What I Thought Culture Was
June 3 was HR Professional Day in Argentina, and it left me reflecting on something I’ve learned over the years.
As a psychologist, I entered the HR field thinking that culture was something organizations built through values, initiatives, communications, and programs.
Those things matter.
They help create direction. They help establish expectations. They help organizations communicate what they stand for and what they aspire to become.
But what has taught me the most about culture hasn’t been a policy, a presentation, or a framework.
It’s been conversations.
There Is No Universal Employee Experience
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of supporting people across nearly 30 countries, each with their own language, context, challenges, and way of understanding work.
That experience has been one of the greatest learning opportunities of my career.
When you work with people across different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, you quickly realize there is no universal employee experience.
What helps one person feel supported may not be what another person needs.
What creates trust for one employee may look different for someone else.
What makes someone feel comfortable speaking openly can vary depending on:
- their background
- their personality
- their experiences
- their circumstances
The more people I worked with, the more I realized that culture is far more complex, and far more human, than I originally thought.
And yet, despite all those differences, I’ve noticed something remarkably consistent.
People want to feel heard.
People want to feel supported.
The way those needs show up may vary from person to person, but the needs themselves are surprisingly universal.
Where Culture Becomes Visible
That realization changed how I think about culture.
Early in my career, I probably would have described culture by talking about values, engagement initiatives, communication strategies, or organizational programs.
Today, I think about culture differently.
I think about people.
I think about the moments that shape someone’s experience at work. I think about the conversations that happen when life becomes complicated.
Culture becomes visible in everyday moments.
It’s about:
- the employee navigating a family health crisis while trying to show up professionally
- the manager carrying more responsibility than anyone realizes
- the team member feeling isolated while working remotely from the other side of the world
- the person who needs support but isn’t sure if it’s safe to ask for it
Those moments reveal far more about culture than any statement on a company website ever could.
The Conversations I Remember Most
Over the years, many of the most meaningful conversations I’ve had weren’t about performance reviews, policies, or processes.
They were about:
- people trying to balance work and life
- people dealing with uncertainty
- people navigating change
- people carrying responsibilities that others couldn’t always see
- people doing their best while facing challenges that often remained invisible to those around them
One of the things those conversations taught me is that work and personal life are never completely separate.
We often talk about them as if they exist in different worlds.
But they don’t.
We bring our concerns, hopes, fears, responsibilities, and experiences with us every day, whether we acknowledge them or not.
- A difficult conversation at home can affect how someone shows up at work.
- A health concern can influence focus and energy.
- A caregiving responsibility can shape someone’s daily experience.
- A personal achievement can drive confidence and motivation.
What Makes People Feel Comfortable Speaking Up
Supporting people over the years has also taught me something else.
Often, the most important question wasn’t whether someone had a challenge.
Most people do.
The more important question was whether they felt comfortable talking about it.
Whether:
- they felt safe asking for help
- they felt comfortable sharing a concern
- they believed someone would listen
- they trusted that asking for support would be met with understanding rather than judgment
Those moments matter more than we sometimes realize.
Not because organizations can solve every problem.
They can’t.
And not because managers or HR professionals always have the right answers.
We don’t.
But because being heard can change how people experience a difficult situation.
Being listened to can reduce the sense of disconnection that remote work may create.
Being treated with empathy can strengthen trust.
And sometimes simply having a space to talk openly helps people find clarity for themselves.
Culture Is Experienced Through Everyday Interactions
This is one of the reasons I’ve become increasingly convinced that culture is experienced through interactions more than intentions.
Organizations may have values. They may have strong missions. But employees experience culture through everyday interactions, such as:
- conversations
- the way people treat one another
- what happens when someone needs support
- what happens when someone makes a mistake
- what happens when someone raises a concern
- what happens when someone asks for help
Those moments often become the stories people tell themselves about what it’s really like to work somewhere.
And those stories shape culture far more than we sometimes realize.
What Has Stayed Consistent Across 28 Countries
Working across different countries has reinforced this lesson for me again and again.
- The cultural contexts may be different.
- The communication styles may be different.
- The expectations may be different.
- But the importance of human connection remains remarkably consistent.
And across different cultures I’ve seen the same needs surface repeatedly.
- People want to know that they matter.
- People want to know that their voice matters.
- People want to know that they can be themselves without feeling alone.
While organizations may approach culture in different ways, I believe those human needs remain at the center of it.
A Final Reflection
More and more, I believe that culture is built in the everyday moments when people feel heard, respected, and supported.
Not because HR has all the answers.
And not because organizations can solve every challenge people face.
But because sometimes having a space to talk openly is what allows people to find their own.
I’m grateful for all of the conversations that have shaped my understanding of people, work, and culture, and for everyone who has trusted us enough to have them.
They’ve taught me far more than any policy, program, or presentation ever could.
