Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Edelman perspective on making meaningful employee connections that deepen engagement, build trust and accelerate business performance.
FEBRUARY 2013
WHAT EVERY COMPANY CAN LEARN FROM THE 2013 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR LIST
Hundreds of companies each year brave the rigorous application process to be considered for Fortunes Best Companies to Work For list, which is produced by Great Place to Work Institute. In 2013, contenders had to showcase more than just great business performance and generous health-care options that now are mere table stakes. They had to deliver something special. So, what set this years winners apart? Reflecting our analysis of the latest list, 10 key insights and trends emerged. They are grouped among the three types of organizational connections that we believe comprise an engaged workforce: Employees connected with the company Employees connected with each other Employees connected with the outside world
The Container Store (16) offers a 401(k) plan that matches 50 percent up to four percent of pay to keep employees invested. The Everett Clinic (58) rewards employees with profit-sharing of up to 5 percent of pay.
At Recreational Equipment (REI) (17), training for new hires includes an outdoor service project. After 10 years of service at this law firm, Perkins Coie LLP (33) offers employees a two-month paid sabbatical. And last year, more than 4,000 Intel (68) employees took an eight-week paid sabbatical, which they are entitled to every seven years. The online retailer Zappos (31) is moving to new headquarters in Las Vegas and CEO Tony Hsieh is making the move as comfortable as possible for his employees. He is spending $350 million to develop the entire neighborhood so employees will have access to great places to live and socialize in outside of work.
CONCLUSION
The insights from this years list suggest that theres no single answer to the question of what makes a company a great place to work, but rather that its a complex blend of tangible and intangible attributes, programs and deeply engrained cultural norms that looks different for every organization. The questions for companies fortunate enough to be featured on this years list are: How do we publicize and celebrate this achievement internally and externally as a way to bolster pride, attract better job candidates and improve retention? How do we continue evolving the nature and depth of engagement with our workforce to stay on the list for years to come? For companies seeking to be on the list but who havent made it yet: How can we increase connections and engagement at our organization? Whens the right time to attempt application for the recognition? Do we have the right resources who can dedicate the time required to apply and manage the process?
ABOUT US
Edelmans Employee Engagement experts help organizations accelerate business performance, delivered by highly engaged and trusted employees. We do this by making meaningful, trust-building connections connecting employees with the company, connecting employees with each other, and connecting employees with the outside world. We have a global network of employee engagement specialists who can develop engagement strategy; deploy the tools and processes to deliver it; create the multimedia channels and content that support it; and design the insight mechanisms to measure it. For more information, visit us at http://www.edelman.com/expertise/employeeengagement/ or follow us on Twitter at @EdelmanEE.