How I Changed Our Company Culture

When I first moved into my new lab in 2019, I was ecstatic. The 3,200-square-foot space was twice as big as my last and we increased our staff from 11 to 16. I thought everything was rosy and had high hopes to keep growing the business. What I didn’t expect was the culture shift that occurred.

I first discovered the problem after getting some negative feedback from clients on both product quality and interactions with employees. They told me, “The work is just not the same anymore; the attention to detail is lacking” and “Your staff just isn’t friendly over the phone.” Concerned, I sent a questionnaire to several clients and they confirmed these same sentiments.

On top of this, I noticed our volume had gradually dropped by almost a third over a three-month period. It was puzzling; what could possibly have gone wrong?

I started paying closer attention to small details and employees’ attitudes as I walked through the lab, trying...