Culture is one of those words we use all the time at work.
We talk about having a great culture. Protecting it. Hiring for it. Building it. Sometimes I wonder if we’ve talked about culture so much that we’ve made it sound more complicated than it really is.
At its core, culture is how people experience your organization.
It shows up in how people treat one another, how decisions get made, what gets celebrated, and what people come to expect when they walk through the door each day.
Your mission and values may give the organization a destination. Culture influences how your people experience the journey.
Culture lives in the everyday habits of your team.
I think about culture a little like a marriage.
A marriage exists every day, not only on date night. Life gets busy. Kids need rides. The laundry pile develops its own zip code — sorry, getting a little personal here.
Sometimes the relationship quietly moves to the bottom of the list without anyone intending for that to happen.
Workplace culture can do the same thing.
Organizations get busy. Targets need to be hit. Customers need attention. Positions need to be filled. Problems show up before the first cup of coffee.
Somewhere in the middle of running the business, culture can become something we assume is taking care of itself.
Hard truth…It usually isn’t.
Culture needs attention and reinforcement. It needs people who are willing to keep bringing the organization back to what it says is important.
The good news is that shaping culture does not require a giant initiative with a clever name and matching T-shirts.
A lot of it comes down to what we do consistently.
My work gives me the opportunity to spend time behind the scenes with organizations and the people who lead them. Over the years, I’ve found myself coming back to five areas that have a tremendous impact on how people experience work:
Who we attract. How we welcome people in. The trust we give them. The opportunities we create for growth. How we recognize their contribution.
These are everyday culture builders.
So let’s talk about them.
1. Attract People Who Want to Be Part of What You’re Creating
Attracting great people can be hard.
Every organization has its recruiting challenges. It could be location, competition for talent, schedules, compensation, or an industry that candidates simply do not understand yet.
What I’ve found is that people will stretch for an opportunity they believe in.
They may make the drive. They may consider a role they had not thought about before. They may take a chance on a new industry when they can picture themselves growing there and contributing to something worthwhile.
That is why attracting talent starts before the interview.
People want to know what they are walking into.
What are you creating? What does your organization care about? Where does this person fit into that picture?
Job postings are one of your first opportunities to tell that story.
Tell candidates what the role requires. Help them understand the purpose behind the work. Give them a sense of what the organization is trying to create and how they could contribute to it.
There is something powerful about being invited into a vision.
People want to know their time and energy are going somewhere worthwhile. Give them an honest picture of the expectations and the work ahead. Let them see the opportunity that exists inside it.
The goal is to find someone who can picture themselves contributing to what you are creating.
2. Build Belonging from Day One
Think back to your first day of a new job.
There was probably a fun mix of excitement and anxiety.
You wanted to make a good impression. You were trying to remember everyone’s name. You were figuring out where to sit, where to clock in, how many new passwords you needed and how things really worked.
Meanwhile, a few very human questions were probably running through your head:
Do I fit here?
Can I be successful here?
Did I make the right decision?
BambooHR found that 70% of new hires decide whether a job is the right fit within the first month, including 29% who know within the first week.
That gives the first 30 days a lot of weight.
New team members need to learn the organization and understand the expectations of their role. They are also looking for signals that they are welcome here.
That starts with surprisingly practical things.
Personally greeting them with they arrive on the first day.
Have their workspace ready.
Make sure people know their name and use it.
Please don’t dump everything they will ever need to know on them before 3:00 p.m. on day one and call it onboarding.
SHRM describes onboarding as the process of integrating a new employee into the company and its culture while giving them the information and tools needed to become productive. That process extends well beyond orientation on day one.
Sharing information about the company is part of onboarding. Listening is too.
New employees arrive with fresh eyes. Ask what they are noticing. Find out what still feels confusing. Give them space to ask the question everyone else stopped asking years ago.
Then listen to the answer.
A person who has been there for 12 days may see something the person who has been there for 12 years no longer notices.
Their perspective can help you understand how the organization is being experienced in real time.
The first 30 days should feel intentional, thoughtful, and welcoming.
Help someone move from “I hope I made the right decision” to “I can see myself here.”
That is where belonging begins.
3. Empower Your Team
There is something powerful about a team that knows, I’m trusted to handle this.
That trust shows up in the way people make decisions and take ownership of the experience in front of them. We hired good people. We trained them. At some point, we have to let them use their judgment.
Start with clear guardrails.
People need to understand where they have freedom and when something needs to be escalated. Clarity gives people confidence to act.
Then let them make the call.
A thoughtful decision made within those guardrails deserves room to play out. Resist the urge to step in simply because you would have handled it differently.
Use real situations as coaching opportunities afterward. Ask what they noticed. Talk through why they made the decision. Explore what they learned from the outcome.
That is how judgment develops.
Empowerment is a result of good leadership.
It tells people, We trust you to think.
That message shapes culture in a powerful way.
The goal is to create a team that feels trusted to do the job you hired them to do.
4. Create Opportunities for Growth
People want to know they have a future.
Growth is one of the clearest ways an organization communicates: We see something in you, and we’re willing to invest in it.
That investment becomes part of the culture.
Growth can happen through formal training, cross-training, mentoring, a stretch assignment, exposure to another area of the business, or a leader simply saying, “I think you’re ready to take this on.”
Those experiences build capability and confidence.
They strengthen the organization at the same time.
Leaders begin developing people who can carry greater responsibility. The organization builds a bench. Employees begin to see paths that may not have been visible when they started.
There is a practical truth here for leaders too:
You cannot continue growing if you are the only person capable of doing what you currently do. Someone needs to be learning pieces of your role. Someone on your team needs the opportunity to lead. Sometimes that starts with a leader seeing potential in someone before they fully see it in themselves.
Succession begins every time we intentionally develop someone.
When people know they can learn here and build a future here, we give them a reason to stay.
Development helps your people see what could be next.
It also prepares the organization for a strong future.
5. Recognize the Work
Recognition is one of those culture builders that sounds obvious until you stop and ask how often people on your team actually hear:
“I noticed what you did and it was awesome!”
People want to know their contribution is seen.
Formal recognition programs create opportunities to pause and celebrate. Awards, milestone celebrations, peer nominations, service anniversaries, and organization-wide recognition can reinforce the behaviors and values you want people to associate with your culture.
Keep those.
Then pay attention to the ordinary Tuesday afternoon.
A handwritten note can stay with someone for years.
A quick comment after a difficult interaction can do the same:
“The way you handled that situation was thoughtful. Thank you.”
Specific recognition has power.
“Great job” is kind.
“I saw you step in and help that new employee today without being asked. That is exactly the kind of teammate we want here” tells someone exactly what you noticed and what you want to see more of.
Formal programs create consistency. Everyday recognition makes appreciation part of the way people experience work.
The most important ingredient is sincerity. Culture is shaped by what we choose to notice.
When people regularly hear that their contribution is seen and appreciated, we reinforce the behaviors we hope to see continue.
Culture Is the Experience We Create
Here is the part I hope sticks with you.
Culture is being shaped every day, whether we are intentional about it or not.
It is shaped when someone reads your job posting and decides whether they can picture themselves there.
It is shaped on the first morning when a new employee walks through the door and is greeted with a smile.
It is shaped when a team member has to make a decision without their manager standing beside them.
It grows when someone is given an opportunity they were not expecting.
It is reinforced when good work is noticed.
These moments become part of the story people tell themselves about your organization.
This is a place where people are welcomed.
This is a place where I can use my judgment.
This is a place where I can build a future.
This is a place where people notice the work I do.
Those beliefs shape how thoughtfully people contribute to your organization.
They shape whether people stay.
They shape what employees tell someone else when they are asked, “What’s it really like to work there?”
That answer is your culture.
So maybe this is the conversation to bring back to your team:
What experience are we creating for the people who work here?
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About the Author: Christy Benitez
Christy Benitez is a recognized leader in the fields of hospitality, coaching, and team-building. With a proven track record in leadership development, talent optimization, and operational excellence, Christy brings a wealth of expertise to RCS Hospitality Group. Christy is a dynamic leadership coach and true people enthusiast. She leverages her hands-on experience to harmonize business priorities with organizational strategies. In her previous role as Director of Talent, Development, and Culture at a private club, Christy excelled in aligning business objectives with talent strategy. She not only developed service standards but also spearheaded and facilitated training programs, fostering a culture of growth. During challenging times, Christy's leadership played a pivotal part in creating new roles and supporting internal promotions, all while maintaining high employee engagement and retention rates. Christy is a certified practitioner with The Working Genius and is dedicated to helping individuals and organizations realize their true potential, enhancing organizational efficiency, and maximizing production and engagement.