Altruism at Work: The Culture Strategy Hiding in Plain Sight
Altruism isn’t just a feel-good gesture – it’s a leadership strategy.
Altruism at Work: The Culture Strategy Hiding in Plain Sight
Altruism isn’t just a feel-good gesture – it’s a leadership strategy.
GIVING BACK AS A WAY OF BEING
Altruism isn’t just a feel-good gesture – it’s a leadership strategy. Cultures built on generosity and purpose foster stronger engagement, greater psychological safety, and better business performance.
In fact, a 2023 meta-analysis in Frontiers in Psychology found that prosocial workplace behaviours – like helping others, volunteering, and purpose-driven work – correlate positively with team collaboration, mental well-being, and organisational commitment. In other words, when people are given the chance to contribute to something bigger than themselves, they show up differently – and so does your culture.
One company making altruism a competitive advantage?
Humanitix, the world’s first not-for-profit ticketing platform, and one of Australia’s most compelling examples of a business built entirely around giving.
Purpose as the Operating System
Founded by Josh Ross and Adam McCurdie, Humanitix exists to redirect booking fees – those frustrating add-ons we all pay -into projects that combat global education inequality. From improving accessibility at events to supporting literacy and life skills programs for girls, every ticket sold helps fund better outcomes for disadvantaged students in Australia and around the world.
Backed by the Atlassian Foundation and Google.org, Humanitix is disrupting the events industry with a model that channels 100% of profits into social impact. And while their competitors chase market share, Humanitix is changing what it means to do business.
But their secret weapon isn’t just the model – it’s the culture.
Culture Built on Contribution
When you work for a mission-led organisation, engagement tends to run high. And Humanitix shows why:
Employees aren’t just turning up for a paycheque. They’re there because their day-to-day work creates tangible, measurable good. As co-founder Adam McCurdie explains, this shared purpose is central to how the team operates – it sets a standard for energy, accountability and care.
Josh Ross, his co-founder, brings a complementary challenge. Having started his career in investment analysis – a role often driven by solitary thinking – he’s had to unlearn the instinct to go it alone. Today, he prioritises involving others in decisions, aware that leading a purpose-driven company requires collaboration and connection.
That level of self-awareness is notable in any leadership team, but when paired with a clearly defined mission and shared values, it becomes a flywheel for culture.
What the Research Tells Us
Altruism in the workplace isn’t just noble. It’s neurologically and socially advantageous:
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It builds psychological safety. Studies show that organisations with high prosocial behaviour tend to foster stronger trust and better communication. People feel safer to speak up and are more motivated to contribute.
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It improves wellbeing. Random acts of kindness, even small ones, trigger the release of dopamine and oxytocin, which enhances mood and reduces stress. This is true for both the giver and the receiver.
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It creates cultural ripple effects. Altruism is contagious. When one team member behaves generously or inclusively, others tend to mirror that behaviour, reinforcing positive cultural norms.
These aren’t abstract benefits. They influence how people collaborate, how teams perform, and the likelihood of employees staying with the organisation.
From Random Acts to Structural Culture
For HR and executive leaders, the opportunity isn’t just to encourage generosity – it’s to operationalise it.
Altruism becomes powerful when it moves beyond intention and becomes embedded in the systems, symbols and day-to-day structures of the organisation.
That can look like:
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Embedding purpose into role design, so people understand how their work contributes to something bigger
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Recognising prosocial behaviour, not just individual achievement, in performance and promotion conversations
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Creating pathways to give back through paid volunteer days, internal giving programs or skills-based service
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Giving employees input on which causes or initiatives the organisation supports
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Investing in leaders who consistently model generosity, empathy and a commitment to community
These aren’t just “nice to have” perks. They shape culture. They drive engagement. And they create the conditions for trust, connection and high performance to thrive.
Three Things Leaders Can Do Right Now
If you’re wondering how to start embedding altruism into your workplace (without turning into a charity), here are three high-impact actions:
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Link purpose to everyday work
Help employees see why their role matters. Connect tasks to outcomes that benefit others, such as clients, the community, or colleagues.
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Model generosity at the top
Leaders shape norms. Generosity, humility and kindness aren’t soft. They set the emotional tone and create psychological safety.
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Build systems that make it easy to contribute
Whether it’s time, skills or money, create infrastructure that enables people to participate in something bigger than their job description.
These aren’t symbolic gestures. They’re structural decisions that say: here, contribution is part of how we lead.
Final Thought: Culture as Contribution
Humanitix is living proof that purpose and performance aren’t mutually exclusive – they can be mutually reinforcing.
So the question isn’t whether altruism belongs at work. It’s whether we’re willing to design for it.
As a leader, ask yourself:
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Are we making purpose visible, not just writing it down?
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Do our people feel proud of how we operate, not just what we achieve?
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What systems do we have in place to turn values into action?
Because when generosity is part of how we work, not just how we give, culture becomes a source of resilience, not rhetoric.
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JOSH ROSS was a #CULTURE19 Conversation Leader
