Written by: Concetti Studio
What defines good company culture? One perspective might state it’s based in productivity while another may believe it includes team building and a casual dress code. However, Concetti believes it is deeply rooted in the well-being and mental health of employees.
After years of hustling to grow her business, Concetti CEO + Principal Designer Rachel Nelson realized she needed to make a change. She got serious about her own professional reset with the help of a holistic life coach—then tapped that same coach to work with her team and help shape an environment that puts mental health first.
Countering the pervasive "hustle culture", Concetti’s culture focuses on balance, boundaries, and self-care. By nurturing their mental health, Rachel helps her team achieve higher quality results and unleash authentic creativity. She creates space for her employees to embrace their authentic selves in everything they do. The result is personal and professional environments where creativity flourishes and clients who trust that their visions, lifestyles, and needs are being honored throughout every decision.
Find tips below on how you can maintain a good company culture where everyone feels valued, supported, and authentic—contributing to deeper shared prosperity in the process.
1. Lead by example
The driving force for Rachel to start her own business was the lack of company culture she experienced when entering the design field after graduating from college. She had a vision for a unique service offering and how a team should run, so she created it herself.
Concetti’s culture of collaboration and creativity is entirely rooted in mental health and well-being. Rachel leads by example in prioritizing mental wellness by offering quarterly paid mental health breaks, company retreats, improved benefits every year, and regular access to a wellness coach who helps foster professional and personal reflection.
Rachel knew she needed to make a life change after attending a panel discussion about nervous systems and self-care, realizing she had been neglecting that part of herself. That’s when she connected with Samantha Schmuck, a holistic life coach, to work with her personally, and then hired her to work closely with the rest of the Concetti team.
2. Invest in your people
Similar to many industries, the interior design strategist profession often requires high energy, and employees can experience burnout. Rachel knew something needed to change at Concetti when one of her employees stated it felt like they were running a marathon forever. That’s when she decided to implement paid quarterly mental health breaks.
In the first and third quarters of each year, Concetti employees get Thursday and Friday off, and that Wednesday is a VIP day with their Holistic Life Coach. The team votes on what kind of team-building activity they want—which has been anything from candle-making with essential oils to a tarot card reading. Ideally it is something that nurtures employees and sets the tone for a four-day weekend. Then in the second and fourth quarters, employees get a full paid week off in addition to the VIP day.
Additionally, new Concetti employees work one-on-one with Sam to help establish their workflow and to adapt their method of scheduling. Sam offers stress management and, if needed, emotional support, holding space for people because while a new job is exciting, it’s also a big change.
Mental health breaks, boundary-setting, and access to a wellness coach changed the team’s morale, and for the first time, they felt like they could truly unplug rather than check their emails or messages after hours or even try staying up to date on vacation. Now, Concetti gives themselves permission to slow down and enjoy time off without guilt or judgment, and then come back refreshed, allowing them to be the best version of themselves for their clients.
3. Set clear operations and expectations
Concetti believes a lot of culture comes down to two things: operations and expectations. When the pandemic hit in 2020, all Concetti employees began working remotely. This caused stress for employees as they struggled to separate work from home life.
That’s when Rachel approached Samantha about working with the whole team to discuss stress management and explore tools to separate work from life. This opened up dialogue around how they show up as a team and how they want to treat each other. They started meeting on a monthly basis, and collaboratively created their team agreements. A team agreement outlines the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of a team. Some examples of their team agreements is to take responsibility for the energy they put out; don’t take feedback personally; and do the right thing, not the easy thing. Creating team agreements that all employees agree upon creates trust, fosters empathy, and creates better relationships, communication, and collaboration.
Fun, welcoming environments, especially for new employees, are not possible if operations are sloppy, confusing, or chaotic. As a team grows and clear departments form, it’s essential to talk about what that interdepartmental communication looks like as the torch is being passed from one area to the other. Concetti utilizes SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures) for all internal and external projects and communication, thus creating consistency and eliminating confusion.
Creating and maintaining a good company culture is an investment, but the benefits pay off tenfold through retention, employee happiness, and satisfied clients. Employees spend so much time at work, so it’s important to make it an environment that is going to positively impact who they are and how they show up in life.
Want to learn more about what Concetti is doing? Check out their website!
