The Best Companies to Work For

After working all day for AT&T, I’d really like to tell you about my day.  But I won’t, it would be too depressing.  I’ve been way too negative lately on companies and the way they treat their employees.  Apple, the Dallas Cowboys, Nokia, Foxconn, etc. have all been in the news lately over employee abuse.  However, I’d like to change the focus with this blog to more positive news.  I believe it would be good therapy for me.

Just for fun, I did an internet search for a list of the best companies to work for.  Tons of hits and several good lists came up.  Several sites had lists and not surprisingly, the same companies showed up  multiple times.  Who were the good ones;  Google, SAS, Zappos, REI, Mercedes-Benz, Cisco, Container Store, Goldman Sachs, DreamWorks, Starbucks, Adobe, Whole Foods, etc..

The employee perks ranged from on-site healthcare, childcare, car cleaning, no layoffs, free food at the cafeterias, free vending machines, full-time life coach, deep employee discounts, paid sabbatical, weekly parties for encouragement or celebrating birthdays, gyms with trainers, walking trails, and the list goes on and on.  As I scrolled through the list, I noticed something…my company wasn’t there!  No, no, no, David… do not go there!

Ok, I’m back.  I’m alright.  The companies who are on the list, aren’t just there because of the perks.  I know, you don’t have them where you work either.  But it’s really something else they’re great for.  They value their employees!  That appreciation is repaid in having the most loyal people in the country working for them.  One my favorite saying is, “take care of your employees, and your employees will take care of you.”

We are all very intuitive.  We know when management is sincere and when it isn’t.  In the best companies, management really believes the material they put out, their mission statement, core beliefs, code of conduct, whatever they call it. They live by it and their employees recognize that.

I also believe that the great companies to work for can easily be recognized by their customers. They see happy and well treated employees.  Those employees are customer focused and not dollar focused.  By that, I mean they aren’t trying to sell the customer something they don’t want or need.  I’ll give you a personal testimonial.  My wife and I have started shopping at Whole Foods.  Whole Foods is on the list of great companies to work for.  The store is always busy.  It’s almost always tough to find a parking space.  People obviously like to shop there.  The aisles are always clean.  The products are excellent with a good variety.  The employees are friendly and knowledgable.  While speaking with one, they stop what they are doing and answer my inquiry.  They are willing to go the extra mile to satisfy my wants, whether it’s repackaging a twelve ounce steak or directing me to the salad dressings.  The customer rules the moment  Its a trade where no one should feel cheated.  The customer goes away happy, the employee is happy for the customer.  Customers who hate dealing with a company, hate it because of dealing with unhappy employees.  Employees are usually unhappy because of the unreasonable demands of management who are often focusing only on the bottom line,money!  Let’s face it, to make a company a great company to work for is purely a management decision.

For managers who want to make their company a great place to work, you need to consider employees and customers in a similar way.  I like the quote of Dee Hock, founder of Visa, “PH.D. in leadership.  Short Course:  Make a short list of all things done to you that you abhorred.  Don’t do them to others.  Ever.  Make another list of things done to you that you loved.  Do them to others.  Always.”  Sounds a little like the golden rule, “Do to others what you want them to do to you.”  Herein may be a great discovery.  Could we say that in great companies to work for, management treats their employees like they themselves would want to be treated?  I think so.  What a simple rule which would also impact the bottom line as well.  Happy employees work harder, are more loyal, and are therefore more productive.

Good companies are out there and they need employees.  Polish up your resume and send it out.  Who knows, you might just end up working for one of the best companies.