Plenty of companies say they’ve got a great culture. They point to Friday drinks, office snacks, or a ping pong table as proof. But here’s the truth: a handful of perks doesn’t mean your people are happy, supported, or likely to stick around.
If your business is struggling with high turnover, low motivation, or slowing growth, it’s time to stop hiding behind surface-level “culture” and face what’s really going on.
In this article, Gemma Spinks, Director of Spinks Creative, explores what a real culture looks like, and why it’s the one thing that separates thriving companies from the ones just getting by.
Culture Doesn’t Just Happen, It’s Built
Every organisation has a culture, whether they’ve chosen it or not. The question is: is yours helping your people do their best work, or quietly pushing them out the door?
High-performing cultures are usually shaped around openness, optimism, accountability, recognition, individuality, active listening, and learning from failure. But these elements don’t exist in a vacuum. They depend on something deeper: trust, teamwork, and shared values.
Too often, businesses overlook this in favour of chasing targets. But when people feel like cogs in a machine, the cracks show quickly.
How to Spot a Culture Problem
High turnover. Slipping revenue. Low morale. If these sound familiar, you’re not just dealing with an HR issue, you’ve got a culture problem. And it won’t fix itself.
When people stop engaging, stop caring, or stop showing up entirely, it’s more than the workload, it’s about how they feel doing it.
So, What Does a Thriving Culture Actually Look Like?
Start with something simple: listen. Give your people a voice. Create space for honest feedback through regular check-ins, anonymous surveys, or open forums. When people know it’s safe to speak up, they will. And when they do, you unlock better ideas, stronger relationships, and a culture of trust.
Trust also means letting go. Micromanaging isn’t leadership, it’s control dressed up as care. Hire great people, set clear goals, and then let them work in the way that suits them. You’ll get better results, and a happier team.
Connection matters, too. People want to feel part of something. Millennials and Gen Z now make up the bulk of the global workforce, and they prioritise relationships, balance, and purpose. Casual team socials, in-person or remote hangouts, and genuine time to bond can make a huge difference in how people show up for each other.
It’s also time to ditch the ivory tower. While structure is necessary, rigid hierarchies create division. Encourage collaboration across levels and roles. Show that ideas matter, regardless of job title. When people feel heard, they’re far more likely to care.
And on that note: care, actually give a damn about the people who make your businesses what it is. Not just in words, but in action. Respect people’s time, their wellbeing, their growth. Treat sick days, family time, and learning opportunities as standard, not special exceptions. When people feel looked after, they look after the business in return.
We Live What We Preach
Life happens, and we don’t pretend it doesn’t. Being working parents (both human and pet varieties), caring responsibilities, health challenges – life curveballs don’t stop because of the 9 to 5.
We’ve built a culture around flexibility, trust, and mutual respect. If someone needs time for school drop-offs, a vet emergency, or just a mental health breather, they take it, no guilt, no side-eye. Because when your team knows they’re supported, they don’t stress. They focus. They get things done. And they do it really, really well.
Culture Is the Business Strategy
It’s not about free fruit or pizza lunches (even if we do love food). A great culture is one where people want to be, and where they’re empowered to do their best work.
Ignore it, and you’ll keep spinning your wheels. Invest in it, and everything else gets easier: hiring, retention, performance, and growth.
The best businesses know this already. The rest are playing catch-up.