SOMEHOW I MANAGE. dot. dot. dot. Employer Branding: Cultural Disturbances And How To Handle Them [Post 02, Series]

SOMEHOW I MANAGE. dot. dot. dot.

Welcome back to the weekly series where i (we) analyze the business situations encountered by possibly one of the greatest bosses ever

In the previous post, we covered some cool culture activits anyone can do where they work and with the poeple they work with.

this week we will touch a less discussed aspect of company culture which heavily affects employer branding. cultural disturbances.

Cultural Disturbances

Let’s define.
Cultural disturbances are the clash between the real lives and characters of people and how they are expressing themselves in the work environment.

when these clashes occur, often it comes out as “weird”, inappropriate, dont-bring-it-work stuff, and other awful cultural labels about what you can and cannot bring to work, although it may be consuming you whole. The way a company chooses to treat those occurrences is very well integrated into how their employees see and regard the workplace and the employer.

How Culture Goes ALL The Way

Right before we dive in, approach these examples when you think about which company culture you wish to create, and realize that it’s definitely not just the fun parts.

Gay witch hunt (s03e01)

Wow, the season started heavily with Michael doing one of the worst things you can do to a gay person — expose him reluctantly. But, what’s interesting is the effort Michael went to after he realized just how much he was misunderstood by everyone, and why is that? because he spent the last years constantly making fun of gay people and using them as insulting monikers.

Remember, we are living in an ever colorful society now, and people are ever more comfortable to show their tru colors, who cares? as long as it doesn't affect their work in any way, let people be themselves in all their colors and you can create a very powerful and honest branding for you company.

The Coup (s03e03)

Dwight, Micheal’s assistant (to the) regional manager, is going behind his back to Michale’s boss to overthrow him, a bad thing on it’s own, and again this is an example of things you can’t always control in your company culture, and in order to prevent them you must have a good grasp of how open you are for criticism and feedback from your own employees.

Grief Counseling (s03e04)

Death is a part of life. That’s heavy i know, but keep in mind that death will be part of your employees life and it’s only a question of when, not if.

Peo[le deal with grief in all sorts of ways and like personal lifestyle choices you need to support, support how they deal and really BE there for them in the hard times, they are exposed and empathy is important. I remember one company that i worked for, offered a coworker friend of mine who his mom passed away — to arrange everything and i do mean everything, and you know what, it helped even if just a little.

Business school (s03e16)

i wrtoe a dedicated post to this great episode here

Just wanted to throw in a sentence michael said that i always felt strong for:

A good boss doesn't fire people, he hires people, and inspires people.

Think about it for a second, after all, Michael just witness one of his employees brutally dissing Dunder Mifflin and doomed it within 5 years (and he wasn’t wrong).

The Negotiation (s03e18)

Oooof, in this episode Michael revealed to one of his employee how much he is making after 15 years in the company. Ok, that’s never a good idea to do, especially if that’s true, but the culture effect Michael created was to encourage his employees to strive for more and always improve. granted the employee showed michael how to negotiate, but the passion and belief Michael had in him was just great.

Safety Training (s03e19)

In this episode Michael tries to show everyone how mental issues are also a safety precaution needed to be seriously addressed.

And it is. People cannot and will not detach from the personal lives when they come to work, and sometimes they go through unimaginable things and you wouldn’t even know. Anonymity is crucial here, but be aware that in 2018, wellness and mindfulness are prevalent not for no reason, avoid the hype but do address these issues and make it an open environment cause you dont want to miss something

BONUS: women’s appreciation (s03e21)

This one is relevant, and it should be, always.
Micheal wasn't aware of just how much he’s making the female employees feel in the work place, he felt so bad about it because he rarely means what he does or is aware of the consequences and that’s ok because he is a fictional character, but unfortunately— art imitates life — and it should NEVER happen. make it a priority.

See you next for season 4 :)

Cheers,
RT