Culture Matters
The year was 1983. I had just graduated high school, and I had been working part-time jobs while attending school. I worked at a local market and also did my share of landscaping for neighbors.
Then my sister told me her company was hiring for the summer. They needed someone to scan signature cards into a typesetting machine. This was the early days of computing and certainly the early days of scanning technology.
Now let me set the scene.
This scanner was nothing like the scanners you have in your office today. It was a massive machine, about 40 inches tall and 6 feet long, with a belt like you would see at the grocery store.
The goal of the job was to scan authorized signature cards into a database so the company could produce books of signatures for banks.
Sound exciting?
Nope. It was probably the most boring job ever.
Each signature had to be placed on a template on the belt, and then the scan would begin. The scan took more than two minutes each time. Once it scanned successfully, you entered information to categorize it.
The problem was that the scans failed almost 50 percent of the time. I would get a “truncated” readout and have to start the whole process over again.
I also forgot to mention that this was third shift because they could not tie up the typesetting and printing department during the day.
I am still not sure why I took the job, but I did. I got to experience working third shift for the entire summer. I would clock in at 11 PM and clock out at 7 AM.
At first, there were two people working the shift. One guy would show up, sit next to me and sleep. He did not last long. Management popped in one night, caught him sleeping and fired him pretty quickly.
You might be asking what this has to do with culture.
I am getting there.
Making the Best of a Boring Job
I was 18 years old, working third shift alone in a rough part of town and bored out of my mind. So what do you do when life gives you lemons? You make lemonade.
I was already in pretty good shape, but I wanted to build muscle. I brought in a set of dumbbells and, between scans and truncations, I would do exercises and rotate in pushups. After a couple of weeks, I was seeing real results. One day, they asked me to work part of first shift, and I gladly accepted. There were actually people to talk to, which was a nice change.I jumped on my scanner and starte d working. I looked for my dumbbells, but they were nowhere to be found. A little while later, the operations manager approached me. I could tell immediately he was not happy.
He barked at me, “This is a workplace, not a gym.”
Really?
I was not bothering anyone. I was nowhere near anyone, and I always put the dumbbells away when I was done. He was furious that I was exercising while waiting for scans to complete. I could not understand why it was such a problem, and the interaction left me with a pretty negative view of management. But I learned something important from that experience.
I learned that culture matters.
Trust Is Part of Culture
That company had a bad culture. There was a huge divide between employees and management. Management was negative and disconnected. There was very little trust. Good culture means trusting people to do the right thing without treating them like children.
At that point in my life, I had no idea I would someday own my own business. I have now owned Hogan Technology for 40 years, and that experience has stayed with me.
At Hogan, we encourage good health and good habits. We offer benefits that show our commitment to our team as people, not just employees. We reimburse gym memberships for employees. And if you do not have time to get to a gym, we built one right here at Hogan.
Culture Is Built Through Action
We have a space we call the “Big Room.” It is a large garage-style area on our upper floor. Years ago, we had the floor epoxy coated, and now a large section is covered with gym flooring. We have invested in ellipticals, a treadmill, a weight bench, a heavy bag, TRX equipment and, of course, dumbbells.
I strongly encourage employees to take a break and get the blood flowing. We work in a high-stress environment, and I like seeing employees use the space. Most days, I personally jump on the treadmill and get some cardio in myself. To me, this is real culture. Not just a sign on the wall.
Culture is built through everyday actions. It is built through trust, respect and showing people that they matter.
People do better work when they know they are valued as people, not just employees.