Culture is not a buzzword.
Culture is a state of being.
Culture is not a perk.
Culture is a practice.
Culture is not a happy hour.
Culture is human connections.
Culture is not reactive.
It is active and proactive.
Culture is not static.
It is ever-evolving and ever-expansive.
Culture is not a machine.
Culture is human.
Culture is not extracurricular activities.
Culture is a shared thread of values, beliefs, and rituals.
However, everything culture is, has been lost.
As we are aware, we are living through the industrial revolution of our time. Technology and the digitalization of our lives rule our worlds. We blindly accept the high, unspoken expectations to live the 24/7 always-on life, to engage in 60+ hours weeks, and ignore our holistic health issues to prove that we can handle the pressure. Feeling burned out has become ever-present, and we accept it as if it is the only way to lead a “successful” life. “Succesful,” yet, unfulfilling and empty.
The corporate world is highly responsible for most of it. Their machine-like, money-driven ways of running businesses is continuously propelling the hustle mindset, zero-sum game, and amplifying the burnout culture. We are more disconnected than ever to ourselves, our purpose, and our communities. We live and experience everything at a surface level because we have forgotten how to live, feel, and connect deeply. We live in fear — fear of being judged, shamed, criticized, let go and beyond. All these and more is why I am not surprised that globally there is an 85% of employee disengagement.
I like to over-simplify some concepts, and I often think in terms of black and white, even though I know the world doesn’t work like that. However, for the sake of this article allow me to oversimplify it for you.
Human beings are in danger of extinction and not only because of the devastating times we face from an environmental standpoint.
There is a saying in my home country that goes like this: “esa persona está muerta en vida”, meaning: that person is living dead, to describe someone who has lost its purpose, love, and faith in life. I find it fascinating how much this statement correlates with the state of business today.
All kinds of companies feel soulless, purposeless, and frankly, living dead. Why? Because their current employee’s well-being, mental health, and emotional selves are compromised and de-prioritized every single day. We just saw this as Whole Food’s owner, Jeff Bezos removed basic health care benefits from part-time employees weeks after signing the Business Roundtable claiming, alongside hundreds of CEO’s, that all shareholders matter.
But, do we? Do we all matter?
I am referring to human culture, a culture that fulfills the basic needs of human beings.
As I continue to come across the Future of Work panels, workshops, and seminars, I find myself questioning why is it still referred to as the future? Frankly, all we got is this current moment to shape our lives and the lives of others and show them how we all matter, right now. The future of work needs action today. We need to rebuild, reshape, and refocus the Present of Work today, using culture as the vehicle to carry us through it all.
I am not talking about a one size fits all culture; I am not referring to ping-pong tables and happy hours. I am referring to human culture, a culture that fulfills the basic needs of human beings.
This and more is why I am in the business of helping companies rebuild corporate culture from the ground up.
At Get Trifecta, we created the first human-centered cultural framework guiding companies to place people at the forefront of the organization enabling for being and doing to happen interchangeably. We help companies create and develop human experiences that reveal the culture within and ensure that it continuously aligns with the company’s purpose and vision long-term.
Your company’s culture and legacy will only be as strong and timeless as your connection with the people responsible for carrying it through every single day.
Originally published on LinkedIn.com