Company Culture vs Perks: What Actually Keeps Employees Engaged

By Nwakwesi Milash

Not long ago, I walked into an office that looked like something out of a startup dream.

Glass walls, bean bags, branded notebooks, and a fridge stocked with everything but direction.

They had a “cool” culture on the surface. But when I asked the team to describe what it felt like to work there, someone said:

"It looks exciting from the outside, but honestly? It’s exhausting inside."

That sentence stuck with me.

Because what they had wasn’t company culture. It was corporate decoration.

Culture Is Not What You Say—It’s What Your People Experience

When I consult for organizations, one of the first things I ask is:

“If we removed the free Wi-Fi, Friday snacks, and motivational posters, would your team still be proud to work here?”

If the answer is no, then what you have isn’t culture. It’s compensation for something deeper that’s missing.

Why Their Culture Was Quietly Crumbling

A company once brought me in to address “low morale.” They had engagement tools in place, paid well, and had a stunning office space. Yet turnover was rising and collaboration was at an all-time low.

The problem?

▪️Team leads played favorites.

▪️Employees didn’t feel safe speaking up.

▪️There were “unspoken rules” about who got ahead.

▪️People were praised publicly and micromanaged privately.

The culture didn’t need more branding.

It needed honesty, structure, and trust.

Company Culture Is Built in the Moments No One Is Watching

▪️Not during town halls.

▪️Not in glossy recruitment videos.

▪️But in how feedback is received.

▪️In whether people feel seen.

▪️In how disagreements are handled.

▪️In who gets heard—and who gets ignored.

I’ve worked with companies that had no culture statement on their website, but you could feel the alignment in every department. I’ve also worked with brands that had five “core values” laminated on every wall, but the team didn’t believe a word of it.

With us; Culture Starts with Clarity

We made a simple decision early on:

We will not build a culture we can’t explain or sustain.

So we stripped it down:

▪️What do we believe about people?

▪️How do we want our team to feel when they walk in each morning?

▪️What behaviors do we reward and which ones are unacceptable, no matter how talented someone is?

And from those questions, our true culture was born.

What Great Company Culture Actually Looks Like

Here’s what I’ve learned after working with dozens of organizations:

▪️Culture is a system, not a slogan

It needs structure onboarding, performance reviews, conflict resolution systems, and leadership training that reflect your values.

▪️Your values must show up in hard decisions

It’s easy to say “integrity” on a poster. It’s harder to say no to a high-performing employee who undermines others.

▪️People don’t leave companies, they leave cultures

Perks may attract them, but the way they feel every day is what makes them stay—or go.

▪️Culture is not a one-time event

It evolves. It needs nurturing. And yes, it needs listening. Digital feedback, exit interviews, and even quiet observations can reveal what your culture is becoming.

The Culture Test: Ask Your Team

Ask your team anonymously:

▪️“What’s one thing you wish leadership knew but are afraid to say?”

▪️“What’s rewarded here? What’s tolerated?”

▪️“When was the last time you felt truly valued at work?”

If the answers make you uncomfortable, good. That’s where change starts.

Company Culture Is Not the Vibe; It's the Value

A strong culture doesn’t mean everyone’s best friends. It means people know they’re respected, safe, and part of something meaningful.

So before you order another branded hoodie, ask yourself:

▪️Does your culture feel as good on the inside as it looks on the outside?

▪️Because if not, no amount of perks can cover what’s broken beneath.

Need help diagnosing the silent signals in your culture? 

Let’s conduct a Culture Health Check for your organization and rebuild it from the inside out.

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