What Is Culture Washing?

Like greenwashing, where companies market their products as environmentally friendly when they’re not, culture washing is a marketing or public relations process used by organisations to create a vibrant, attractive, but misleading culture.

In recent years, company culture has become a key tool for businesses to attract and retain talent. Led by large businesses such as Google, businesses have been offering a range of incentives and environmental benefits to make work environments as comfortable and welcoming as possible to attract the best talent. Think flexible working, team-building activities, unlimited holidays, open business idea discussions—the list is endless. 

With the highly competitive race for talent, businesses have jumped on the company culture trend, implementing as much as possible to make their culture seem irresistible to opportunity seekers.

Company values

Any company can have a list of core values printed on the walls or displayed on its website; however, is it conducting everyday business with these in mind? 

Businesses need to do what they say they are doing. 

Bosses who say one thing and constantly do the opposite sometimes wonder why their employees are not very loyal. 

How to spot culture washing

There are many ways to spot businesses that ‘culture wash’. Platforms such as Glassdoor have made it increasingly difficult for companies to hide their authentic culture. Its anonymous platform allows current and previous employees to write honest reviews about businesses which can’t be deleted by businesses, giving outsiders true insight into what a company is really like.

Another way to find out what a company is really like is to reach out to its existing employees on platforms such as LinkedIn. Often, people are willing to talk about their experiences and offer advice and insight. 

What to do as a business if you fear you are culture-washing

If your culture does not truly reflect what you’re marketing, you could risk losing some great people in your business. 

It’s time to act, starting with your core values. 

Simon Sinek, known to many for his lectures and writings on leadership and the importance of finding our “why,” offers a slightly more interesting approach than just a list of words. Instead, he proposes changing your values into actions.

For example, instead of having the value “innovation”, which means everything and nothing, he suggests “Approach problems from a new angle”. Rather than “Communication”, it could be “Make sure information does not get lost,” for example.

Be specific so that people can follow and act on your core values and, more importantly, know what your business stands for. 

Core values are not the only important elements when it comes to overhauling your company culture. Integrity and consistency are two of the most important elements as they mean, among other things, that we do what we say we do. If your business is not doing what it says, people will leave and join organisations that do. 

Conclusion

Honesty is always the most important thing.

Creating a great culture on paper is much easier than making it in real life. If your culture doesn’t truly reflect what you’re marketing, you’re in danger of quickly losing the people you bring onboard, wasting valuable time, money, and talent. Teach and practise your values consistently and create an authentic culture that your team is proud to be part of. 

If you’re a candidate, assess a company’s culture thoroughly.