It takes more than a high salary, having a foosball table in the company lunchroom or any other perks or benefits to retain quality staff. There is an ever growing interest in understanding the connections between culture and performance. What we see in our research are companies that really take culture seriously.
They are a diverse group of organisations that have applied unique, innovative, and sometime deceptively simple methods of building a culture they desire.
But how do managers design a corporate culture? After all, having a great workplace isn't about the perks. The loyalty and commitment that managers seek boils down to just one simple, five-letter word: Trust. Part of the trick is to strip away as much bureaucracy as possible. Having everything determined by policies is the direct opposite of trust. It's moving away from inflexible control systems to saying, 'We need to give employees responsibility and trust them to take that responsibility.'
Great Place to Work® has been listening to employees and evaluating employers for over 30 years. We recognise that the key defining characteristic of any great workplace – TRUST – has become even more imperative given the current labour market climate and the significant challenges that lie ahead. Globally the Great Place to Work Institute works with over 5,500 companies and 3 million employees annually. It is interesting for us to see that irrelevant of geographic location, industry, or company size, research indicates that Trust continues to define great workplaces.
Trust, of course, is a two-way street, whereby organisations must trust their employees before the employees will in turn trust their managers and senior leaders. Some companies might formalise their initiatives, but many best practices really amount to attitude changes. A commitment to openess, to respect, to transparency, to managers following through with what they say they will do are the basic behaviours that should happen on a day to day basis.
For over 30 years Great Place to Work Institute has been research what makes a workplace great. We know for sure it is not the “perks”. While employees may appreciate massage chairs, foosball tables and hot meals, (and of course these things help) the loyalty and commitment that managers seek is fostered by “how” companies become great workplaces. While many perks come and go through time, our research tells us that Trust, as well as Pride and Camaraderie do not, and it is important for management to realise it is the “how” they do these that will have the greatest impact on their staff. It is the “how” that has helps the 50 Best Places to Work in Australia attract and retain great talent. We also know that what works in one organisation may not work in another, and it is important to take into consideration the needs and desires of employees when planning programs and policies that will help foster positive relationships amongst staff and high trust relationships between staff and management. Success stories can be drawn from all of the companies that earn a spot on one of the 40 global lists of best companies to work for published annually by Great Place to Work.
This year, there have been a large number of organisations globally that are inspiring extraordinary change in the areas of caring for their employees, caring for the environment, and caring about the community through philanthropic initiatives. As organisations travel on their journey to become best workplaces, the creativity in best practices that are personalised to fit their particular culture and core values, are inspiring. We chose some of our favourite practices from around the globe to share that highlight unique ways organisations are building trust.
Caring for Employees
IKEA North America
At IKEA North America Services, LLC, it’s important that every co-worker feels well informed and in touch with what’s important to them, in addition an overall sense of community and purpose. In busy store environments with shifting schedules, creative solutions are required. Many stores have face-to-face morning meetings, "co-worker round-ups," before opening time to review important information for the day ahead. “Read This” bulletin boards (posted, for example, by the time clock) help to include those with later shifts and give a consistent and convenient place to look for prioritized messages. All stores have pre-opening announcements to start their days with a personal welcome, important information and maybe the daily lunch special or recognising a co-worker anniversary.
Google USA
Google offers free gourmet meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day in addition to helping the environment and supporting local farmers or fishermen. The cafés also encourage organic, healthy food and serve only line-caught fish. Prior to stepping into the café line, employees are greeted with a healthy suggested meal for that day, along with displays of appropriate food consumption.
Google Australia
At Google, they reserve a special title for new hires: Nooglers. They do their best to ensure that every Noogler feels special from the moment they join Google. On their first day at Google, Nooglers get a tour of the office and attend an orientation for new employees. The orientation agenda includes a detailed overview on the company’s culture, history, and benefits, conducted by representatives from HR, Facilities and their IT department. After the morning session, Nooglers enjoy lunch at one of their onsite cafes and receive their Noogler beanie cap. This is a great time for the Nooglers to network with Googlers and other Nooglers across departmental lines. Often, they hear these bonds and friendships last long after the first weeks at Google. At the end of the orientation, Nooglers are picked up by their Google buddies. Buddies escort the hires to their new desk, where they are greeted with welcome balloons and a bag of lollies. Buddies play a big role in helping the Noogler adjust to the new work environment, and they continue to act as a direct resource for any future needs.
RedBalloon – Australia
RedBalloon gives employees the chance to think outside the square and create a DreamCatcher list of all the things they have ever wanted to do before they ‘kick the bucket’. The list should also contain what they want to achieve in their life and career. This is a powerful way to capture the individual's imagination. Managers also have the visibility of knowing their employees Dreamcatchers and being able to give specific rewards for the experience of their dreams. This is shows the company is considering the employee’s personal interests and their hopes and dreams!
Caring for the Environment
Cisco – Norway
At Cisco, a global communications and IT company, measures are being taken in order to comply with social and environmental responsibilities. Cisco has invested in new technology to cut its global travel by at least 35-40%. As part of Cisco's global green action plan, there are designated green in-country ambassadors in each Nordic country. Two goals of the green project are to:1) Provide information about climate change and the challenges this brings
2) Implement specific measures that the Oslo office can contribute to reduce CO2 emissions Cisco wants to be a leader in the use of its own technologies, and a good example of this is the TelePresence system. With this solution, they can connect with more than 600 locations worldwide, which enables business travel to be set to a minimum. This also contributes to employees getting more time to their families and friends to easily maintain a healthy balance between their work and private lives.
Manidis Roberts – Australia
A core part of Manidis Robert’s culture is that they do care for the environment. They use T5 energy efficient lighting in all office locations, purchase carbon offset packages when flying with wither Virgin or Qantas airlines, 67% of their workforce use environmentally friendly way to get to work (Walking/Cycling/public transport), they also own hybrid company cars.
Coca-Cola South Pacific - Australia
In 2009 CCSP partnered with Westfield and other organisations in a trial aimed to increase the collection of recyclable PET-bottles and cans in the Australian public. The trial was so successful, Westfield are introducing the new recycling system in up to 35 Westfield shopping centres during 2010.
Morgan Stanley – Australia
Morgan Stanley’s objective for its office at 'The Bond', which currently houses around 180 staff, was to create a stimulating and innovative workplace to attract and retain top financial services talent to the Firm. The Bond was the first SEDA 5-Star Energy rated building in Australia, with 30% lower CO2 emissions than a typical office building. This has been achieved through the use of natural ventilation, rooftop gardens, passive chilled beam cooling and fully operable shading on the building’s facades. The building has also been awarded a 5-star Pilot Rating under the Green Star Rating scheme with the Green Building Council of Australia. The building design features 100m long open floor plates, glass lifts, open stairs, side cores, balconies and terraces. Materials used in the building’s construction reflect the local environment and maritime heritage: oxidised steel, recycled wharf timbers and aged copper. The four-storey sandstone feature wall is the longest and oldest convict-hewn sandstone cutting in Sydney. This ‘rockwall’ assists with providing cooling to the building and acts as a conduit to recirculate air out of the building.All of the materials and furniture in the Morgan Stanley office at The Bond are made from recycled materials, and may be recycled when no longer needed. All employees at Morgan Stanley have “enviro” bins which are for paper waste only. The office limits the amount of general rubbish bins to promote recycling more materials in the office.
Caring About the Community - Giving Back
Google Canada
Technology for Non-Profits - Google Canada is committed to providing the non-profit sector with robust, easy-to-use, scalable tools to leverage their technology in an environment where technological and financial resources tend to be limited. Google works to level the playing field and expand technology access for nonprofits by providing free, easy-to-use, scalable tools and services. Google Grants, Google Earth Outreach, YouTube for Non-Profits and Google Apps Education Edition for Nonprofits provide great examples of Google's over-arching commitment to supporting nonprofits. Google will continue to use its innovative technology as one of the main vehicles to help these groups; build awareness, increase donations and use technology to improve productivity.
SAS - Canada
Focus on Education: Market Lane Public School
SAS Canada is committed to serving their local communities. After moving into its new Canadian headquarters in an emerging neighbourhood in Toronto’s downtown core, SAS Canada’s Toronto office has focused its philanthropic efforts on benefiting the students of a nearby primary school. Market Lane Public School is located in the St. Lawrence Community, a mixed social and economic community that is still undergoing development. SAS Canada supports the school’s priorities of improving student achievement in literacy, numeracy, the arts, and student safety by collaborating with the administration to provide funds and gifts-in-kind for programming needs. In addition, employee volunteers engage with Market Lane students through a number of programs. Selected employees, including the President of SAS Canada, are in continuous discussion with teachers from Market Lane to discuss the student’s needs, determine what programs will be of most benefit to them and make a real difference in their lives.
American Express - Italy
One of the core values of American Express in Italy is that the company should be to the benefit of the communities in which it works and thrives. This is upheld through a year-long calendar of local and world-wide philanthropic activities. In Italy for example, the company supports local non-profit organisations like Ospedale Bambin Gesù, Casa Famiglia and Obiettivo Barriere. Furthermore, Amex has a programme that rewards employees for their volunteer services: Money is donated to non-profit organisations based on individual employees' or employee teams' voluntary work in relation to these organisations.
Advanced Solutions International - Australia
Since ASI is tied so closely to the non-profit industry, we strongly encourage our employees to volunteer in community causes and be active participants within the non-profit community. Many of our employees have extensive professional backgrounds in the non-profit sector and are passionate about giving back to the community. We understand this desire to further the causes of non-profits since it is such a significant driving force for our company. ASI employees are given 3 hours off per month with pay to participate in community volunteer work. As a company, we also often participate in fundraising events organised by our customers.
NetApp – Australia
Employees are encouraged to take five additional days of paid leave each year to provide community service wherever and whenever they feel they can provide the greatest contribution. Anything from teaching English Language to underprivileged children overseas, participating in the “Pollie Peddle”, “Kayaking for Kids” and so on.
Zrinka Lovrencic is one of the Directors and a member of the management consulting team at Great Place to Work® in Australia.
