Workplace Culture: NarwhAl or Unicorn?
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
You can’t read the business section or turn on NPR without hearing about workplace culture, and how people and companies are trying to create and find the magical solution, through shifting trends, economic temblors, and the seismic reverberations of a post-pandemic world.
Gallup has predictive suggestions for leaders, and Inc.com is currently accepting applicants for its 2024 Best Workplaces, and I took a deep-dive. Not a single church-related institution made the list in 2023, and not many non-profits, either. Now, that might be because of the application fee ($395 in 2024), or uncertainty if our “industry” can hang with the software kids — and the underlying idea that the via media doesn’t extend to churches as a workplace (Who needs workplace culture when you have a mission/ministry call, right?).
But there’s still plenty to learn and glean. Here’s what the 2023 Best Workplaces had in common:
Focus on Employee Experience Employee-centric workplaces provide employees with the benefits they want and need, and prioritize flexibility.
Resilience Amid Economic Challenges Job security goes a long way.
Strategic Hiring and Slow Firing Investing in employee happiness is more cost-effective than recruitment, training, and retention efforts.
Balance Between Productivity and Lifestyle Accommodation: Employees want to both excel at work and enjoy a fulfilling personal life.
Wellness Beyond Health: Workplace benefits extend beyond traditional health-related perks, incorporating wellness in various forms, such as gym allowances morphing into happiness reimbursements and lifestyle accounts covering experiences beyond health.
Mental Health Focus: The importance of mental health benefits is on the rise, with companies incorporating mental health days and virtual support groups.
Inclusivity and Progressive Values: The companies prioritize inclusivity, responding to the needs and values of their employees. This includes benefits tied to reproductive health, family building, and discussions about adding menopause support.
Drawing from my experience in church work, I contend that before aspiring to Best Workplaces-level culture, our organizations must embrace some fundamental principles:
Livable wages: Yes, even for lay employees. Even for people who used to be volunteers. Even for people who work with youth.
Positions with benefits: I see you, 29-hours/week comrades.
Transparency around pay and other benefits
Many of us may peruse the Best Workplaces list, fantasizing, "Wouldn't that be nice?" Recognizing that enhancing benefits and employee perks requires one thing: Money. However, fundraising for "workplace culture" often falls under the dreaded "overhead" category. This predicament calls for a broader cultural shift.
As a society, we need to accord non-profits the workplace credit they deserve. It's time for churches to acknowledge their non-profit status and for non-profits to claim their rightful place on every industry list.
A quick anecdote illustrates this point: During a recent video chat, a friend serving on a non-profit board commented on their organization's new coffee machine, joking about extravagant spending post-successful end-of-year fundraising. The comment stung, especially considering her Instagram had just been filled with a corporate-funded luxury trip to Miami while my last Episcopal-funded work trip involved 10 days in a college dorm. I retorted, "You're the only one who doesn't work at a non-profit here! We deserve decent coffee, too!"
Mission-driven work shouldn't imply sacrifice. As we await a cultural shift recognizing and allowing room for church workplace culture, I pose a question: What's essential to you in your church employment? If your ideal church job were an offering at Coldstone, what's the Like It, Love It, Gotta Have It? Share your thoughts in the comments.
