CEO, GPTZero
CEO, Casago
CEO, TurboTenant
VP of Growth Marketing at ecoATM/Gazelle
What distinguishes employers that repeatedly appear on “best places to work” lists? The answer is culture, more than any single program or perk.
Research shows 94% of executives and 88% of employees believe a distinct workplace culture is crucial for business success.
It’s clear that investing in company culture pays off, but how do award-winning organizations actually achieve it?
This article explores real-life company culture examples and defines the core behaviors, systems, and rituals behind them.
Understanding company culture requires looking beyond the flashy perks, free snacks, or trendy offices. While every organization’s culture is unique, high-performing cultures tend to share a few core elements.
Strong cultures are rooted in clear, shared values that everyone is familiar with and lives by. These values are the guiding principles that align everyone’s behavior and decisions.
More importantly, when employees believe in the mission and values, they feel a sense of purpose and belonging.
“When your workplace is a place where employees feel like they belong – like they are valued and fit into the dynamics – it is inherently a lot more positive,” says Edward Tian, CEO of GPTZero.
Manager behavior shapes most of the employee experience, yet many organizations still report passive leadership.
In fact, about 50-70% of employees’ work perception is influenced by their direct manager. However, more than half (58%) of American workers say their company’s leadership is not proactive.
This gap calls for leaders who coach, lead by example, and prioritize trust rather than control through fear.
As Alec Loeb of EcoATM explains, “A robust company culture is built on trust. Trust enables teams to move quickly, give feedback, and resolve problems without politics.”
How does information flow in your organization?
The decline in companies asking employees about confidence in leaders, dropping from 54% in 2019 to only 37% in 2024, suggests many organizations avoid these difficult conversations.
In contrast, high-trust cultures keep information flowing openly and transparently at all levels. Teams with open communication encourage questions, feedback, and even healthy debate without fear.
“I think that in order to have a strong company culture, you need transparency,” notes Seamus Nally, CEO of TurboTenant. “Doing so establishes and builds trust among the entire team, which is integral to success.”
Successful cultures find ways to celebrate their people. Rituals, traditions, and recognition reinforce what the company values and make employees feel appreciated.
From all-hands meetings and team lunches to quirky traditions unique to the company, these small acts create a sense of community and shared identity.
As Steve Schwab, CEO of Casago, puts it, “I don’t mean just having something like ‘employee of the month’ – I mean really focusing on genuine employee recognition, where everyone feels individually seen and valued for all the great things they do, big and small.”
Whether physical or virtual, the work environment also shapes culture.
A welcoming, inclusive workspace is one that makes employees feel comfortable, safe, and able to do their best work.
In a physical sense, this might mean collaborative office spaces, amenities that promote a wellness-oriented company culture, or simply positive energy.
Meanwhile, in remote or hybrid teams, intentional effort is needed to uphold culture across digital channels. The best companies ensure everyone stays connected, using video check-ins, virtual team-building, or occasional meet-ups to maintain a cohesive culture.
The key is designing the work environment, including policies on flexibility or remote work, to support employees’ well-being and productivity.
Not all companies with strong cultures look the same. In fact, researchers Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn identified four distinct types of corporate culture that organizations tend to fall into.
Understanding these can help you pinpoint your own culture and where you might want to evolve:
Each type has its strengths, and many organizations have a mix of these styles. Therefore, no single culture model is “best.”
Learning from real-world company culture examples can be inspiring. The following 20 companies are consistently recognized for their outstanding cultures, and many have won awards or landed on “Best Places to Work” lists.
So, what makes a company a great place to work?
While these examples of company cultures span different industries and sizes, they all share a commitment to putting people first and living their values.
Just as we can learn from successful company culture examples, cultural failures can teach us a lot, too.
Sadly, many companies have seen how a toxic work culture can damage their reputation and performance. A negative culture isn’t just unpleasant, it’s also costly. Over one in five U.S. workers have quit a job due to a poor workplace culture or office politics.
In fact, a recent MIT analysis found that a toxic company culture is the number one reason employees leave jobs, far outranking pay.
High-profile examples are plentiful.
Uber’s 2017 crisis exposed a culture of harassment and “bro culture” that led to employee protests and leadership changes. Wells Fargo’s fake accounts scandal revealed how an extreme, fear-driven sales culture drove unethical behavior.
Similarly, Amazon faced backlash in 2015 after a New York Times exposé described a punishing, “bruising” workplace culture in which employees cried at their desks.
These cases show how cultural failures start with red flags that often go unaddressed. Leaving these cultural issues unresolved is risky and costly.
The good news is that even a damaged culture can be repaired if leadership is willing to listen, acknowledge issues, and make real changes.
Reading about winning cultures is undoubtedly inspiring.
But how do you describe culture in your organization? If the answer isn’t clear, it may be time to examine it closely.
Seamus Nally advises, “If you can’t clearly describe your company’s culture, you should start by talking to your employees directly. Ask them how they perceive the culture, and what changes they would make to make it better.”
In other words, begin by listening to your people as they often know what’s working and what isn’t.
To improve it, choose one or two high-priority initiatives to focus on in the next three months. For example, you could launch an appreciation campaign using various employee recognition ideas or focus on developing a culture of well-being.
Then, leverage technology to check engagement levels and standardize people practices:
Finally, monitor and adjust over time. Use pulse surveys, focus groups, and exit interview data to spot cultural drift early. Celebrate progress publicly and make the connection between culture and business results clear so it remains a shared priority.
Ultimately, your culture is not a side project. It’s the operating system that determines how well every other initiative runs. Leaders who treat it as a constant priority, by measuring it, investing in it, and holding people accountable for it, set the stage for sustained performance.
Almost all award-winning company culture examples teach us that they aren’t static but evolve with the business, market, and their people.
Senior Content Writer at Shortlister
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