Beyond Shipping: What FedEx's Culture Teaches Us About Building a Winning Team

Last year on one of my yearly visits to attend a FedEx Express? Freight Services training at Pearson International Distribution facility in Toronto, I noticed an interesting pattern that surprised and even puzzled me.?

While I waited beside the main entrance for my partner to join me a refreshing organizational culture phenomenon was performed by the FedEx team.?

I waited quietly, but with an in-depth look and curiosity at those FedEx employees walking out or returning to the hub with a particular impression of peace and happiness, since all company employees who passed before my eyes looked at me with broad smiles and welcomed me by wishing me a great and a beautiful day. At all times, I politely replied by saying thank you and welcoming them back.?

FedEx Organizational Culture Phenomenon

To satisfy my curiosity, and to explore this not-so-common organizational phenomenon I began counting passers-by and even started an internal sociological and anthropological examination in which I tried with all my might to ignore and overlook them. In this way, I expected that they would overlook me.?

However, to my amazement, all the workers who entered or exited the hub surprisingly went out of their way to make me feel welcome. These FedEx team members tried to raise my spirit by greeting me with a warm charm and giving their smiles and warmth to a stranger standing at the entrance.?

Wow, I thought to myself, this is inspiring!?It's exceptional and rare to discover an additional notable for excellence company in which employees are having fun at work I thought to myself.?

Too often you will see the radically different organizational reality where employees are waiting impatiently to the end of their shift, counting the last minutes eagerly and hoping to escape from the dull and unfulfilling workday they just have been experiencing to enjoy their "freedom" after work.

FedEx Corp. Best Companies to Work For

I was pleased to summarize my brief educational study and those pleasant moments of my waiting time. Once again I was happy and enthused to be precise regarding my belief in the existence of exceptional organizations with a unique culture and outstanding team members who are so energized before, during, and after their workday.?

If and only if you feel a sense of belonging to your workplace. If and only if you feel welcomed and vital within your company. If and only if you believe that your direct management team sincerely appreciates and trusts you to serve the company respectfully at every interaction with all people you encounter. Then even if you are the junior employee in your entire organization, you will be thrilled to serve, contribute, master your skills, and perform at a higher level of excellence day in and day out.

Remarkably FedEx has been named Fortune's Best Companies to Work for list 13 times in the past 21 years, and in 2018 claimed the #9 spot on Fortune's Most Admired Companies list. This prestigious list is based on more than 50 factors in the workplace, including trust in managers, compensation, fairness, camaraderie, and workplace traits linked to innovation.

According to the study, 87 percent of employees surveyed agreed that FedEx is a great place to work. FedEx's success is unequivocal and has spread over many years, supported by all the company's employees and customers spread across the globe.

Why FedEx Organizational Culture Works

Many professionals in the Supply Chain, Transportation, and Logistics industry acknowledge that FedEx is one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the world. They provide top service for their customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services.?

FedEx teams are the masters in fast, reliable package delivery worldwide. They are the champions of using the best technologies to support their value-added online tools and applications to help people ship more efficiently, on time, and cheaper than their competitors. More importantly, FedEx is known for its outstanding customer service provided by a dedicated and very well-trained team.?

It is not a secret that their “People First” philosophy is their main agenda. On their home page, you may find straightforward statements about their belief in their team members:?"Our people are the foundation of our success and the key to our future," is their bold leadership style and organizational culture statement.?

FedEx acknowledges the importance of having plenty of team members in their company with a can-do spirit that makes them one of the most admired and reputable companies. Their leadership team is declaring openly that FedEx people "are the foundation of their success and the key to their future."?

I can assure you that the above statements are carved in stone and deeply rooted in the consciousness of every single FedEx employee. From top executives to a skilled truck driver who arrives at our center on time to collect all packed and ready-to-ship automotive parts for our dealers across the nation. The can-do spirit is deeply rooted in FedEx.

Furthermore, after having plenty of professional interactions with multiple FedEx team members, I can guarantee you that "the can-do spirit that’s made them one of the most admired and reputable companies in the world," is correct.?

Why FedEx Organizational Culture is Uncommon

• FedEx empowers and encourages its people to create innovative solutions for their customers.
• Their teams support the communities where they operate.
• Their top priority is a safe, inclusive, and rewarding employee environment.?
• All their people have opportunities to grow and succeed.?
• Their culture puts their team members first.?
• Their culture strengthens their commitment to connecting people and possibilities around the world.

FedEx Organizational Culture Phenomenon from a Customer Perspective

In the last few years, FedEx has provided us with shipping solutions to our customers across Canada and the US. Their team members provide us with a world-class experience precisely as was promised to our management team at Ford Motor Company.?

The FedEx team can deliver what was promised by succeeding in caring about their people and appreciating and trusting them. These dedicated professionals ensure they provide high-quality service daily, no questions asked.

Undoubtedly, FedEx employees are engaged, supportive, and happy to contribute to overall organizational goals to support their customers.?

Therefore, it is evident to me that their company culture provides their people the freedom to perform at a high level due to the understanding that their management team trusts every single employee that he or she is competent, valued, smart, and cares about the company vision and their customer's needs.

FedEx in my view belongs to these top companies in which the environment prevailing in the conference rooms, management offices, and various departments is an environment of positive energy, cooperation, and group cohesion.?This is why the output, meeting the deadlines, and the quality of service are much higher than the competitors could dream of.?

Coffee Time?

Back to my story. When my partner arrived, we both entered the building. We followed the FedEx trainer who came to meet us. We followed him as more and more smiling faces of company employees passed. Suddenly the smell of coffee was in the air when the trainer led us to the waiting room.?

Like a madman for a high-quality coffee, my senses cried out inside me, please, let's stop for a coffee I prayed quietly. Guys come with me, we still have a few minutes to kill here with advanced coffee equipment in the market, press the desired button Rafael, and you will get a premium coffee poured into your cup.?

Pure Heaven! The visitor's experience in this vital area should inspire many organizations.?

You can easily browse many sites of well-known and obscure companies and be impressed by the respect and responsibility that companies have for their employees and customers. At FedEx, I am excited that the announcements on the company's website do indeed correspond precisely to what happens daily at their customer's doors.

FedEx Customer Service and Leadership Facts

Just take the time and imagine the kind of company and workplace you will have if you consider adopting some of the practices FedEx leadership follows to ensure every team member works in a supportive, balanced, productive environment which, in turn, contributes to the company's continued success.?

For example “People-Service-Profit” is FedEx corporation's philosophy. Their leadership teams focus on each element in that exact order and have been critical to their company’s growth in achieving an outstanding work environment.?

Also, their customer service is excellent, and operates 24/7. Their employees are always on time despite the Canadian weather conditions during the wintertime. Their accuracy, on-time delivery, employees’ creativity, and responsibility to provide fantastic service are remarkable.?

From a regular warehouse employee to a dispatcher, among the drivers and the account managers, I can assure you that FedEx's organizational culture can and should inspire every company.

We all can learn from these type of companies. We all should strive to implement and follow the statements we proudly sharing on our home pages.?

5 ideas to consider

1. Putting your people first will create a fantastic working environment where your team members will be happy and satisfied with the work they do.?
2. Sharing information and listening to your team members will create a tremendous opportunity to gather ideas and promote innovation.
3. Encouraging the work-life balance will promote flexibility and more freedom.
4. Recognizing and rewarding your team members and celebrating small daily victories will promote a willingness to do even better tomorrow.?
5. It is your duty and commitment to create and maintain unquestioned trusted cohesive teams and united and harmonized workplaces within our companies, similar to how FedEx does it.?

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My name is Rafael and I'm a harmony creator and a meaningful workplace fanatic who loves people, teamwork, results, and high-quality coffee. I'm helping companies transform their workplace culture by promoting a positive, collaborative, meaningful, resilient, and healthy atmosphere.

I'm here to create a more meaningful, purposeful, and enjoyable workplace jointly with you!

Purpose, Trust & Coffee ?

Rafael

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