Your company doesn’t have a culture; your pay does

We’ve all heard it: “I want to work for XYZ company — they have an amazing culture!” Gigantic pantry, ping-pong tables, bean bag chairs, flexible hours, and the whole jazz. But is that shiny “company culture” real for everyone? Or is it for the folks playing strategy in AC Office? The way I see it, in Indian corporations, for those in low-pay roles, the culture you experience? As good as your manager above.

Take my friend, who just became a CA after years of incessant hardwork. And that exam is no joke — it’s supposed to be a ticket to a promising career. But now, as an associate at a firm, she’s stuck in a cycle of long hours for pay that barely reflects her effort. Her “company culture”? It’s not the glossy values on the firm’s website but on most days, a function of her manager’s work ethic, leadership style and often just mood.

In lower-paying roles, the culture you experience is shaped less by the company’s mission statement and more by the person calling the shots on your team. A great manager might create a supportive micro-culture, shielding you from unrealistic demands. But a stressed-out or indifferent manager? That’s not going to be pleasant, no matter how many “Best Place to Work” awards the company may flaunt.

But Why Does This Happen? It's easy to blame the managers and their managerial skills, but that's not really it; it eventually just comes down to systemic realities in our job market. First, there’s the pressure for efficiency—getting the maximum with an absolute minimum. Companies, especially in competitive industries like IT or consulting, face tight margins and client demands. Junior roles, with work that is considered repetitive and tedious, are seen as cost centres rather than investments.

Then, there’s the replaceability factor. India has a whole lot of graduates and abundant unemployment; companies know they can fill junior roles quickly. This abundance reduces bargaining power, leaving them vulnerable to pressure and less likely to experience the perks touted in company brochures. It’s not that their work isn’t valuable; it’s that the system is designed to prioritize cost over culture for these roles.

Contrast this with higher-paid, strategic roles — think senior consultants, tech leads, or C-suite executives. These roles are treated as investments. Companies offer above-industry-standard salaries to attract better-than-average people. A 2024 Great Place to Work India survey found that employees in senior roles are 30% more likely to report a positive workplace culture than those in entry-level positions. Ofcourse, this isn’t to say senior roles are stress-free. They face their own pressures — high-stakes decisions or relentless targets but their compensation and autonomy give them a buffer that low-pay workers rarely get. The result? A two-tiered culture where your experience depends heavily on your paycheck.

Again, not to villanise the managers ( ofcourse some of them are problematic but lets focus on the system). While managers play a huge role, they’re not the only factor. They’re also part of the same system, dealing with client demands, tight budgets, and pressure from above. A manager might want to create a great team culture but lack the resources or training to do so, or sometimes even the awareness that something is not quite right.

It’s not that I haven’t thought about a solution, but with none to blame but the system, I am unsure where to go from here. The free market, very many people, developing nation, is it an “it is what it is” situation or is there scope of intervention?