The Wow-Me Phenomena: Who’s Responsibility is it to create a great workplace? (Part 1)

This two-part series will explore who is responsible for creating an exceptional workplace. In part 1, the focus will be on the organization.

There is a common belief that the primary responsibility for creating an exceptional workplace falls at the feet of “leaders” and “the company”. Of course, employers/organizations are wise to actively/intentionally work towards cultures that are:

Inclusive

Organizations need to create an environment where people can be themselves and where a variety of points of view are welcome.

“ The best workplaces forge bonds among co-workers of different political views, different backgrounds, different job titles” – Ann Nadeau CPO Great Place to Work

There is ample proof that organizations that lean this way are monumentally more successful than those that don’t (the latest from McKinsey's Diversity study below).

But it doesn’t happen by accident. The tendency is for us to gravitate to people that are more like us than not. So, organizations need to find ways to reward inclusivity and showcase why it makes a difference both to the bottom line and the work experience. 

Provide opportunity

This goes hand in hand with inclusivity. It is not about making sure that “everyone gets a trophy” or any of that nonsense. Opportunity is making sure that each person in the organization has the same access to information, training, mentoring, etc., to advance wherever he/she wants to go within the organization. Again, this takes some intentionality. It also opens organizations up to risk. What if you give people opportunities or training and they leave? Well, it’s better to have a reputation as a great place to learn than a great place to earn a paycheck. Also, opportunity breeds loyalty.

"I've been here at Eli's for the past 22 years. It's my home; it's a beautiful thing," says Kasongo, who is now a U.S. citizen. (Elias Kasongo began working at Eli’s in 1994)      

Values/trust based

There is a ton of research that showcases organizations that are values/trust based perform better than their competitors over time. Not rocket science, brain surgery or even rocket brain surgery science. But, it is hard. This means that organizations need to have intentionality (sorry there is that word again) about all the people processes supporting the values and behaviors that drive trust. It also means that the high performing jerk is graciously shown the door if they are unwilling to treat people per the values. (Unless those values don’t include how you treat people, which might be fine depending on the organization. It’s not about “nice values” it’s about the right values that express culture)

Winning

All things considered, employees tend to be more engaged in organizations that are high performance. High performance organizations tend to have more innovation, longer tenures, recruit better people, etc. There must be a balance between what makes an exceptional workplace and a high performing organization. Neither being all about results nor being all about people is sustainable. We as employees understand that. So, do what is right for the business, but in a way, that isn’t heartless or dehumanizing. A good question to ask when in doubt is, “How would I like to be treated?” 

Aligned

Alignment is kind of the holy grail of enabling an organization to be high performance AND high trust. Simply put, is your organization’s stated goal(s) aligned to how an employee experiences work? If you say customers experience is the most important thing but reward people for how many customer calls they can finish in an hour, is that customer centric? Doesn’t sound that way. So, think about 4 key areas that make up an employee’s experience of work

?      How decisions are made - 

?      Are the decisions made based on or through the lens of what is espoused as the company’s values? Do they connect for people?

?      How people are rewarded/recognized?

?      Are the people that are promoted examples of the espoused culture? What behaviors are recognized?

?      What are the stories of success that are told?

?      Who are the people that are remembered for being star employees? What were they like? Do they resemble the organizational values?

?      What happens when mistakes are made?

?      If a mistake is made is it used as an opportunity to learn or are people made an example of…in the bad way. 

The answers to those questions will help to ensure that there is alignment between what is said and what is done. Of course, it’s not a panacea, but it’s a start. 

Are there other aspects that companies/organizations can provide to create an exceptional workplace?

What do you think? 

Anil Saxena is Partner at Great Place to Work?.  

(Find this and other blogs that uncover the power of trust in the workplace on the Great Place to Work website)                                                      

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