Welcome to 2021. May the year bring with it peace of mind for each of us.
Today we are talking about corporate culture in these COVID-19 times. We have all had to shift our culture because of the uncertainty of the ties since we are in a pandemic situation.
Culture for instance, shows up the inappropriateness of going to a stadium to watch a match dressed in your party clothes and going to a fancy restaurant for dinner wearing your favourite jersey. Within a few minutes, people will start giving you funny looks, and some may think you are not quite all there and empathise with you. This is how culture works. People have been trained to believe the norms and expected to act and behave in specific ways (based on culture).
Organisational culture is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values, and ways of interacting that contribute to an organization’s unique social and psychological environment. The members of the company are expected to understand the culture of the company and be a part of it. In order to accomplish the company goals and missions together, believing and acting on the cultural values.
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The COVID-19 crisis has brought a big change in the way organizations function or brand their culture. Most companies are ready with the technical aspects of this change and in keeping everyone connected to run the business smoothly. Still, the cultural change that is occurring cannot be ignored.
In many instances workplace culture has moved to the home. This is for employee safety and less social interaction. Employees have adjusted themselves to this new normal and have been working from home for months now. In-person meetings are no longer the norm, and everyone now keeps themselves updated with video conferencing or connecting to each other with other digital tools. Many have gone remote overnight.
The way employers and employees interact with each other has taken a shift with this new culture. Looking at the present statistics around the world on remote working, we can presume that remote working is here to stay, and it will bring changes in the culture and bring more layers to it.
For example, remote working may mean there are people working more than one job. Companies may just have to live with it, content only in the fact that their work is being delivered on time and correctly.
The economy cannot stop so organizations have to try their best to accommodate their employees by their new policies on work from home and safety. Technology is backing them to function through digital tools to ensure smooth functioning of the workflows.
Along with that, the organizations are also hiring new employees. This is testing their organizational culture since new hires are trying to fit into the new normal without having a prior understanding of the culture. Organizational culture is the personality of a company. It is unspoken but felt. Organizational culture is something that shapes businesses and their people. When employees do not have the physical experience of the culture, it is difficult for them to be moulded into it. Every organization has its own culture, and therefore, understanding the values and approaches of a new working environment can leave people confused and eventually unproductive.
Remote working has blurred the personal and professional lives of the employees. Even though remote working has its perks like flexibility and freedom, but how far it can work for both the employers and employees is the question that we all need to ask. The digital workplace cannot compensate for the cultural challenges if not taken care of by the employers and the employees jointly. Both parties should move forward, keeping the culture alive to sustain in the long run.
Adapting to the new digital workplace and being productive for the moment would not help much in the long run unless the intricacies of the situation are well understood.
In these few months, the information that we all gathered around organizational culture tells one thing loud and clear: “the culture and values of an organization are often not aligned with its action.” The ultimate purpose of any organization is customer experience and how it reflects through its culture. And how to stay strong and support in times of need.
Many organizations are laying off their employees without any right justification, and some are cutting down salaries. This tells a lot about organizational values. But there are also organizations whose choices and actions define a lot about their cultures.
What culture do you have? In these COVID-19 times have you displayed your culture or you have acted as a knee jerk reaction. Every organisation needs to go back to basics in line with what is going on currently. Have a brilliant new year but break out of the comfort zone. Miracles happen outside the comfort zone.
