I worked for a company in which the company culture was lauded. We had gatherings, games, ways to give back to the community, raffles, all kinds of vendors coming in to sell us all kinds of things at reduced rates, holiday lunches...

Problem: It didn't help morale - didn't stop attrition - didn't increase engagement.

Company culture is not a standalone effort. it is not a Band-Aid that can slapped over problems in order to make employees feel better about their dispiriting work conditions. So when is company culture "a thing"? When is it something to celebrate? 

I once knew a hard-working, bright young woman who was hired to work at one of the largest firms in the world. The company was famous for its relaxed atmosphere, for providing all of the comforts of home while at work - from a gym to a laundromat. Free breakfasts. Help getting to and from work. Verrry chic!

I sent her an email, a week into her new gig, and I asked her how it was going! I was excited to hear how "the other half lived"! Disappointingly, she was unhappy and didn't think she would stay very long (she in fact left after 3 months).

Wholeness used to be a "woo woo" term. Very fluffy and light. 

​Not anymore. That is, not if you're paying attention.

At my last job one of the statements I heard directed at those below management was, "You shouldn't be asking for more, you should just be grateful to have a job."

​From simply a human viewpoint, how thrilled are you going to be to bring your best to the table when you are receiving that kind of message?

Let's get real. You're NOT going to be thrilled.

This is one kind of the internal fracturing that goes on and on, and then we wonder why we can't bring a business together!

A business is not the sum of its parts. Wait, WHAT? Right. It isn't. As it stands, we are fractured. We have a system which takes parts of the business and gives them differing goals, and different rewards, and asks them all to care more about the business than about themselves.

Good luck!

With this perspective, you are about to spend the rest of the life of your business dealing with unnecessary attrition, absenteeism, on-the-job illness, and the loss of lots and lots and LOTS of money!

If you're ready to look at business as what it is - the sum of the parts of its humans - it ends up looking more like an addition problem made up of these vibrant aspects::

Human Beings +
Service to a Greater Purpose =
A Wholeness-Based, Successful, Sustainable Business