An article published by The Florida International University College of Business identified the best workplaces in the world.
According to the article; the common characteristics for the best workplaces are:
- Focusing on the employee
- Treating the employee with respect and dignity
- Trusting that they are there to do a good job
- Giving clear direction about what they are supposed to be doing
- Giving them the freedom to do their jobs in a way they find meaningful
- Providing meaningful work to analyze
The best companies from another perspective
In a bid to explore the differences Michael O’Malley and Bill Baker, authors of Organizations for People: Caring Cultures, Basic Needs, and Better Lives, decided to take a much deeper look, putting 21 of the consistent performers on those lists under a microscope. Visiting a diverse selection of companies, they interviewed executives, conducted focus groups, and toured facilities. In their piece in Harvard Business Review (2019), O’Malley summarized their findings. Here are some of the things the authors believe these companies do differently from their peers and why they are successful:
Put People First
“The best places to work provide people with life satisfaction as opposed to job satisfaction alone. Almost all of the corporate founders and CEOs we spoke with told us that they built their companies with people in mind. To them, a healthy culture is as important as a healthy balance sheet. Their benefits go far beyond minimum wage,” O’Malley wrote.
Help Workers Find and Pursue Their Passions
“The companies we studied find ways to rejuvenate employees by helping them identify their ‘calling,’ or the area of work that provides them with the greatest fulfilment,” O’Malley wrote. “Doing so not only increases productivity, it makes people feel happy—lucky even—to be at work. … The surest way to improve performance is to give people something they like doing.”
Bring People Together on a Personal Level
“Before beginning this project, we considered life events, rituals, and rites of passage—such as marriages, birthdays, and anniversaries—as trivial to the work environment. However, the companies we visited gave us a new perspective. They made a big deal out of significant dates. Why? These social extracurriculars may appear contrary to real work, and to some, as senseless wastes of time. However, forming meaningful relationships is real work.
Empower People to Own Their Work
“The executives we interviewed repeatedly told us that they want their employees to think and act like owners. Allowing them to control aspects of their work, we learned, is the key to accomplishing this. Employees who have the leeway to rearrange, modify and improve their assignments feel possession over them, and once this happens, their mindsets begin to change,” wrote O’Malley. “Instead of focusing on what cannot be done, they become preoccupied with what can. As a result, they are more easily able to grow, innovate, and push their companies forward.”
Sources: