“Leaders may set the vision, but culture only thrives when employees buy in and actively participate,” the report read. “Even the most strategic cultural initiatives fall flat without that connection.”
Recognition and autonomy replace traditional perks
Nearly all respondents said their workplace culture was either somewhat (40%) or very (53%) important to their employee experience. However, only 36% believed their company culture was well defined and drove performance.
Many workers instead described their organisational culture as reactive and inconsistent across teams (46%) or vague and not actively shaped (15%).
Greater flexibility or autonomy in how employees work topped the list of desired cultural improvements at 34%, alongside recognition and reward systems that reflect company mission and values, also at 34%.
“Long gone are the days when most employees worked together in offices, where shared routines and spontaneous conversations shaped culture naturally,” the report stated. “Now, employees in more distributed work environments value meaningful recognition and autonomy over office perks or social events.”