To know whether the culture you believe in is the one your people live, ask them. Ask anonymously, through someone other than the company, with statements specific enough to test your claims. Then read the answers by group, not just company-wide.
Why do leaders and employees see different cultures?
Because leaders see the culture they meant to build. They hear about it in meetings where people are on their best behavior. Employees live the version that shows up on a Tuesday afternoon with their manager. Both are real. Only one decides whether people stay.
Why doesn’t “asking around” work?
People tell the boss what the boss wants to hear. Exit interviews aren’t much better. People on their way out often give the safe answer, because they may need a reference. Current employees, asked anonymously by someone outside the company, have less reason to soften it.
What should you ask?
Statements that test what you say about yourself. In the Love of Workplace Index™, employees rate lines like “My company lives the values it promotes,” “Associates in my company are held accountable for their actions” and “My manager trusts me.” If your values page says one thing and those scores say another, you’ve found the gap.
Where does the gap usually hide?
In one group. A site, a shift, a team, a level. Break results out by group, and read each group’s comments. The company average can look fine while one group lives something very different.
What do you do once you see it?
Pick one thing people raised. Fix it. Then tell them it changed because they said so. Then ask again. The second survey tells you if the culture you believe in is getting closer to the one they live. For what to do once it is, read How Activated Culture Signals Filter in the Right Talent.
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How do you find out what employees really think of your culture?
Ask them anonymously, through someone outside the company, with specific statements to rate.
Are exit interviews a good measure of culture?
Not on their own. People leaving often give the safe answer.
What statements test whether a company lives its values?
For example, “My company lives the values it promotes” and “My company stands for honesty and integrity.”
Why break culture results out by group?
Because one company average can hide a team or site with a very different experience.
