sure employees are happy and that they buy into the company's values and beliefs. We look at companies today like Google and Facebook who have been able to base their entire talent attraction strategy on selling the culture they have created. If you ask a developer or even designer what is your dream company to work for many of them will immediately answer without hesitation "Google"; most of which won't know anyone who has worked there or even stepped foot into an office, they just "know" they want to work there, and it's all because of the power of their reputation.

We know why it's important to create a good culture and as my friend puts it "to have a cool vibe in the office" but then why do some employees who go to these companies with amazing cultures and not have a good experience and not enjoy the culture there? The simple truth is that no matter if your company has flexible hours, complimentary smoothie bars or a daycare on site; we are all different and we want different things and furthermore we all experience and interpret things differently.

It is further complicated by the fact that it is rare that every division in a company will have the same culture, for international companies with multiple offices around the globe having a singular culture is near impossible with every country having its own unique culture which contributes towards the company culture. So what does this all mean to you?

Websites like Glassdoor can be a good indicator of how people at the company feel and what the general perceptions are, it is foolish however to take this as gospel as generally, people who have a bad experience are more likely to share and complain about it than people who have a good experience, so you typically get a fairly skewed view.

One of the perks of working in recruitment is you are given unique insights into exactly how people feel their employers and what the culture is like. I was having a conversation recently with a friend who was working at a company that I have never, ever; heard a good thing about, not one. I have chatted with dozens of employees there and no one has ever had a good experience or would be comfortable to recommend them to anyone. My friend shared with me that he had worked there for 3 years and my response was "I'm sorry, I am impressed you lasted that long with how toxic and demanding the culture is there", his response truly shocked me. "I loved working there", we chatted about it for a number of hours and he wasn't unaware of their reputation, but he shared with me that his team and his manager were amazing and of everywhere he has ever worked, he loved and learnt the most there.

Culture and experience are subjective, and more importantly, a good manager can overcome a poor culture just as a bad manager can offset a good one. When you are interviewing for a new position be sure to meet with the person who you will report to and if at all possible meet and chat with the team you will be working with. You can read reviews and chat with everyone you have ever met that works there but nothing you read and no one you speak to will be able to tell you how you are going to feel about it, or what that specific team is like.

I'd love to hear your experiences with different company cultures and environments!