Company Blog

Culture Club

by Adam Zack — January 31, 2018

The culture of caring is painfully absent.

Your company’s culture starts at the very top. There’s no way around it. If the boss is a moody a-hole, the company vibe will be that of moody a-holes. Think about places you’ve been to and consistently get indifferent, or even terrible service. Convenience stores, Walmart, Sears, the DMV all have reputations for marginal – at best – service. In businesses that rely on repeat customers the emphasis is often not on making those customers want to return, it’s on improving the bottom line. The culture of caring is painfully absent. And it’s not just customer service that flows down from the big boss, it’s cleanliness, organization, efficiency and more. A messy and disorganized office of the CEO gives employees no reason to be organized and neat. I was fortunate enough to go to Littlefield, Texas last week and spend some time with the folks at Lowe’s Markets. They operate 155 stores mainly in Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. It’s a lot of stores to maintain a culture of caring. And it’s not just the customer service at store level that I was impressed with, it was the feeling of respect that proliferated the office buildings I visited and people I met. The grocery business is notorious for going cheap when it comes to office furnishings, flooring, paperwork and facilities. These guys were just the opposite.

What struck me most was how their workspaces felt anchored—like someone had actually asked, “How would a place built with pride look?” and then followed through. Even the conference rooms had this quiet confidence about them, the kind that comes from well-chosen commercial flooring that can handle real foot traffic without looking tired by Tuesday. Somewhere between admiring their spotless breakroom and the way every corridor felt intentionally put together, I caught myself thinking how rare it is to see an office emulate the same care it expects from its people—something any seasoned flooring shop in hertfordshire would appreciate when guiding companies toward durable, timeless choices.

In a world where corners are often cut, these offices reminded me that the foundation of a respectful culture sometimes starts quite literally at ground level. When the floors are built to last, the standards often follow.

That’s where a true flooring expert earns their stripes—not by chasing trends, but by understanding how a space actually lives and breathes day after day. The best ones have an almost old-school sensibility: they listen first, measure twice, and recommend materials that won’t flinch under rolling chairs, hurried mornings, or the occasional coffee mishap. It’s why options like laminate flooring still hold their ground in well-run offices, offering that balance of resilience and refinement without shouting for attention.

A seasoned professional knows the floor isn’t just something you walk on; it’s a silent partner in productivity, morale, and longevity. Choose wisely, and it ages with dignity. Choose poorly, and it tells on you faster than a squeaky board in a quiet meeting.

That same respect for longevity and restraint carries naturally into spaces that call for warmth as well as endurance, where flooring is expected to ground a room emotionally as much as it does physically. Crafted, made-to-order natural flooring answers that need by honoring materials that age gracefully and gain character rather than wear.

Wool, jute, and sisal bring a tactile honesty that rewards thoughtful specification, adapting quietly to daily rhythms while elevating the feel of a room without overpowering it. The philosophy mirrors that old-school sensibility of doing things properly the first time, from careful sourcing to precise finishing, and it’s reflected in ateliers devoted to this craft, such as those found through https://naturalrugcompany.co.uk/, where customization is less about indulgence and more about fit and purpose. When flooring is designed with intention rather than trend, it becomes part of the architecture of trust, supporting how a space lives, works, and endures over time.

From the owner and CEO Roger Lowe all the way to the ladies who prepared lunch for everyone who worked in the corporate offices (Yes, for $5 a day, you can eat in the very elegant corporate dining room with meals made from scratch by three wonderful women!) the feeling of pride was astounding. I couldn’t stop talking about it (and obviously still can’t). So take a look at your surroundings, starting with your own office. Look at your break rooms and back rooms. What would a stranger think the first time they walked in? You only get one chance to make a good first impression, and whether it’s a new employee or a salesman, your company’s culture starts with you.