Waiting time before a meeting is a fertile ground for observation (Only if I can keep my phone and the urge to respond to emails far away!). The check-in process, the view of employees walking in and out, the efficiency of the front desk and the various wall Artifacts (posters, paintings) etc - all are a critical giveaway to a company’s culture and environment.
As I waited today I saw the front desk TV playing a video targeted towards new hires, serving as a means to introduce the company to prospective employees. Sitting around me, were several candidates, waiting to be interviewed.
Interestingly the video had a backdrop of a classic Bollywood song (apt one) and depicted employees in a flash mob in office, happy meetings, entertainment, and a sports corner in the canteen, employees singing and dancing in unison, view of a lovely work floor and more.
Reminded me of a club rather than an office honestly.
This company provides specialised and technical services to global clients. The work is intense, challenging and very high on precision. You need the grit to survive the first 3 months. The degree and frequency of monitoring are high and so are quality standards, not to miss the high intensity of customer engagement.
The video says nothing about this.
Companies attract millennials with clubhouse images and then find it shocking that millennials are disillusioned with what they experience in initial months.
Get real! Tell people they will be entering a lions cage, tell them what kind of people will love and survive the adventure, tell them what’s in it for them at the end of the ride. Don’t fool people with dance videos.
Who is cheating who?
