Why Work Culture Matters More Than Just Getting Work Done
Why Work Culture Matters More Than Just Getting Work Done
We all want to build great products, meet deadlines, and move fast, but none of that happens without the one thing we rarely talk about enough: team culture. It’s the invisible glue that binds people, makes them show up with enthusiasm, and creates a space where ideas flourish naturally.
As someone who has worked closely with creative teams, I’ve come to believe that a great culture isn’t just a “nice-to-have” - it’s essential. Especially for designers and creative minds, who thrive not just on goals, but on inspiration, collaboration, and emotional safety.
Why Culture Matters
Creativity Needs Freedom and Trust
Designers are problem-solvers, but they’re also artists at heart. A high-pressure, cold environment can dim that spark. On the other hand, a positive, safe, and vibrant culture unlocks original thinking and out-of-the-box solutions. People feel confident enough to take creative risks.A Good Culture Builds Ownership
When people feel seen, heard, and valued, they don’t just do the work - they own it. They think beyond their job description. They step up for each other. They invest in the product because they feel invested in the team.People Stay Where They’re Happy
A lot of companies underestimate the cost of poor culture - until attrition hits. When people leave, you don’t just lose a resource, you lose months (sometimes years) of relationship, rhythm, and trust. Great culture reduces churn, builds loyalty, and attracts like-minded talent organically.
What It Adds to a Designer’s Life
For creative folks, culture isn’t fluff - it’s fuel. It impacts everything:
Mental wellbeing: When the workplace feels joyful, it becomes a source of energy, not stress.
Collaborative growth: Designers learn a lot from each other, but only if they feel safe sharing ideas without judgment.
Flow state: A team that vibes together can hit a magical zone where work doesn’t feel like work anymore.
Balance and joy: Celebrating small wins, laughing together, having lunch chats or off-topic chats - it all adds lightness to intense sprints.
Culture Builds Bonds. Bonds Get Work Done.
You don’t need to micromanage when your team is bonded, they’ll naturally support each other. They’ll anticipate needs, fill gaps, and celebrate wins together.
Strong relationships make it easier to have tough conversations, brainstorm through messy problems, or step in when someone is stuck. It also makes feedback more human and actionable.
In contrast, in a cold or distant setup, even simple things like reviews or alignment meetings can feel like friction.
Real-Life Snapshots from My Time at Nykaa
At Nykaa, I’ve consciously invested time and energy in building a culture of trust and camaraderie before diving into deliverables. My team - Neelesh Chaudhary, Adarsh Shandilya, Rahul Kumar, Anupama, Apoorva, and Smiti have been at the heart of this effort.
We’ve played games together, hosted fun office activities, created rituals around team bonding, and made time for joy, even during crunch periods.
Some of our most cherished memories come from our off-site trips to Bir and Jibhi. We’ve brainstormed product ideas over chai in hillside cafés, cycled in the rain, watched sunsets together, and gone paragliding just for the thrill of it. These moments helped us connect not just as colleagues, but as people, and that made us a stronger, more collaborative team.
And none of this would have been possible without the foundation laid by my manager, Krishna RV. His vision for what a healthy, creative team culture should look like set the tone early on - I simply carried it forward with heart.
Final Thoughts
A great culture is not built with one workshop or offsite. It’s in the little things - the tone of your messages, the openness of your 1:1s, how you celebrate wins, how transparent, empathetic you are, how you handle failures, and how you treat each other in moments of pressure.
If you’re a team leader, don’t wait for HR to "own" culture, start it yourself. And if you’re an IC, be the one who brings warmth, wit, and joy to the table - it makes a difference.
Because when culture thrives, people stay, ideas grow, and magic happens - even on a regular Monday morning.
We all want to build great products, meet deadlines, and move fast, but none of that happens without the one thing we rarely talk about enough: team culture. It’s the invisible glue that binds people, makes them show up with enthusiasm, and creates a space where ideas flourish naturally.
As someone who has worked closely with creative teams, I’ve come to believe that a great culture isn’t just a “nice-to-have” - it’s essential. Especially for designers and creative minds, who thrive not just on goals, but on inspiration, collaboration, and emotional safety.
Why Culture Matters
Creativity Needs Freedom and Trust
Designers are problem-solvers, but they’re also artists at heart. A high-pressure, cold environment can dim that spark. On the other hand, a positive, safe, and vibrant culture unlocks original thinking and out-of-the-box solutions. People feel confident enough to take creative risks.A Good Culture Builds Ownership
When people feel seen, heard, and valued, they don’t just do the work - they own it. They think beyond their job description. They step up for each other. They invest in the product because they feel invested in the team.People Stay Where They’re Happy
A lot of companies underestimate the cost of poor culture - until attrition hits. When people leave, you don’t just lose a resource, you lose months (sometimes years) of relationship, rhythm, and trust. Great culture reduces churn, builds loyalty, and attracts like-minded talent organically.
What It Adds to a Designer’s Life
For creative folks, culture isn’t fluff - it’s fuel. It impacts everything:
Mental wellbeing: When the workplace feels joyful, it becomes a source of energy, not stress.
Collaborative growth: Designers learn a lot from each other, but only if they feel safe sharing ideas without judgment.
Flow state: A team that vibes together can hit a magical zone where work doesn’t feel like work anymore.
Balance and joy: Celebrating small wins, laughing together, having lunch chats or off-topic chats - it all adds lightness to intense sprints.
Culture Builds Bonds. Bonds Get Work Done.
You don’t need to micromanage when your team is bonded, they’ll naturally support each other. They’ll anticipate needs, fill gaps, and celebrate wins together.
Strong relationships make it easier to have tough conversations, brainstorm through messy problems, or step in when someone is stuck. It also makes feedback more human and actionable.
In contrast, in a cold or distant setup, even simple things like reviews or alignment meetings can feel like friction.
Real-Life Snapshots from My Time at Nykaa
At Nykaa, I’ve consciously invested time and energy in building a culture of trust and camaraderie before diving into deliverables. My team - Neelesh Chaudhary, Adarsh Shandilya, Rahul Kumar, Anupama, Apoorva, and Smiti have been at the heart of this effort.
We’ve played games together, hosted fun office activities, created rituals around team bonding, and made time for joy, even during crunch periods.
Some of our most cherished memories come from our off-site trips to Bir and Jibhi. We’ve brainstormed product ideas over chai in hillside cafés, cycled in the rain, watched sunsets together, and gone paragliding just for the thrill of it. These moments helped us connect not just as colleagues, but as people, and that made us a stronger, more collaborative team.
And none of this would have been possible without the foundation laid by my manager, Krishna RV. His vision for what a healthy, creative team culture should look like set the tone early on - I simply carried it forward with heart.
Final Thoughts
A great culture is not built with one workshop or offsite. It’s in the little things - the tone of your messages, the openness of your 1:1s, how you celebrate wins, how transparent, empathetic you are, how you handle failures, and how you treat each other in moments of pressure.
If you’re a team leader, don’t wait for HR to "own" culture, start it yourself. And if you’re an IC, be the one who brings warmth, wit, and joy to the table - it makes a difference.
Because when culture thrives, people stay, ideas grow, and magic happens - even on a regular Monday morning.
We all want to build great products, meet deadlines, and move fast, but none of that happens without the one thing we rarely talk about enough: team culture. It’s the invisible glue that binds people, makes them show up with enthusiasm, and creates a space where ideas flourish naturally.
As someone who has worked closely with creative teams, I’ve come to believe that a great culture isn’t just a “nice-to-have” - it’s essential. Especially for designers and creative minds, who thrive not just on goals, but on inspiration, collaboration, and emotional safety.
Why Culture Matters
Creativity Needs Freedom and Trust
Designers are problem-solvers, but they’re also artists at heart. A high-pressure, cold environment can dim that spark. On the other hand, a positive, safe, and vibrant culture unlocks original thinking and out-of-the-box solutions. People feel confident enough to take creative risks.A Good Culture Builds Ownership
When people feel seen, heard, and valued, they don’t just do the work - they own it. They think beyond their job description. They step up for each other. They invest in the product because they feel invested in the team.People Stay Where They’re Happy
A lot of companies underestimate the cost of poor culture - until attrition hits. When people leave, you don’t just lose a resource, you lose months (sometimes years) of relationship, rhythm, and trust. Great culture reduces churn, builds loyalty, and attracts like-minded talent organically.
What It Adds to a Designer’s Life
For creative folks, culture isn’t fluff - it’s fuel. It impacts everything:
Mental wellbeing: When the workplace feels joyful, it becomes a source of energy, not stress.
Collaborative growth: Designers learn a lot from each other, but only if they feel safe sharing ideas without judgment.
Flow state: A team that vibes together can hit a magical zone where work doesn’t feel like work anymore.
Balance and joy: Celebrating small wins, laughing together, having lunch chats or off-topic chats - it all adds lightness to intense sprints.
Culture Builds Bonds. Bonds Get Work Done.
You don’t need to micromanage when your team is bonded, they’ll naturally support each other. They’ll anticipate needs, fill gaps, and celebrate wins together.
Strong relationships make it easier to have tough conversations, brainstorm through messy problems, or step in when someone is stuck. It also makes feedback more human and actionable.
In contrast, in a cold or distant setup, even simple things like reviews or alignment meetings can feel like friction.
Real-Life Snapshots from My Time at Nykaa
At Nykaa, I’ve consciously invested time and energy in building a culture of trust and camaraderie before diving into deliverables. My team - Neelesh Chaudhary, Adarsh Shandilya, Rahul Kumar, Anupama, Apoorva, and Smiti have been at the heart of this effort.
We’ve played games together, hosted fun office activities, created rituals around team bonding, and made time for joy, even during crunch periods.
Some of our most cherished memories come from our off-site trips to Bir and Jibhi. We’ve brainstormed product ideas over chai in hillside cafés, cycled in the rain, watched sunsets together, and gone paragliding just for the thrill of it. These moments helped us connect not just as colleagues, but as people, and that made us a stronger, more collaborative team.
And none of this would have been possible without the foundation laid by my manager, Krishna RV. His vision for what a healthy, creative team culture should look like set the tone early on - I simply carried it forward with heart.
Final Thoughts
A great culture is not built with one workshop or offsite. It’s in the little things - the tone of your messages, the openness of your 1:1s, how you celebrate wins, how transparent, empathetic you are, how you handle failures, and how you treat each other in moments of pressure.
If you’re a team leader, don’t wait for HR to "own" culture, start it yourself. And if you’re an IC, be the one who brings warmth, wit, and joy to the table - it makes a difference.
Because when culture thrives, people stay, ideas grow, and magic happens - even on a regular Monday morning.
