Corporate CULT-ure

First, I will start by saying that I’m not advocating for anyone to quit their job without an alternative financial plan. We all have bills to pay, sometimes we must temporarily stay in a situation that is unfavorable, while working on an escape plan that leads to a better life.

Similarities of Cults and CULT-ure

Let us examine what a cult is, according to www.psychologytoday.com”. Below is an excerpt from the description of what a cult is:

 “[…] It is typically authoritarian, headed by a person or group of people with near complete control of followers. Cult influence is designed to disrupt a person’s authentic identity and replace it with a new identity.”

That sounds a lot like working in a large corporation, doesn’t it? A group of people, who have near complete control over you for at least 40 hours of your week, who tell you what to do with those hours, and what your values must be during those hours.

Also, the description of a cult leader sounds like every boss I’ve ever had: 

“Cult leaders want people who will be obedient to them and their rules. They look for ways to ‘break’ people; they want people who will work hard and long hours for little to no pay. […]”

Have you ever been that sucker, who worked so many hours, that your hourly wage actually decreased because of all the time you put in? It’s ok, don’t be hard on yourself. Most people have been there, even me. You do it because you think (incorrectly) that there is mutual respect and admiration between yourself and your boss or the company.

 What you fail to see is, just like in cults, followers are used for monetary gain. When you put in extra hours, the employer is profiting off of your hard work. They might throw you a small amount of money to keep you quiet, but there’s no intention of paying you back for all the time you lost.

Then, after all that hard work, long hours, and sacrifice, what happens? You are rewarded for your hard work with more hard work, because you’ve been identified as someone to take full advantage of, and to be used to subsidize the workload of more favored colleagues.

See the illustration to the left? That's you with the help sign while a more favored colleague cries over their tiny workload. 

And if you complain, what are you told? “You have the wrong mindset.”

Which brings me to my next point: the term mindset is weaponized in corporate environments to control and manipulate the identities of the employees. 

“[…] After different types of manipulation, the creation of a new identity is done step-by-step by formal indoctrination sessions and informally by members, videos, games, movies, publications, and social/digital media. Behavior modification techniques are employed, such as rewards/punishments, thought-stopping, and control of environment (isolation or restriction of access to others). And then the new identify is reinforced and the old identify suppressed.”

For clarification, I do believe that mindset is important for wellbeing and that changing your mindset can change your life. However, the way it is used in corporate environments is to pressure individuals to have a uniform group-mindset.

CULT-ure Fit

The term “culture fit” is a dog whistle for discrimination. People who come from different cultural backgrounds, people who are not native English speakers, and people who are neurodivergent, may be disliked for their lack of conforming to the prevailing CULT-ure. Firing, or refusing to hire someone, due to “culture fit” is a vague excuse to discriminate and avoid liability.

Who is considered a good “culture fit”? Well, let’s look at some of the characteristics of people who are susceptible to joining cults: 

• Validation seeking

• Identity seeking

• Natural followers

• Purpose seeking

• Low self-worth

Sound like a lot of the people you work with, maybe even yourself? Again, don’t beat yourself up. Recruiters are looking for a specific kind of person, based on what the hiring manager needs, and then the hiring manager screens out people who would be a poor “culture fit”. You were recruited for your vulnerabilities.

Mentally Ditching Corporate CULT-ure

Everyone needs a source of income. For the vast majority of people, that means having a job. Even when someone discovers they don’t like their job, responsible people will stick with it, until they find another one.

Sadly, finding a new job is difficult, and finding one does not guarantee that it will be better than the last one.

 What then, can a person do when they need a job, but they keep finding cult type of environments? Start with self-reflection. Ask yourself if you have vulnerabilities that make you the ideal candidate for the cult type of organizations. If you keep getting hired by the same kinds of places, that means you are the type they are looking for, and that is 100% in your control.

We can protect ourselves from corporate CULT-ure, by working on ourselves to heal vulnerabilities. If you have the financial access to mental healthcare, that is ideal. If not, investing time into the free resources online can help you delve into why you have a certain vulnerability, and how to resolve it in order to prevent being taken advantage of by an employer.