Perks Cannot Fix A Broken Culture

Many trendy companies have implemented a whole array of perks, gimmicks and gadgets to keep their employees happy and engaged. From offering wellness on-site such as massages and acupuncture, to installing pingpong tables and slides in their office spaces, to offering free transportation with wifi so employees can already work during their commute, many hip companies have come up with, at times, crazy perks to attract and retain talent.

While some of those measures may have a certain cool factor, they will only be able to skim the surface when it comes down to what’s really going on in their organizations.

Job satisfaction, employee happiness, motivation and engagement are not something that can be generated (or coerced) with perks and pay. A healthy and powerful organizational culture cannot be achieved by offering extra amenities such as cool workspaces or cafeterias. If a job sucks, a green juice is not going to fix it. If a culture is broken, a cafeteria cannot fix it.

Here at THE ENERGY PARADIGM we believe that we need to address the root causes of employee disengagement and job dissatisfaction. That warrants an investigation below the surface at the energetic level of organizations. Above the surface perks cannot fix these things as they will not be able to address cultural shortcomings or employee disconnect. Perks are mere bandaids to something that happens at the energetic level of organizations, teams and individuals. If people don’t feel at home in their organizations, no perks can get them to feel better. We therefore need to look for energetic root causes of why people “don’t feel it”.

In our book, employee engagement can only be generated by an energetic alignment between individuals and their tasks and between teams and their organizations. Without energetic alignment, organizations become unhealthy. They run hot. There will be friction between individuals, their tasks and their supervisors, as well as between team members and between different teams. There will be change and leadership resistance. There will be employee disengagement and a general lack of motivation. There will be a lack of innovation and motivation.

Some organizations slip into low energetic states of frozenness, stuckness, contentment or apathy, others slip into overly energetic states of frenzy, hyperactivity, stress and exhaustion. Detecting those trends before they can become wildfires is of the utmost importance. You may feel that “the mood” of your team has changed. You may sense increasing change- or leadership-resistance. You may notice that some people start cutting corners. Or you may witness increased stress and unproductive friction or arguing. Those are just some first indicators that something has shifted on the energetic side. Organizations need to learn how to detect and navigate their energetic undercurrents, how their people really feel and how well they are energetically aligned with their tasks and teams. That’s why we need to start a conversation about business energetics because in the end it’s all about energy.

Many blessings, Dr. Vic