| Working Smarter
Take me back to the Resource Centre index
Peer pressure and corporate culture A patient was telling me about his unrelenting stress level at work. One of my suggestions was for him to take periodic breaks through the day to get out of the pressure cooker atmosphere of his company. He said that would be tough. It seems the company was located in a sub-basement so even getting a bit of fresh air entailed too long a walk. I suggested getting out for lunch would be especially important. He replied, "I can't get out for lunch. They don't take lunch." Someone had actually told him, "We don't do that here." He ignored this directive and went out at lunchtime. But not for long. His colleagues showered him with snide and sarcastic remarks until he relented and simply adopted their workaholic tendencies. In 100 different disguises, peer pressure and corporate culture have a huge impact on employees. They are also major factors in the work-life balance of working Canadians. Every organization has a personality Some companies are stodgy, others are fun. They might be known as progressive or laid back, secretive or innovative. If you play for the New York Yankees or join a prestigious law firm, there is a tradition of success and an expectation of excellence and style. Corporate culture can be constructive, positive and a source of pride. Or it can be a problem, particularly when it means long hours, weekend work, self-sacrifice or neglecting your family. One of my patients used to pull the odd all-nighter at the office. When I asked him who else was around in the middle of the night, he said, "More people than you would believe." Some companies even set meetings on Sunday mornings and then view attendance as a litmus test of commitment and company loyalty. These are all examples of customs or traditions that fall under the heading of "The way we do things here." Peer pressure is less institutionalized. It's the way individuals or groups influence the behaviour and attitudes of others. Sometimes peer pressure reflects corporate culture, sometimes not. The Conference Board of Canada's report on Work-Life Balance last year made a good point that managers and supervisors are the "gatekeepers" of company policies on work-life balance. They can support or sabotage the official plan. If an employee wants to leave early to take a parent to a doctor's appointment or to attend a teacher interview at school, he doesn't call the company president to ask permission. He simply clears it with his immediate boss. That person's attitude will determine the outcome. The corporate culture may endorse vacations. But if the people on your team hardly ever take time off, they may exert subtle - or not-so-subtle - pressure on you to skip your holidays. While corporate culture is often determined by tradition, peer pressure is usually exerted by forceful personalities or entrenched personnel. For better or worse, they're the ones with the power. They are often workaholics or Type-A people, highly-driven individuals who, in turn, drive other people hard. Some aspects of corporate culture are based on hierarchies How people act as they move up the hierarchy is important. When people experience unpleasant systems or feel exploited, one of two attitudes usually results. They'll either say, "I was treated badly and when I get into a position of power I'm going to treat the people below me the way I was treated." Or they'll say, "I was treated badly and I will never do this to anyone else. "Face time" is a corporate culture issue that has a big influence on work-life balance. A lot of companies still value physical presence in the office as a measure of conscientiousness and commitment. The message is: "If we can't see you, we don't know if you're working." People are valued more for their time and effort than the quality of their work. Things are starting to change though. More companies are now looking at productivity and outcomes, trusting that employees will find their own individual ways to get results. Often, there's a difference between policy and what people, especially
senior employees and executives, actually do. More companies are espousing
the work-life balance message, but senior people are still coming in
early, leaving late, and registering subtle disapproval when others
don't do the same. In many companies, the important messages are unspoken
and no matter what the policy says, actions still speak louder than
words. All material copyrighted, David B. Posen M.D. |