There is a lot of talk in business today about company culture. Team-building events. Company lunches. Holiday parties. Retreats. Employee appreciation events. Games. Contests. Swag. And sometimes I wonder if business owners are making this more complicated than it needs to be. Some employees don’t want any of it. They want to come to work, know exactly what is expected of them, perform their job well, get compensated accordingly, and go home. Instead of spending money on another company event, they may rather see that money show up in their paycheck through a performance bonus or raise. And you know what? There is nothing wrong with that. But if that’s the relationship we’re going to create between the employee and the company, we should be honest about what it is.

The Reality of Workplace Dynamics

A Transactional Culture Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Culture

“Transactional” has become a dirty word in leadership. It doesn’t have to be. A company can say: We hired you to accomplish X, Y, and Z. Here are your responsibilities. Here is how your performance will be measured. Here is what we will pay you. If you consistently perform at a high level and help the company achieve its goals, here is how you can earn more. That’s a pretty straightforward agreement. No games. No pretending everyone is family. No mandatory fun. No ambiguity about what success looks like. The employee knows what the company expects, and the company knows what the employee expects. The problem isn’t a transactional relationship. The problem is when one side thinks the relationship is transactional and the other doesn’t.

Aligning Expectations Between Employers and Employees

This Goes Both Ways

Business owners need to understand what kind of company they are building. But employees also have a responsibility to understand what kind of company they are joining. If your primary goal is maximizing your compensation based on your individual performance, say that. Ask about it during the interview.

• How are raises determined?

• Are there performance bonuses?

• What metrics determine my compensation?

• What does advancement look like?

• What does exceptional performance earn me?

• How frequently is compensation reviewed?

Those are fair questions. But take the interview seriously enough to understand the company’s expectations too. If you’re interviewing with a small business that puts a huge emphasis on teamwork, relationships, company events, collaboration, and building something together, and none of that interests you, it probably isn’t the right company for you. That doesn’t make you a bad employee. And it doesn’t make them a bad employer. It’s a bad fit.

Small Businesses Need to Be Especially Careful

This matters even more inside a small business. When you have 15 employees instead of 15,000, one bad cultural fit can affect the entire organization. Small-business owners can’t afford to hire solely based on whether someone can technically perform the job. They need to understand:

• What motivates this person?

• What do they expect from us?

• What do we expect from them?

• Does the environment we’re building actually match what they’re looking for?

Because if the company is trying to create a highly collaborative, team-oriented culture while an employee wants a purely transactional relationship, eventually both sides are probably going to become frustrated. The owner thinks: “They don’t care about the company.” The employee thinks: “I don’t care about another lunch. Just pay me more.” Neither conversation should be happening six months after the hire. It should have happened during the interview.

Read more on how to manage recruitment and cultural alignment in our guide on Small Business Hiring Strategies.

Defining and Executing Your Organizational Vision

Stop Trying to Build a Culture Everyone Will Love

There isn’t one company culture that works for everyone. Some people want community. Some want flexibility. Some want advancement. Some want stability. Some want maximum earning potential. Some want to punch the clock, do excellent work, get paid fairly, and go home to their family. A business owner doesn’t need to satisfy every type of employee. You need to decide what kind of company you’re building and hire people who actually want to work in that environment. And employees should do the same thing. Don’t accept a job hoping you’ll change the company. Don’t sell yourself as a team-first, culture-driven employee during the interview if what you really care about is compensation and individual performance. Be upfront.

The Interview Should Be a Two-Way Filter

We spend a lot of time teaching companies how to interview employees. Employees should be interviewing companies just as seriously. Both sides should walk away understanding:

1. Performance Expectations

• Here’s what you’re responsible for.

• Here’s what success looks like.

2. Compensation & Growth

• Here’s what you’ll be compensated.

• Here’s how you can earn more.

3. Core Values & Daily Reality

• Here’s what our company values.

• Here’s what working here actually feels like.

Then make a decision. Because maybe your employees don’t want another pizza party. Maybe they want a bonus. And maybe that’s perfectly fine. But if that’s the relationship everyone wants, build the company, compensation structure, expectations, and accountability system around that reality. The goal shouldn’t be to convince employees to love your culture. The goal is to hire people who want the culture you’re actually building.