Organizational Culture: It Needs to Help Employees Through Hard Times

Excerpted from The SHRM Blog By Sharlyn Lauby

As human resources professionals, we know the importance of creating a positive candidate experience so people will come to work for our companies. And we understand that creating a positive employee experience will result in increased employee engagement, higher productivity, and reduced turnover. We also understand that we must work on all of them. We can’t sacrifice the employee experience for a better candidate experience. Because if we do, it will create a disconnect that ultimately leads to disengagement and turnover.

But as we’re talking about experiences, let’s be real. No matter what we do, every day will not be sunshine and roses. Sometimes industries and organizations have tough periods. They experience setbacks.

A couple years ago, I had the privilege of hearing former President Barack Obama speak at a conference where he said something that has stuck with me. I don’t remember his exact words, but the takeaway was about being there for people when times are good as well as when times are tough. It made me wonder about our organizations and whether we think about the principles of our organizational culture when times are difficult?

President Obama’s comment reminded me of my own human resources career. I was involved in a major auto accident that put me out of work for almost a year. It’s sad to say, but some companies would have probably tried to figure out some way to get rid of me. And it would have probably been easy. This was pre- the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). But this organization kept me on the payroll, paid my medical insurance, and found me a new role (in HR) when I was ready to return.
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