I think most companies genuinely want to be good places to work\u2014I say most, because there are companies that only care about employees in terms of how much they can help expand the bottom line. I truly do believe, however, that many companies want employees to feel valued, respected, supported, and motivated. And I believe that most managers have good intentions, even when they don’t always get things right. Again, I use \u201cmost\u201d because there are exceptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What irritates me, and probably you as well, is the difference between what a company says it values and what employees actually experience. They make sweet promises, but the reality of what actually happens if you work for them is very, very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frankly, I can\u2019t really decide what\u2019s worse: being a liar or being a hypocrite, but both involve some form of deception. And a company or manager that lacks integrity will not go unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So let\u2019s look at a few common examples of promises some companies make that don\u2019t reflect reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t think there’s a company out there that would openly say, “We expect you to sacrifice your personal life for us.” Well, at least I hope not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most organizations understand that work-life balance matters. So they offer flexible schedules, vacation time, remote work, or policies that encourage employees to disconnect after hours. This is fantastic\u2026but as always, actions speak louder than words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imagine touting the importance of work-life balance or claiming you care about your employees, and then getting upset when people leave at exactly 5 p.m. Or sending a message at nine in the evening and expecting answers by morning. I\u2019ve met people who hesitate to take their full PTO because of how much work they\u2019ll have when they return. That\u2019s aside from the fact that employees who regularly work overtime are praised for being dedicated, while those who stick to their regular hours are seen as being less committed, unambitious, not a team player, or, as my friend\u2019s son was told recently, \u201ca weak coward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re a manager who cares about employee well-being, don’t make after-hours availability a measure of commitment. If you want them to take vacations, make sure they can do so without returning to a disaster. And if someone regularly needs to work late to keep up, investigate why instead of treating it as evidence of an impressive work ethic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This one can become a particularly sore point for employees who are consistently reliable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have an employee who is really good at their job, what are you going to do? Well, you\u2019re probably going to rely on them a lot, which is fine. But if they\u2019re your only reliable employee and you\u2019re constantly having to shift tasks to them when others fail, that\u2019s a problem\u2014a big one. And it\u2019s even bigger if you don\u2019t give them the time, resources, and support they need to take on what you\u2019re dumping on them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reward hard workers with actual<\/em> rewards. Give them support when they need it, boost their resources, spread the work out when they are taking on too much, and provide them with the recognition, financial compensation, and growth opportunities they deserve. And please, please, please<\/em> hire and train better so that these employees aren\u2019t carrying the weight of everyone\u2019s future on their shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your only reward for hard work is more<\/em> work, your company needs a serious shift in philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizations have plenty of ways to collect feedback, and that’s a good thing. Employees should have opportunities to share ideas, identify problems, and suggest improvements. But gathering feedback and doing something useful with it are two different things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine employees repeatedly telling management that a particular process is inefficient. It wastes time, causes mistakes, and creates unnecessary frustration. Management thanks them for their input. Months pass. Nothing changes. The same issue comes up in another survey. Again, management thanks everyone for their honesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t describe the feeling of being asked for feedback or concerns, only to have what you say dismissed. It\u2019s a mix of frustration, sadness, jadedness, and defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, to be fair, organizations can’t act on every suggestion. Some ideas aren’t feasible. Some are too expensive. Some would create bigger problems elsewhere. And sometimes employees don’t have all the information needed to understand why a particular decision was made. That’s fine. But explain that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want people to believe their feedback matters, tell them what you’re doing with it. Explain what can change, what can’t, and why. And when a suggestion leads to an improvement, give credit where it’s due.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love this philosophy. The best lessons I\u2019ve learned were from my biggest mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mistakes are inevitable. They’re part of learning, experimenting, developing skills, and trying new things. A company that understands this can create an environment where employees are willing to ask questions, take calculated risks, and admit when something goes wrong. You\u2019re never going to find an employee who is flawless and faultless, so don\u2019t get me started on that. What you need is an employee who says or believes, \u201cI messed up. But I want to learn what I need to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there’s a catch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can’t tell employees that mistakes are opportunities to learn and then treat every mistake like a fireable offence. Then you\u2019ll just have people who are too scared to take risks\u2014or who will hide mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, this doesn’t mean mistakes should have no consequences. Carelessness, repeated errors, or serious and intentional violations of policy require corrective action. Accountability still matters. But there’s a difference between someone making an honest mistake while trying to do their job and someone repeatedly ignoring instructions and acting irresponsibly. And don\u2019t forget, it also comes down to how well you train and onboard people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To turn a mistake into a learning opportunity, your response should involve understanding what happened, identifying contributing factors, providing guidance, and helping the employee avoid repeating it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teamwork sounds wonderful. It\u2019s not always a wonderful experience, of course, but collaboration is a great concept. Everyone cooperating, sharing information, supporting one another, and working toward common goals is peak success, in my opinion. Except sometimes the company is structured in a way that discourages those very things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Departments compete for resources. Managers protect their budgets and refuse to share staff. Employees withhold information because knowledge gives them an advantage. One team is rewarded for hitting its targets, even when doing so creates extra work for another department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when something goes wrong, the finger-pointing begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That’s not our department’s responsibility.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We were waiting on them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “They never told us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We did our part.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want teamwork, make sure people aren’t penalized for helping other departments. Encourage managers to share information and resources. Reward collaborative behavior, not just individual results. And when problems cross departmental lines, focus on solving them instead of deciding who gets the blame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes managers don’t even realize they’re sending contradictory messages. They may believe in work-life balance but unintentionally reward the people who work the longest hours. They may welcome feedback but then tuck it away in a file, never to be seen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask employees what their day-to-day experience is actually like. Ask what they would change, improve, or stop. There are people out there who actually love their job and who want the company to succeed for reasons beyond a paycheck. So doesn\u2019t it stand to reason that making sure they\u2019re happy, healthy, and supported is the absolute top priority?<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is why I honestly think 360 assessments are one of the greatest developments in psychometrics. They give you a chance to find out what people really think about how the company is run, what’s working, what’s not, and, perhaps most importantly, what management doesn’t even realize is a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. “Your feedback matters.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. “Mistakes are learning opportunities.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. “We’re all on the same team.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Problem Isn’t Always What You Say. It’s What You Reinforce.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n