FIVE COMPANIES WHO GET CULTURE RIGHT
Some companies are revered for the way they keep employees engaged and passionate about their work. Here, we share with you five of the best organizations with the most engaged staff who go the extra mile, sharing the strategies and practices that keep them at the top of the employee engagement game.
1. Full Contact
Each year, this software firm offers their employees $7,500 to take a “paid” vacation. They literally pay their people to go on holiday anywhere they like. The only rules? You actually have to go somewhere, and can’t do any work or answer work related calls or messages. They stand by the idea that employees who actually go on vacation return to work with a different, fresh outlook. They are fully present and eager to get going to get back to their job.
These “paid” vacations also supposedly eliminate the issue of people thinking they’re the only one who can solve a problem. Once people return from their holiday relaxed and find things running smoothly, they feel less pressure to handle everything themselves and develop a heightened sense of trust for their coworkers.
If it’s not quite in your budget to give out large amounts of cash for holidays, it’s always possible to let people take a couple of extra days paid leave or a long weekend once in a while. The important thing is that they can leave their work responsibilities behind and really get away. People will appreciate their efforts being recognized and welcome the chance to disconnect from their job--even for a short time.
2. Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is revered for their employee engagement practices over the years. They have a team full of committed, enthusiastic people passionate about the company’s vision and values. They’ve set the bar high as a glowing example of customer service because of their collective of happy, committed employees.
Take something as seemingly mundane as a company uniform. The company allowed employees from any department to apply to collaborate on new designs. The results reflect the personality and company culture in a way not possible had employees not been given a say. Employees were responsive to this, describing it as an “unforgettable experience.”
Southwest encourages employees to do things differently, as evidenced by the viral video of one flight attendant rapping the safety information. It goes to show the kind of attitude the company has towards keeping things fun and unique by creating a great experience for customers and employees alike.
Recognizing those employees who go the extra mile is another key factor of Southwest’s engagement practices. Each week, the CEO gives a “shout out,” publicly praising employees who have gone above and beyond. There’s also a monthly recognition in Southwest’s magazine featuring an employee who shined that month. This kind of recognition keeps employees aware that they’re valued and that their commitment to the company doesn’t go unnoticed.
As company founder Herb Kelleher points out, competitors can’t simply adopt the levels of engagement and commitment found at Southwest—it takes a special kind of employee and company culture: “They can buy all the physical things. The things you can’t buy are dedication, devotion, loyalty—the feeling that you are participating in a crusade.”
3. Legal Monkeys
This legal record management company established a simpler, smaller way to show employees that their hard work is valued. Their Appreciation Board is a glass picture frame where employees can write a note and present the board to someone they want to show appreciation to. Whoever receives the board is free to keep it on display on their desk until they are ready to pass it on to someone else. Each achievement also gets posted on the company Facebook page, ensuring people outside the team see the recognition.
Ideas like this are great. They’re not only simple to implement without disturbing daily workflow, but they also build a real-time feedback culture, encouraging people to give positive feedback and show appreciation for their peers and coworkers.
4. Screwfix
One way this U.K.-based hardware company keeps their employee engagement levels up is by keeping an open, honest company culture. Every two weeks, employees are given the opportunity to provide feedback without rules or guidelines to their managers. They are encouraged to give feedback on everything: how things are going, how they think things are managed, how the company interacts with customers, ideas for improvement, or anything else they want to bring to their managers’ attention.
A great example of how well this initiative works: employees came up with an idea for a new customer card that speeds up the in-store process by identifying customers and allowing them to make quicker purchases. Like many other initiatives now in place, this would never have come to fruition had the employees not been asked for their input.
Having this kind of regular, 360-degree feedback in place not only means things don’t get overlooked as often. It also keeps the conversation going and ensures a company culture where people feel as if they make a difference—they’re more than just their role and their efforts benefit the whole company.
5. DreamWorks
Although employees at DreamWorks Animation are provided with perks such as free refreshments, paid opportunity to decorate workspaces, and company parties after big projects are completed, a practice they really appreciate is that at such parties and events, they are encouraged to share their personal work and projects with their coworkers. This opens up an appreciation of non-work related projects, boosts creativity, and makes employees feel that they are more than just the work they do for the company.
With other companies like Google also giving employees the time to work on and pitch their own projects, this is a great way to tell your employees that you not only trust them, but also that you value their input and creativity. This keeps people feeling both in control and passionate about their work.
While it may not be feasible for your company to provide huge amounts of money for “paid” holidays or assign large percentages of time to personal projects, you can take the spirit behind their practices to come up with ideas of how to implement those feelings in your own organization.
Great employee engagement is a sure-fire way to create a great company.