Actions speak louder than words: how the current crisis could lead to a crisis of company culture.

The now all too familiar sound of the Zoom sound alerts me through my headphones that someone has joined my session. There is a slight delay as the screen pauses on a black screen for 1 or 2 seconds, and then there is a sudden burst of light and I see the face of my client. It is Marta (not her real name), a smart, intelligent and friendly Marketing Manager who works for a big multi-national cosmetics company who lives in a prestigious area in the centre of Madrid, with her husband and young daughter. We have only had a few sessions together before this meeting. She reached out to me after being on lockdown for 3 weeks due to the crisis of the pandemic and came to realise during this period that she needed my help to improve her work situation. We are still in the getting to know each other phase of the client-coach relationship, and yet I know her well enough to notice something is wrong. She seems more stressed than usual and appears to be trying to hide her agitation. “Hi Marta.” I say, “What´s wrong? Are you ok?” It was soft and simple approach. However, that was all it took for her words to spill out of her mouth and tell me.

“I can´t take it anymore. I am fed up with my company. They have no appreciation for anything other than bottom line. All they want to do is take, take, take. The pressure I am under is not sustainable. For a company that is meant to be about people, they don´t understand, or care about the people inside the company. I am desperate!”

For the next 15 minutes she continues to tell me:

• how her company are officially having to cut back her pay and hours by 50% explaining she should only have to work 4 hours per day. However, then unofficially they are pressurising her to work her an exhausting 12-14 hours per day.

• How her company have said they may reduce or restrict her contracted holiday time this year because working from home is “easier” in terms of workable hours, and they need to balance out her official working hours (as outlined previously, of 4 hours per day) later in the year.

• How her superiors contact her at all hours of the day, including late at night (and even at weekends) though WhatsApp and email which she must instantly reply to because “she is on lockdown and has nowhere else to be” so therefore is expected to have total availability (up to and including midnight) for work purposes.

• How there is no empathy from her superiors for the fact that she is juggling the needs of her young daughter (under 5 years old) whilst she and her husband are still both effectively working full time during this universal time of crisis.

• How the company communicated that they need her and her colleagues to go above and beyond for the company at this time, as well as the rest of the year past Christmas. Then have it strongly implied that those that are unable to deliver, or question what is asked of them, will be in trouble if, and when, they decide to let go of people.

After she got all her grievances off her chest, I calm her down and talk about how she can move forward from this situation and what next steps towards an outcome that could be more acceptable for her. By the end of the session she is a lot calmer. She knows what she needs to do now with her short- and medium-term goals. She seems a lot more in control now and even starts smiling by the end of our session.

Even before the global pandemic and situation, this type of conversation I have had with people like Marta was a common one for me. The only difference now, is that the frequency and number of these types of conversations has increased. As a communications coach, many of my individual clients like Marta, have come to me with the desire for me to help them either improve their work relationships and results through communication strategies, or alternatively help them communicate the best version of themselves on a CV and in a job interview. When they have made up their mind that it is a new job they seek, I ask them “Why?”. Why do they want to leave their existing company?

The answers I get are not usually connected to a better salary or job status, but rather the perception that their company undervalues, under-appreciates or even threatens their employees. In other words, it is a matter of the internal culture lacking communication of empathy and respect, something most of us all want in a work environment.

Whether this perception is true or not on a specific case by case basis, it still creates a problem for the company because as any good crisis management courses will explain, a perceived problem (whether real or not) can easily gain momentum and turn into a very real crisis (especially in a social media addicted world where anyone can have their say about anything). For a senior management and directors, that means a potential hit to the internal and external reputation of the company, which in turn can compromise the integrity and quality they can provide to their customers, and can ultimately have a detrimental effect on revenue.

At this stage with my clients, I explain that objectivity is essential, and as an exercise we measure up and analyse the self-claimed values and ethos of the company from their website (if available) and other self-promoting material, detailing their desired company culture, and compare it to specific actions taken (or not taken) to reinforce those characteristics internally. This exercise forces my client to reflect on whether there is a mismatch between their expectations and their company, and if so, how should they move forward (which may not necessarily involve changing company, and could just mean changing the way they see how their company culture is communicated to them). Alternatively, they may conclude that at best their company has a misunderstanding or miscommunication regarding its internal culture, or at worst that their company is basing its reputation on an inauthentic company culture which is essentially a marketing ploy to look good to the outside world but lack any real substance.

I have to say from my external position having both corporate and individual clients, I have seen both scenarios present themselves as outcomes, and sometimes the company culture isn´t the source of the issue. However, I have had an increasing number of clients (67% in the past 2 years) conclude that it is an internal culture problem. And in times of crisis like we are all currently experiencing, these issues come straight to the surface for all to see.

As Yago de la Cierva from IESE business school puts it in his book Leading companies through storms and crises:

What makes crises fascinating is that they show the institution’s soul and its real internal culture. If management feels compelled to serve its publics, both internal and external, it will provide complete and precise information, even if by doing so the organization seems to lose in the short-term. On the other hand, if it prioritizes its own interest over social benefit, the attitude will be more parasitic than symbiotic.

This current crisis the world is facing in 2020 is no different. Some companies have invested their efforts in communicating a good internal culture with social value which is now paying dividends in terms of their employee loyalty during this unpredictable time. Whilst others, like the one Marta explains to me, have neglected this area of their business and are now panicking, resorting to bullying and scare tactics to get them through the crisis. As for these companies, I am certain many will survive. The question isn´t about survival though (not yet anyway), but rather at what cost? If enough people like Marta leave her company and communicate dissatisfaction of the company´s internal culture (to existing colleagues and others that trust them), the pressure could increase and then what will happen to the reputation and bottom line of the company? Could it survive that additional crisis?

To put it another way, a mentor of mine years ago once wisely said:

The difference between a good company and a great company isn´t just about what about what they do well, but more importantly how well the people respond in the bad times, when problems arise and ultimately when there is a crisis.

To this day, I still judge a company based on how they deal with challenging circumstances, and overcome problems, rather than how well they meet my expectations during the good times.

As we slowly move forward, out of this crisis, many people like Marta will have asked themselves questions on how well their company has responded and communicated its true values during these uncertain times. I predict that with the shift to #WFH (Working From Home) coming to prominence, professionals will have had the time and physical space to think about such questions and evaluate their company accordingly. They will have had time to ask questions about what they consider important in an employer (beyond just pay), and whether they want to go back to the way things were before this crisis, or take the opportunity to adapt, and strengthen their bonds in preparation for the next inevitable crisis (and yes, there will be another crisis to deal with, there always is). Whatever the answers are for both the employee and employer, the way we communicate our values and expectations will have greater importance in the future. Not least of all because the job market will be truly global if #WFH becomes the new normal. Those that have invested their time and energy in knowing how to effectively communicate both internally and externally on a global scale with their like-minded people, brands and followers will prosper to the greatest extent in the good times, and survive the bad times with less loss. As I say to all my clients who want to be effective communicators, “Actions speak louder than words, so act and speak with authenticity”.

#UnderstandingEmpowermentCohesion #CompanyCulture #BuildingTrust #CrisisCommunication