Company culture is a critical driver of success, a fact that many of those sitting in boardrooms are aware of and believe in. You might think that this knowledge would prevent or solve problems. However, the reality on the ground often looks completely different, and in my opinion, this is mainly because they fail to get the basics right! What I mean by this? Many executives, leaders, managers and employees, as well as some HR professionals, overlook, ignore or underestimate the power of these six seemingly ‘small’ gestures.
While the concept of ‘company culture’—also known as workplace culture, corporate culture, or business culture, extends beyond these basics, this text focuses on the elements that contribute to establishing a healthy workplace culture.
Table of Contents
The Workplace Culture Matters
Reason to Believe — According to several market report, a positive workplace culture leads to many positive business outcomes: better business performance, higher stock prices, lower turnover, and improved employee engagement.
Company culture is built through repeated behavior, not slogans written on walls, banners, bonuses or town halls. Most organizations underestimate the impact of small gestures. Tiny, small gestures, real human moments. Taken in isolation, these gestures seem insignificant, but over time, they build a safety emotional architecture of a workplace.
The absence of “small” gestures becomes incredibly expensive. Why? Because it leads to: disengaged people (despite perks, team buildings etc), collaboration weakened. People stop speaking up. They stop bringing energy into the room. Creativity and performance decrease. Turnover increases. Profits drop.
The irony — “Small” kind gesture costs almost nothing!
Reminder — Employees experience culture through everyday interactions. That means “small” gestures! And yet their power and impact is often underestimated, overlooked and even considered not worthy of attention. In my personal opinion all these make for the foundations of any health and performing workplace culture.
Leo Buscaglia’s quote just gave a good reason to briefly explain about why these six things make a difference in both personal and professional life. Altogether they can build a safe, trustworthy and nurturing, happy workplace that helps productivity, creativity and innovation.
Leo Buscaglia
American Author & Speaker, aka Dr.LOVE (1924-1998)
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
The ripple effect of "small" gestures and how they work
Now, instead of giving you specific examples, I am going to explain step by step what Buscaglia said. Why, what and how these gestures work on people, producing a ripple effect which builds a healthy company culture.
- Touch is the first language we learn while we grow in our mom’s womb it is a language we never forget and that sometimes speakes a dozen of words; and, not by chance, Original Feeling Touch is an extremely effective form of therapy;
- A smile can even open the heart of that lonely, sad stranger you see sitting on a park bench; a smile has the magical power—recognized even by science—to change one’s mood; When you smile, neurotransmitters (endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin) are released, giving you a sense of well-being; a smile is contagious, and when you smile at someone, they will most likely smile back, improving both of your moods;
- A kind word or a word of encouragement to a friend, colleague, boss or loved one may be all they need to find the courage to move forward; it can be the dose of optimism and confidence they need to regain their inner balance;
- Truly listening (aka active listening) to the person next to you means giving of your time, your most precious resource; it means setting aside your own concerns for a while and being willing to accept what the other person says without judging them; your willingness to be there and listen may be all they need to find on their own the answers to their worries or anxieties; listening to them doesn’t mean you have to have a solution or a perfect answer;
- A sincere compliment can be a wonderful form of validation for the person receiving it; a small building block in the construction of self-confidence and self-esteem; for sure you have clearly noticed these two latter ones missing or not being enough in your colleagues or loved ones;
- A gesture of kindness born of compassion can tell the other person, “Because you deserve it!” or “Because I know how it feels and I understand!” It’s something he or she has forgotten! Another, even more wonderful building block for self-love. In my experience as a Business Executive and Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practician, I have not seen one single person who does not need to do some personal self-love.
Workplace culture: a personal experience-based conclusion
To some of you these 6 “small” gestures, things, may come naturally. For others are things they need to understand, learn and put into practice. These 6 “small” things win the goodwill and engagement of the people and that is a business asset your competition cannot steal. It is true, you can’t legislate goodwill, but you can cultivate it. This lies at the foundation of any healthy organization. The perks, bonuses, fancy office space, relaxation areas … they come second place.
My personal workplace experiences —In over 20 years I have experienced first-hand various types of company cultures—East and West, American and Middle-Eastern; small, mid and large scale; adhocracy, clan-culture, customer-focused, innovative, hierarchy culture etc. Plus, I had the chance to implement various change projects across organizations in all major business verticals.
Furthermore, over the past seven years, I have been involved in numerous marketing and digital projects for a variety of local and global companies. Without exception, I always came across many issues related to workplace culture during the briefing or analysis phases that could potentially compromise the projects we were trying to implement. In some cases, this forced us to delay projects, change our approach, add new deliverables, involve more people, increase budgets, and so on. Given all these different professional experiences I had, the Gallup data on global employee engagement does not come to me as a shock.
In conclusion, I am confident in saying two things:
- When it comes to workplace culture, there is no one-size-fits-all solution;
- Considering 2026 Gallup’s report data, the six “small” things I shared with you are more important than ever.
And I am very to have found
Richard Branson
which controls over 400 companies across the globe.
“There’s no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff how you would like to be treated.”
Questions worth sitting with
Remember that we are all people first, and only then are we executives, managers or employees. This is in contrast to what we are taught, trained or advised in the corporate world. No matter what kind of suit, uniform or shirt they wear at the office, people come with emotional wounds. This “personal baggage” we carry with us into the office affects how workplace culture functions. So, why and how is this relevant to workplace culture? The “small” gestures that we underestimate have a powerful healing effect on emotional wounds. Do not take this the wrong way! Leaders are not responsible for fixing people’s emotional baggage or acting as healers. Nevertheless, more awareness and understanding of these aspects will lead to better outcomes and more support.
Therefore, here are few questions everyone should be asking. Off these mentioned above—touch, smile, kind word, truly listening, sincere compliment or gesture of kindness:
- When was the last time you yourself enjoyed that kind word or a truly beneficial "let's talk break"? How did it make you feel?
- Which are the ones you yourself feel you need the most? Did you share it with your boss or colleagues?
- When was the last time you made a huge difference to a colleague's "low moment"?
- What do you tend to underestimate or overlook? Think about what people on your team may have told you in their annual reviews or personal feedback.
- Last, but not least important. When was the last time you felt really happy after doing or saying something? What was it? Perhaps it would be a good idea to do it more often.
You can apply these questions to your own life or the life of your family, by the way. Well, at the end of the day, we’re all people, right? Experiencing that state of well-being helps us to achieve our full potential.
Have a wonderful day, and remember to spread a little magic by doing something small every day!
BIOGRAPHY - Workplace culture reports
- CultureAmp (2026) Find your 47% advantage: Turning culture into strategy in the age of AI. Available at: https://www.cultureamp.com/resources/reports/performance-culture-research
- CultureAmp (2026) 6 factors driving high-performance cultures. Available at: https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/company-culture-101#why-is-company-culture-important
- CultureAmp (2025) Company culture: Everything HR needs to know. Available at: https://www.cultureamp.com/blog/company-culture-101#why-is-company-culture-important
- Deloitte (2024) 2024 Global Human Capital Trends. Deloitte Insights. Available at: https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/human-capital/articles/introduction-human-capital-trends.html
- Gallup (2026) State of the Global Workplace 2026. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
- Gallup (2024) State of the Global Workplace 2024 Report. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx
- Gallup (2024) Employee Engagement Meta-Analysis: The Relationship Between Engagement and Performance Outcomes. Available at: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/321725/employee-engagement-meta-analysis-brief.aspx
- Great Place To Work (2024) 5 Ways Workplace Culture Drives Business Profitability. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/5-ways-workplace-culture-drives-business-profitability
- Great Place To Work (2024) Benchmarks & Trends 2024–2025. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/en/resources/benchmarks-trends
- Great Place To Work (2024) Does Culture Drive Business Performance? Yes. Here’s Proof. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/does-culture-drive-business-performance-in-europe
- Great Place To Work (2024) 100 Best Companies to Work For Deliver Staggering Business Performance. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/en/press-releases/100-best-companies-to-work-for-deliver-staggering-business-performance
- Great Place To Work (2024) Equity of Opportunity at Fortune’s Best Workplaces Fuels Business Success. Available at: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/resources/blog/equity-of-opportunity-at-fortunes-best-workplaces-fuels-business-success
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2024) The State of Global Workplace Culture in 2024. Available at: https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/across-the-globe–positive-organizational-culture-generates-fina
