Workplace Culture

As Dr. Bell noted, cultures are complex and comprised of various ideologies that are constantly changing. Culture is a term that is also used to describe workplaces. There are many characteristics that distinguish companies from one another. The way a company feels to those who work there is influenced by factors including: Values and Priorities Size Industry Work schedules (remote work, flexible work hours, vacation time policies, travel, etc) Formal or casual environment/attire Management structure (is it very hierarchical, or very ‘flat’?) Style of project management (do engineering teams follow a product through the full development cycle, or are products handed off between specialized teams at different stages of the development) How offices are arranged Dynamics and social interactions between co-workers at work and outside of work How information is shared and how communication takes place (meetings vs emails vs unscheduled conversations, how much questions are encouraged and who engineers are encouraged to ask questions of) You can learn about the culture of a workplace by studying its texts (the language that is used in job descriptions and on the website, for example), by talking with those who work there, and often most revealing, by observing the environment if you visit or interview there. Company culture is also often discussed in the realm of hiring. Prospective employees are encouraged to find a place where they 'fit', and employers describe looking for someone who is the right 'fit'. Some would argue however, that the focus on 'fit' introduces a bias in the hiring process. ASSIGNMENT: Read this article about whether hiring for company fit perpetuates bias (Link: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/1118/pages/does-hiring-for-culture-fit-perpetuate-bias.aspx) and reflect on these ideas. In the text box below, respond to the article. Which argument do you find more compelling? How might thinking about this affect the way that you approach looking for an internship/job? How might you consider this when you are hiring other interns/engineers when you work at a company? PS: If you have any questions about engineering workplaces that Dr. Steinbrenner might be able to answer, please send them to her via email, so she can compile a resource for future students.