Perks vs. Culture: Why the Difference Matters
I have been mulling over a few things recently, and one that continues to stay top of mind is “Perks vs. Culture.” I think it is sometimes misunderstood or interchangeable in some people’s minds.
There are countless ways of selling your company to prospective candidates, one of which is to share the perks and benefits of your organization - you may be someone that has an open PTO policy, or fully paid for health benefits, a 4 day work week, super flexible working hours, beer in the fridge, even a company cell phone or an in house wellness consultant. Great perks, right?
Typically, shortly after this information is shared with an applicant, the next question is “ tell me more about the company culture …” A fairly normal response to this would be “ oh we are a collaborative environment … leadership does not micromanage… we value professional development… we are like a family here (cringe) … we value mental health so we close early on Fridays, have mental health days or work a 4-day work week and so on. Additionally, sharing the values of an organization, the way the company operates internally and externally, and the actual experience someone will have working within the organization.
*I should note - this is why as Recruiters we dig in so thoroughly with our clients to truly understand their organization as we are the first conversation in many cases with potential candidates being introduced to the team! We want to ensure we understand the company culture so that we can paint that picture for prospective candidates.
This all seems pretty cut and dry right?
Perks = the special things that you “get or gain” from a company that in some cases are tangible, monetary, or overall bragable; the extras.
Culture = Company culture is the shared values, attitudes, behaviors, and standards that make up a work environment. It is about the experience people have at work and how that experience aligns with the external brand and messaging of the company. Culture is what creates the day-to-day experience at a company.
Newsflash… it's not as cut and dry as it used to be…
I am not sure if things changed as our world changed throughout the pandemic or maybe it was happening prior, but I have seen an overwhelming amount of folks mixing up what are company PERKS in how they view/describe/function within the company CULTURE. Or better yet - what actually drew them to the company in the first place and what they view as perks vs culture.
As much of the workforce went remote in 2020, naturally, things changed - they had to. We had to adapt quickly, while handling so much unknown; we had to pivot our business models or service offerings, while navigating a new way of doing business; and we had to keep our teams engaged, while we and they were being hit from all angles both professionally and personally through the midst of a global pandemic. Sounds super simple, doesn’t it? NOPE. Not even close.
Because of all that had changed, organizations needed to be more strategic in their approach to attracting - and retaining - talent in the market we were working within. Things that mattered to candidates/employees years ago took a bit of a back burner position in their decision making process to join/leave an organization. I saw the shift personally when speaking with potential candidates in not only what they shared that they were looking for, but also the priority of things that were important to them about an organization. Gone were the days of “how much does this role pay” as we shifted quickly to “what are the company perks, what are the in-office expectations, etc”. Many companies took varied approaches such as a remote first mentality, a more flexible schedule, equipment stipends to jazz up someone's “home office”, sabbaticals, mental health and wellness perks are among some of the ones we saw most being added to companies “perks”.
With the change to the market and many organizations' offerings, I think folks are beginning to blur the lines between perks they are offered and what the actual culture of the company is. For example I see LinkedIn statuses and speak with folks regularly that say things along the lines of “I am looking for a company culture that is flexible with my hours, has a great time off policy that includes mental health days, and that allows me to work from home” or posts that say “I love that COMPANY X has allowed me to work remotely, while not micromanaging the hours that I am working, so that I can participate in my kid’s school activities and grab brunch on a weekday… What a great company culture!”
What sadly has changed, is an overarching “what can this company do for me” mindset among employees that are so focused on perks as opposed to diving into the company culture, and holding themselves accountable to what their role is within the organization.
This is not a blanket statement across all employees in all organizations, but there is an overwhelming amount of folks that join an organization because the perks really caught their eye. As a result of this, there is strong potential for an employee to take advantage of an organization based on perks - for example, an employee that puts company perks on a pedestal. Those perks take precedence over what their work duties are; it clouds how they discuss the culture of the organization and how they view their role within the company. In my humble opinion, in this case it even puts into question the accountability levels these types of employees will have - are they here and going through the motions for happy hours & other sought after perks? Or are they here for the mission of the organization, to drive business forward and be an active participant in the company culture and overarching goals?
Now- do not get me wrong, I am not implying that employees should not utilize the perks their company offers; we all need PTO, great benefits, the occasional beer from the fridge or a pizza lunch (this pizza lunch is not culture btw - you have all seen the memes), the opportunity to be HUMAN and not just robots that work every second of our lives. However, what I am saying is that employees should view the company perks as an additional benefit to joining an organization, versus their driving force or using as leverage to work a few hours here and there, taking advantage of open PTO policies, or demand other perks because they think flexibility/great perks being offered means they do not need to be held accountable or align with the company culture and values. In my experience, those highly accountable, engaged employees that align so closely with - and add value to - the company culture oftentime do not really utilize all the fluff perks - think about your high performers with all that unused PTO, or the heads down folks that do not hang out by the water cooler all hours of the day, etc. They do not expect the company to give give give without them being a part of the company, and adding to the overall culture, and being accountable for what they were hired to do.
I could talk about this for days… if you want to continue the conversation, drop me a note at syanczak@junosearchpartners.com - I would love to hear from you!
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