Pop culture is a powerful tool for bridging the corporate divide in a fragmented, remote work environment.
Kevin Grunewald, a TA Sourcer at Empower Pharmacy, argues that shared cultural moments act as a “great equalizer,” creating a common language between the C-suite and the intern pool.
While pop culture is good for internal culture, he warns that a clogged and impersonal hiring system often forces job seekers to prioritize paychecks over culture.
As teams spread across offices and time zones, the need for common ground has grown, and a powerful connector is emerging from popular culture. These shared moments are becoming a potent way to engage employees from the C-suite to the intern pool. No one embodies this more than Taylor Swift, whose next album release date is expected to be akin to a national holiday for 6% of the salaried workforce, according to a new report on the Swift Shift.
We spoke with Kevin Grunewald, a Talent Acquistion Sourcer at Empower Pharmacy with eight years of talent acquisition experience. He argued that while hiring is complex, shared cultural moments offer an effective way to build the connective tissue that holds a company together. His insights are based on his career experience and do not reflect the practices of his current employer.
The great equalizer: Grunewald’s philosophy is that pop culture’s true value lies in its ability to flatten hierarchies and create a shared language across an organization. “When Taylor Swift announces her engagement, both a CEO and an intern can relate to that.”
Fighting disconnection: This blending of personal and professional topics is a relatively recent phenomenon, one he traces to the growth of social media. With remote work leaving many employees feeling isolated, these connections have become a crucial substitute for spontaneous office interactions. “At the end of the day, we’re all working on computers, and it’s easy to feel disconnected,” Grunewald said. “These pop culture touchstones can serve as a stand-in for the lost hallway chats and spontaneous water cooler moments.”
This need for authentic connection is amplified by a hiring market that Grunewald describes as overwhelmed. He offered a pragmatic warning that technology is forcing both candidates and recruiters to prioritize hard requirements over cultural fit. “There’s a huge disconnect right now where people are applying to jobs and it feels like a void,” he explained. “It’s taking longer to apply for jobs, longer to get hired, and longer to get interviews set up.”
A strategic tool: For a strategist like Grunewald, pop culture is a deliberate professional tool. He uses it as a hook to capture attention before segueing into more substantive conversations, harnessing its relatability to build an audience and achieve specific goals. “Pop culture helps a lot with the content I put out,” he said. “I tie a lot of different things into recruiting and hiring to appeal to the masses, and that really helps drive traffic to my hiring banner.”
Ultimately, these connections—whether sparked by a pop star or the shared experience of starting a new job—can evolve into something more meaningful. The real value, Grunewald suggested, is cultivating deep, supportive relationships that can fundamentally change your work life. He noted that these bonds are often forged in the simple, shared struggle of being new, navigating the learning curves and onboarding together.
The benefit is having somebody you can vent to a little bit who helps you keep your eye on the long-term prize. It’s about having a confidant. “When you’re going through something at work or at home, they might be going through the same thing.”
Pop culture is a powerful tool for bridging the corporate divide in a fragmented, remote work environment.
Kevin Grunewald, a TA Sourcer at Empower Pharmacy, argues that shared cultural moments act as a “great equalizer,” creating a common language between the C-suite and the intern pool.
While pop culture is good for internal culture, he warns that a clogged and impersonal hiring system often forces job seekers to prioritize paychecks over culture.
Empower Pharmacy
As teams spread across offices and time zones, the need for common ground has grown, and a powerful connector is emerging from popular culture. These shared moments are becoming a potent way to engage employees from the C-suite to the intern pool. No one embodies this more than Taylor Swift, whose next album release date is expected to be akin to a national holiday for 6% of the salaried workforce, according to a new report on the Swift Shift.
We spoke with Kevin Grunewald, a Talent Acquistion Sourcer at Empower Pharmacy with eight years of talent acquisition experience. He argued that while hiring is complex, shared cultural moments offer an effective way to build the connective tissue that holds a company together. His insights are based on his career experience and do not reflect the practices of his current employer.
The great equalizer: Grunewald’s philosophy is that pop culture’s true value lies in its ability to flatten hierarchies and create a shared language across an organization. “When Taylor Swift announces her engagement, both a CEO and an intern can relate to that.”
Fighting disconnection: This blending of personal and professional topics is a relatively recent phenomenon, one he traces to the growth of social media. With remote work leaving many employees feeling isolated, these connections have become a crucial substitute for spontaneous office interactions. “At the end of the day, we’re all working on computers, and it’s easy to feel disconnected,” Grunewald said. “These pop culture touchstones can serve as a stand-in for the lost hallway chats and spontaneous water cooler moments.”
This need for authentic connection is amplified by a hiring market that Grunewald describes as overwhelmed. He offered a pragmatic warning that technology is forcing both candidates and recruiters to prioritize hard requirements over cultural fit. “There’s a huge disconnect right now where people are applying to jobs and it feels like a void,” he explained. “It’s taking longer to apply for jobs, longer to get hired, and longer to get interviews set up.”
Empower Pharmacy
A strategic tool: For a strategist like Grunewald, pop culture is a deliberate professional tool. He uses it as a hook to capture attention before segueing into more substantive conversations, harnessing its relatability to build an audience and achieve specific goals. “Pop culture helps a lot with the content I put out,” he said. “I tie a lot of different things into recruiting and hiring to appeal to the masses, and that really helps drive traffic to my hiring banner.”
Ultimately, these connections—whether sparked by a pop star or the shared experience of starting a new job—can evolve into something more meaningful. The real value, Grunewald suggested, is cultivating deep, supportive relationships that can fundamentally change your work life. He noted that these bonds are often forged in the simple, shared struggle of being new, navigating the learning curves and onboarding together.
The benefit is having somebody you can vent to a little bit who helps you keep your eye on the long-term prize. It’s about having a confidant. “When you’re going through something at work or at home, they might be going through the same thing.”
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