Is Corporate Culture Going Too Far?

In corporate America today, many large companies have begun to embrace the idea of having a clear corporate culture. Like brand recognition and brand image, corporate culture tends to reflect the ideals and mission of the company. Surprisingly, almost any large corporation you can name has an ideal lifestyle and image that they promote. For their employees, the corporate culture can be all consuming. In fact, there are many who embrace their employers beliefs and make an attempt to live their lives according to the company's values. But when does corporate culture go too far? Does working for a company mean that you have to join their cult?

A recent article at Huffington Post brought the issue to the forefront, and it's one that I think we should all pay attention to. The reality for many workers is that in order to keep their jobs, they have to embrace the company's lifestyle. If you aren't sure what I'm talking about, take a look at the Walmart career website. Just reading the quotes from employees is enough to make anyone wonder if these employees really exist. All of the employees profiled say things like “Walmart is my life” and that “Walmart has expanded my universe” and the even more interesting, “...many aspects of my life are touched and made better by Walmart."

I don't want to sound like I'm picking on Walmart here, because it's not just them. In fact many companies have their own employee cheer or theme song designed to help them get excited every day about the benevolence of their employer. You can see this trend growing, even at large tech companies like Google and Apple. Although they are often applauded for their progressive employee benefits like free dry cleaning, on site massages, free meals and so on, these benefits serve another purpose – to prevent employees from ever wanting to leave work and making it easier for them to put in longer hours on the job.

The problem is made worse by companies that take even more steps into their employee's personal lives by offering personal training retreats that encourage workers to share their personal pain with a group and heal their issues.

It makes me wonder why a corporation would want to do so much to help their employees. After all, helping them deal with past pain doesn't directly increase their bottom line. Is it because they care about the people who work for them and truly want them to have a healthier life? Possibly, but I can't believe that a corporation – one whose goal is to increase profits – is that benevolent. So what's the angle?

I'm not sure, but there's no denying that when a company has more control over their employee's personal life, the worker is more likely to do things like work harder and longer without requiring additional compensation. After all, they are a family, and we do nice things for our families. The more devoted the employers are to the company, the less likely the are to complain or exercise their rights. When the company says that times are tough and that the company needs to cut staff, reduce wages or asks them to forego bonuses, benefits or paid leave, the employees are much more likely to agree – after all, it's the least they can do to help the company that has changed their lives.

During the economic recession, employers have asked their workers to sacrifice time off and work extra long hours without pay and even do the work of two or three people. Even when the company works their way back into the black, it's not likely that they will invest those profits into hiring new employees and lifting the load off of their long suffering staff. Instead, they will decide that the new level of productivity works best for them and it will become the norm.

I believe in working hard, doing what you love and working for a company you can respect, but where does work stop and your personal life begin? Without some healthy detachment, workers won't be able to stand up to the corporations and demand to be treated and paid fairly. The ones that do run the very real risk of being fired because they aren't a good fit for the corporate culture.

What do you think? Do you think that corporations are too involved in the lives of their employees? Has your company changed your life? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Image Source: Open Clip Art