I Don’t Just Work Here: The New Purpose of Workplace Culture

Work isn’t what it used to be. Leaders need a field guide that equips them with what to say and do as they face the new culture expectations of today’s employees.

Many employees now show up for work not just to do their jobs but also to discover, debate, and digest important social issues. A growing number of workers want to have an impact in the world, and their preferences are a prompt for employers to be more mindful of the role of business in driving societal change, starting with what people experience at work.

Felicia Joy and Elena Grotto, experts on behavioral science, business strategy, and organizational culture, share practical guidance to help organizations rise to these new standards by advancing seven behaviors, including the surprising--and perhaps most important--new business skill for high-performing cultures: forgiveness.

Managers today are asked to operate as both business leaders and community leaders within the workplace--and the latter skillset is new to many. I Don’t Just Work Here helps managers leverage culture to bolster business results as they replace anxiety with confidence and lead with greater purpose in providing the expanded support employees need to develop and perform.

Organizations that take heed, elevate people managers, invest in building a strategic culture, and lead with clear values and behaviors are more likely to have a decisive competitive advantage and greater business impact for years to come.

Elena Grotto is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an executive vice president and head of the Chicago business transformation practice at Edelman. She works in lockstep with senior decision makers at Fortune 500 companies as they stabilize the workforce during periods of significant change. Elena manages culture and change programs that impact all phases of the employee journey--from attraction and onboarding to leadership development and retention. She earned an MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MA from the Art Institute of Chicago and a BS from Skidmore College. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their daughter, Gigi.

Felicia Joy is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and an executive vice president of business transformation and U.S. head of behavioral science at Edelman. She advises Fortune 500 CEOs and leaders when they are facing risky business challenges or opportunities. Her strategies have helped clients make measurable improvements in profitability, employee retention, and culture. She has also led highly acclaimed pro-bono work, like the mental health advocacy campaigns, ＂Silence Isn’t Treatment＂ and ＂Unspoken Curriculum＂, for Taraji P. Henson’s Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation. Felicia earned a master’s degree in behavioral science from Harvard and undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Georgia. A globetrotter, she enjoys hiking, mountain climbing, and outdoor sports around the world.