Are Talking Toms altering office culture?

Snapdeal employees’ letter to the Prime Minister complaining about the failure of a deal with Flipkart, is no aberration. A lot more employees across small and large companies are talking, writing and sharing details about their corporate life as casually as they do about personal life. While a certain amount of office talk always existed, the emergence of social media has made these ‘opinions’ heard which has expanded the scope, scale and reach.

“Employees are sharing their opinions on topics like company management, recruiting processes, compensation, benefits, office culture and working atmosphere. The rise of platforms like Glassdoor or Google Reviews that serve this purpose, contributed to the trend, clearly showing that a culture of outspoken nature is becoming the new standard,” says Projjol Banerjea, founder and chief product officer of Zeotap, a data collector for digital advertisers.

The outspokenness is not restricted to young employees from start-ups alone. A large number of senior and mid-level executives have embraced this culture much faster than others, leading to a systemic change in the way corporates conduct themselves. “It is not just millennials but also baby boomers who are spearheading the change. They are now in their late 30s and 40s, and have a young lifestyle and mindset. They, as employees, endured authoritative work cultures, and empathise with their juniors. To ensure their experiences are not repeated, they want to become the ones who bring about the change in office culture,” says Sandeep Mittal, managing director at Cartesian Consulting, an analytics services firm.

The new-age employees are not only vocal about the company, but also expect the company to react in the same manner, with total transparency. They hope to build a casual openness in office, changing the rigid, bureaucratic stance. Companies which realise that the world is changing fast, are altering their culture too. For example, five years back, a junior employee could have never approached the CEO of the company, but that is not impossible anymore. While there is no systemic change in the way corporates function, they have started listening. Mittal says that the very fact that junior employees can be heard, can have a great effect on the office culture.

“In comparison to previous generations where the main motivation had been the recognition of achievements and corporate wellbeing, millennials are strongly motivated by opportunities to express their creativity and opinion, as well as by learning,” says Banerjea. The HR system where managers are reviewed by team members has long remained an insignificant part of appraisal process. Some companies have already started taking it seriously, and more will follow suit as transparency becomes common throughout the company.

In all, a transparent organisation where employees and bosses communicate freely and openly can lead to better growth, and ease innovation. Most start-ups which are built ground-up by employees, are the first ones to adopt this culture. “Start-ups are well known for their flat hierarchies and their open and friendly environments. Often crowded by millennials, bosses are also seen as coaches and mentors, and therefore more approachable. This creates an atmosphere where people can communicate freely even with the top management, ensuring their voices are heard,” says Banearjea.

Larger companies have every reason to emulate this start-up culture in their conduct with employees. Most large companies and their businesses are challenged by start-ups, and hence are looking for new ideas to remain relevant. They are keen on facilitating a culture that fosters creativity. To ease ideation, they are building official and unofficial communication channels. These channels are frequently used by managers and employees alike, to publicly communicate and share ideas.

The trend of complete openness brings about a new set of risks. When companies openly discuss their plans, ideas and opportunities with a large section of their employees, there is every chance the Twitter-friendly employees might intentionally or unintentionally disclose it to lurking spies.

“When a new culture is adopted, it brings with it some risks and there will either be leaks or other incidents leading to an unsavoury experience. Corporates should be ready for such challenges and should not be overly sensitive. They cannot retract and shutdown after the smallest setback, but must be patient enough and allow employees to absorb the culture in a true manner,” says Mittal.

TALKING TOMS

• Many employees are talking, writing and sharing details about their corporate life as casually as they do about personal life
   
• When companies openly discuss their plans, there is every chance the Twitter-friendly employees might disclose it to lurking spies