The Best Places to Work

The Best Places to Work

By: David Van Rossum

We have all seen lists of the best companies to work for. These lists are sorted in various ways as is the practice in publishing business lists. They are sorted by region, size and industry. They are voted on in polls or identified by media based on research.  Organizations use high rankings in these lists to recruit and tout their employee focused corporate culture. I recently saw a job posting that described how the CEO had pizza parties every Friday. I like pizza but it’s not on my top ten list of employment concerns. The way we dress in a business setting has changed drastically over the last couple of decades. The prevalent theory is that a comfortable work environment spawns creativity and increased production and I don’t doubt it. Job titles have morphed as well. I have seen postings for Chief People Officers and Head Cat Wranglers. Organizations have become flatter or, in some cases, claim to be. Flex time, telecommuting, virtual offices and the ability to earn sabbatical time from a business are in vogue. Many young people expect their work environment to include these less rigid settings since they have not experienced different environments. Companies can attract top performers from competitors and the general labor market if they are perceived to be one of the best places to work.  The military-like labor hierarchy of our old manufacturing based economy has changed as our business landscape has evolved toward service and software generated products. A happy employee is a good employee. It makes sense. I want my fellow workers to proudly wear company apparel. It’s all good.

                Companies need to provide employees with a safe work place. They should pay a competitive wage. They should be fair in disciplining, promoting and financially incenting their workforce. They should have clearly communicated goals at all levels. They should have internal communication structures that allow information to flow appropriately.  They should try to be a good corporate citizen in their community. They need to implement strategies to attain shareholder wishes. The employee owes the company sustained hard and effective work. What makes a company a great place to work, in my opinion, are those listed above in this paragraph together with another important element, a sustained success in the market place with promise for future growth. Employees should work hard to achieve that sustained success. That success provides job security (always important, but especially in today’s marketplace) and hopefully individual career growth and increased compensation. I do not mean to exclude start-up companies from my description. Obviously they would have trouble meeting my sustained success threshold. They can, however, have a solid plan for future success and executives and other key employees who have “done it before” or the backing of PE firms or others who have expertly gauged their chances.  A successful company that provides a fair and safe work environment, market based compensation, and community involvement is the kind of place where I want to work. The perquisites listed in the first paragraph are welcome by me, but they are secondary to the basics of business. If the focus is slanted too much toward employee comfort and the development of a “cool" corporate culture, hard times may be difficult to navigate.

                I admire successful companies that have adapted their culture to be employee-centric without losing customer focus. I can remember the evolution of dress codes from business suits, to casual Fridays to only wearing a suit when deemed appropriate. What you wear doesn’t correlate to success. The New York Yankees had strict grooming and travel attire rules under Joe Torre. They were successful. The Tampa Bay Rays under Joe Maddon enjoy a completely different culture. They are successful. The company culture doesn’t always insure success or failure. Everyone having a voice is ideal. Everyone having a vote can be slow (see Congress). Someone has to be the boss. A young company would do well to concentrate on developing a sound business foundation based on solid products, cash flow and growth. It’s great if they can do this from the beach. If they can’t then they should not be at the beach, but in the office.

The goal of being the best company to work for is admirable if it is combined with the primary goal of attaining shareholder expectations. A company should never abandon safe, fair, and consistent work rules to achieve those expectations, but they shouldn’t promote relaxed work environments over the value of good, hard work ethics and focusing on overall company results. I worry sometimes that our fresh, newly educated college grads expect a casual environment where their happiness is the number one priority of their employer. Companies do not owe employees free pizza and flex time. They are luxuries. If you are lucky enough to work for a company that provides these luxuries, count your blessings. If you don’t, but you are doing well financially and have a stable future, you are still lucky. If I had my druthers, I would like to work hard in a “cool” company culture for a successful firm. Have my beautifully frosted cake and eat it too. Most importantly, I want to eat and know I can next year too if I do my job well. The rest is gravy.