How A Mumbai Entrepreneur Turned Around Office Culture With 6 Moves: "Pay Raise, Random Treats"
"We fired 3 people in one month, and our retention actually improved. Sounds backwards, but let me explain. Last year, our agency was losing talent at an alarming rate. People quit every month, and I couldn't figure out why. We had good salaries, flexible hours, and all the usual perks. But retention was still terrible. Then I realised the problem wasn't the people leaving. It was the people we kept. So we let 3 underperformers go in the same month," she wrote in a lengthy post on LinkedIn.
Alongside these changes, she implemented five key adjustments that transformed the company culture.
Got a physical office: Working remotely sounds great, but we lost all the fun energy. No,w when someone cracks a joke or celebrates a win, everyone's there to share it.
Proactive pay increases: When we see someone crushing it, we give them a raise before they even ask. Word gets around about companies that value great people.
Random treats: Ice cream on Tuesday. Lunch on Friday. No reason needed. Small gestures make people feel cared for.
Public appreciation: When someone does something amazing, I make sure the whole team knows. Recognition in front of team members hits differently than a private thank you.
High standards, quick decisions: We give people 1-2 warnings max. Keeping low performers around kills everyone else's motivation.
Hired passionate people: They could be passionate about anything. Could have a side hustle for all I care as long as I see passion and hard work, that's a win for me
The online response to Ms Bhaia's post has been mixed, sparking both applause and debate. Some LinkedIn users praised her approach, noting that letting go of underperforming employees can boost morale and productivity for the rest of the team. Many appreciated the practical changes she implemented, such as random treats and public appreciation, saying these gestures create a positive work environment.
Others shared their own experiences, highlighting the impact of low-performing colleagues on team dynamics. Some users drew parallels between team culture and sports teams, suggesting that acknowledging efforts and applauding each other after projects can foster a similar sense of camaraderie.
One user wrote, "Love this level of honesty. Sometimes retention improves not by adding perks but by protecting the culture. Clarity, appreciation, and high standards go a long way."
Another commented, "This is truly a good one, Underperformers anyways end up wasting team's energy & efforts on things."
A third said, "The fastest way to lose your best people is to tolerate the wrong ones. High performers don't just want perks they want to be surrounded by others who care, deliver, and grow. And when they see low standards go unaddressed, they quietly start looking elsewhere. Especially for global teams and early-stage professionals, the difference between staying and leaving is often just this: 'Do I feel like I'm becoming someone better here?"
A fourth added, "It's interesting how the same people can perform so differently when the environment shifts physical energy, quick feedback, small treats. Makes you think it's not always about the big retention strategies."
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