You Had Me At Hello and Why We Can't Bank On Company Culture and Comms by Osmosis

You had me at hello.

The whole lobby told me that from that day forward, my work life was about to change.

The wonderful fresh-brewed smells, iconic artwork on the walls and the bustling energy of the company’s coffee shop in the lobby told me that my windowless days in a basement office at a large heath system were over.

But the embrace didn’t stop there.

I was ushered into a new work environment where my most favorite drink in the world, was elevated to a daily ritual and rich experience. They would tell me that it’s just coffee. But it was so much more. The very first team meeting kicked off with a coffee tasting where we were asked to discern the unique flavor profiles of African coffees.

I was in love. 

That was the day I started at Starbucks Coffee, embarking on the next chapter as a communications professional in the global coffee retailer’s Seattle headquarters. Every day, I walked through workspaces where teams of people were creating the design and function of the coffee shop of tomorrow. And every day, I could stop work at my desk and walk minutes away to a fully stocked coffee kitchen where any barista would feel at home. Yes, I’ll make me a Maple macchiato, I would say to myself.

The culture of Starbucks was palpable and ever present. Having a great manager and an amazing team of colleagues just added even more sweetness and a wonderful nuanced profile to this drink of a work experience. 

But that was a pre-pandemic story.

At Starbucks, and with many other companies across the globe, the headquarters itself has always been a huge communication and culture transfer medium. 

With the pandemic raging on, I have concerns about the future of the headquarters and I have some hope and excitement for our internal communications profession.

• When I hear news that tech company giants like Google will continue with their remote workforce plans for their 200,000 employees through July of 2021, I wonder how culture will transmit successfully. Google is one example. I read this morning that 37% of jobs in the United States can be done remotely.

• When I hear stories about the newly hired and remotely employed members of the workforce struggling to connect and soak up company culture via a webcam and computer in their home office, I start to mourn the loss of the headquarters.

In the past, the headquarters and all its sensory investments helped carry an unspoken clear message that the company work environment meant business and that “this place was worthy.” The headquarters imparted that I was part of something bigger. It invited me into another world every day. Connection just happened by osmosis. The proximity to a company’s mission (and the colleagues who firmly believed in it) could even compensate for times when the manager wasn’t so good at being a communicator, much less a leader.

As my friend and peer, Mike Klein pointed out to me in a recent phone conversation, the water cooler as we knew it isn’t there anymore. He’s right. The informal networks of support, influence and connection that we craved in the workplace of the past are now in need of replacing or perhaps bolstering.

So, here’s the hope and why I am excited.

I believe that the internal communications professional can now be the visible architect and champion of the new virtual headquarters. The water cooler can be in our domain. We can lean into this important role and own the hallways, meeting rooms and the precise instance when connection occurs. We have always owned and fostered connection. Now we can play a larger role.

• Our existing communications infrastructure and the new structure we build in the coming weeks and months can help carry the cultural freight that the headquarters effortlessly transmitted in the past. 

• Our communications expertise and counsel can help companies strengthen the communication acumen of team managers, who now must take a much more hands-on role keeping remote workers connected and engaged. 

• Our knowledge and expertise of our internal audiences will be critical as employers seek informal permission to come into the homes our remote workers, where the company business isn’t the only pressing issue. Where before we were acclimating employees to a new work environment and mission away from home, now we need to acclimate our companies to the nuances of home audiences embracing a remote mission away from work.

It’s time to build a new virtual headquarters and help make sure the connection, communication and experience is intentional. Companies can’t rely on osmosis. The new headquarters should be one that meets employees where they are at, right now. 

Our work can be focused on creating that intentional and successful connection between employers and employees. This has always been a large part of our mission. But the impact and importance of this work is much bigger now. That intentional and successful connection is the mortar that will hold the virtual bricks of the headquarters together. 

Great smelling coffee can be made at home, for sure. But, then again, that’s just coffee.

Transmitting culture, what business success looks like and how employees can successfully navigate in this new work world is our new business problem to solve. Creating success means we need to help our companies meet employees where they are at – at home. 

Time to get to work.

My question to you.  What is one tip or suggestion would you offer to fellow internal communicators who are in the process of building this new virtual headquarters? It can be big or small. It about forward momentum and supporting each other. It’s time to crowd source this architecture. Please add your thoughts in the comments below.