The other day, my CEO was reviewing some content on my laptop. Afterward, he looked at it and said it seemed a bit too large and heavy. He then told me that if I ever needed “a better one,” I could simply email my manager and request a replacement. The funny thing is, the laptop I’m using is actually a beast - more than capable of running some of Adobe’s most resource-intensive applications without breaking a sweat.

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My manager, as I’ve mentioned many times before, has always been someone who genuinely encourages learning. She is the one who recommends courses, asks whether I’m interested, and tells me that if a course is not the right fit, she’ll help find another one. She is also the one who constantly creates opportunities for me to explore, learn, and gain new experiences. She asks what I learned from a course, whether an event was worthwhile, and what insights I took away from it. Not long ago, I proposed taking a filmmaking course, and she was the one who approved it.

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I remember once mentioning to our HR Manager, “I think Morico salads are a bit expensive for lunch.”

“Let’s try them together tomorrow and see if they’re worth it before we decide,” she replied.

The next day, four boxes of Morico salads, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, arrived in the pantry. She invited everyone to sample them, share their feedback, and choose their favorite flavors for an upcoming town hall.

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“I find the coffee beans at our Hanoi office much better than the ones in Ho Chi Minh City.”

“Then you can always send an email suggesting a different blend,” a colleague once told me.

All of these small moments, repeated day after day, later became the inspiration behind many of the campaigns I worked on, from Made by Healthineers, with Healthineers at the Heart and People Are the Heart of Change, to Knowledge Nurtures the Dream, a CSR initiative supporting education for children in remote areas, and Give to Gain: Step Up Before You're Ready for International Women’s Day.

Workplace culture does not come from policies written on paper or slogans printed on walls. Culture is built through small, genuine interactions and everyday experiences.

Do people enjoy coming to work?

Do they feel heard?

Do they receive support?

Do they feel valued?

It is difficult to expect people to be fully committed, take pride in their work, go the extra mile, or genuinely care if they have never experienced those things themselves in the place where they spend so much of their time.

Written after attending the Best Workplaces™ 2026 awards ceremony by Great Place To Work for the first time.

My manager approved the trip. Our HR Manager took me along.

There was so much to learn, so much to reflect on, about culture, leadership, and people.

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Written by Mai Do Hong Phuc (Phoenix Do)