The dark side of company culture
The obsession with company culture is peaking, with organisations worldwide investing millions in crafting the perfect environment. Yet beneath the surface of ping-pong tables, team buildings, and carefully crafted value statements lies a darker reality: the more companies focus on “building culture,” the more they risk creating artificial environments that drift away from authentic human connections.
In short
- Why forcing company culture often leads to superficial behaviours rather than genuine engagement
- How excessive focus on culture metrics can create toxic measurement-driven behaviours
- The hidden cost of prioritising cultural fit over diverse perspectives and experiences
- Why employer branding should reflect reality rather than an idealised version of your organisation
COMPANY CULTURE
Company culture exists, even if you don’t define it
Google searches for “company culture”, but also “employer branding” has quadrupled in the last decade, hinting at the exploding importance of both topics in organisations.
But the truth about company culture is uncomfortable. It exists whether you actively shape it or not. It’s the natural outcome of how people work together, make decisions, and handle conflicts. When organisations try to forcefully implement a specific culture, they often create a fake environment for employees, leading to emotional exhaustion and decreased productivity.
Traditional culture initiatives frequently backfire because they treat symptoms rather than causes. The day after a teambuilding it’s business as usual. And freebies often get welcomed with scepticism or irony. These superficial initiatives can’t fix fundamental issues like poor leadership, lack of trust, or misaligned incentives. Worse still, these surface-level solutions can mask deeper problems, making them harder to identify and address.
COMPANY CULTURE DYSFUNCTION
Fake culture kills innovation and trust
Culture dysfunction manifests in subtle ways: excessive consensus-seeking, fear of conflict, and the emergence of shadow cultures where real work happens outside official channels. The most dangerous sign? When employees perfect the art of appearing to embrace the culture while privately dismissing it.
Research shows that organisations with strong artificial cultures often struggle with innovation and adaptation. Their employees become skilled at maintaining appearances rather than solving problems or driving change.
Before attempting to change culture, organisations must first understand their current reality. This means acknowledging uncomfortable truths: that some team members may be cultural mercenaries, that values statements often conflict with actual behaviours, and that what leadership perceives as culture might be vastly different from ground-level reality.
COMPANY CULTURE DYNAMICS
How surface-level employer branding backfires
The employer branding industry has created the illusion that better communication alone can fix cultural challenges. A promise to “tell your story better” or “amplify your cultural values,” leads to expensive campaigns that look great in boardroom presentations but fail to address underlying issues.
This surface-level approach creates a widening gap between messaging and reality. When employer branding focuses solely on communication, it risks becoming nothing more than pretty slides and metrics that satisfy leadership while leaving real cultural challenges untouched.
The result?
Organisations spend significant budgets on employer branding campaigns that temporarily boost application numbers but fail to improve retention or engagement. These campaigns often backfire when new hires, attracted by polished messaging, encounter the unvarnished reality of your organisation.
meets UNVARNISHED REALITY
When stories meet company culture reality
The moment of truth comes three months into a new hire’s journey. When carefully crafted employer branding narratives collide with workplace reality. No amount of sophisticated messaging can bridge this gap, leading to increased turnover, damaged reputation, and a growing cynicism among employees about future initiatives.
The fact that searches for “Glassdoor marketing” are also going up only supports that claim.
This disconnect doesn’t just affect new hires. Current employees, seeing the disparity between external messaging and their daily experience, become increasingly disconnected. They become the opposite of the ambassadors you’re claiming to create to welcome new hires in their new environment.
to OVERCOME THE
COMPANY HURDLES
Using employer branding to reflect, not mask, your company culture
Any employer branding strategy should begin with a clear understanding of what can and cannot be influenced with the aid of an external employer branding agency. Some cultural challenges require deep organisational change that no amount of clever messaging can fix. Others might be addressed through targeted employer branding initiatives that align internal reality with external perception.
The key lies in knowing the difference. A misaligned compensation structure can’t be fixed with better storytelling. A lack of career development opportunities won’t be solved with an engaging social media campaign. However, employer branding can play a crucial role in:
- Setting realistic expectations with potential candidates
- Highlighting genuine cultural strengths while acknowledging areas for improvement
- Creating feedback loops that inform internal change initiatives
- Building authentic narratives that attract candidates who align with your actual culture, not your aspirational one
- Providing consistency in your message towards new hires and current employees
How can June20 help you?
We’re not in the business of selling dreams or masking reality. We’re here to help organisations build authentic employer brands that stand the test of time.
This means we might not be the agency for you if you’re looking for quick fixes or surface-level solutions. But if you’re ready for an honest partnership focused on building a genuine employer brand that reflects your reality while working toward your goals, let’s talk.
Remember, the best employer brands aren’t built on perfect stories – they’re built on authentic ones.
