A Culture Shock

So, I am nearing the end of my first week at my new digs. Already I can tell just how big a difference this company is as compared to the last two companies I have worked at. In Chicago we have 120 clients. At the bank just in the building I sat in (and the Bank had 4 buildings downtown) they had 1,200 employees.

Being at a smaller place has been a bit of a culture shock to me. I forgot that people can be nice. Everybody knows everybody at a small site so, without even knowing me they all come up to me and introduce themselves. They know since they do not recognize my face that I must be the new guy. I have met some of the friendliest people and I know I am going to enjoy supporting clients like this.

In a financial institution it is all about money. It is the end all and be all. Now, I realize that all companies in are in business to make money. However, there is a difference in philosophy when you are working for an institution that is only about the cabage. It is their only business and that is all they really know. Thus, the environment has a more serious and corporate attitude. There are many more layers of bureaucracy and that filters through to the employees.

In my new spot I can already tell that it is different. There are no accountants here. They are all in Denver in the company’s corporate office. Here, all we have are basically corporate travel agents. Since they are not really all about the Benjamin’s they seem to have a much more positive and healthier if you ask me, attitude. The thing is in my humble opinion, more work gets done in this type of environment then in the one I was in at the bank.

When you create red tape and make a work environment so serious I firmly believe less gets done. Here where people seem to like one another, it creates an atmosphere of togetherness. So, when you have people working together I tend to believe you get more accomplished. I haven’t seen any pettiness or arrogant behavior yet. Mind you I have only been here a week but I can already tell things here are going to be different.

I have been in the financial sector since 1998 and I guess in that time I kind of got brain washed into believing there was only one way to do things. I forgot that work didn’t need to be such an unpleasant experience. Now, I wake up and don’t dread going into the office. I don’t have to carry a personal leash in the form of a pager around. If something needs to get done here, I can just do it. I don’t need the approval of my six bosses. Here I have one boss. The corporate middle management layers are not present and let me tell you it is all a breath of fresh air and I finally feel like I am able to breathe again.