What makes a great place to work

According to workplace culture company Great Place to Work, great workplaces are defined by four qualities: employees trust their employer, take real pride in their work, enjoy working with colleagues, and experience a consistent workplace atmosphere. Regardless of their status. A role, identity or position within an organization.

Through research and data analysis, Great Place to Work identifies eight elements of corporate culture that great workplaces focus on:

credibility

According to the Great Place to Work study, 83% of employees at Top 100 companies say management practices what they preach, compared with 42% in the average workplace.

Managers who are trustworthy, credible, and personable have a positive impact on employee retention, overall workplace satisfaction, and motivation to go the extra mile. When employees say their managers are honest and ethical, they are five times more likely to want a long-term job and 11 times more likely to have a positive experience in the workplace.

respect

The best workplaces consistently demonstrate respect by recognizing their employees’ efforts, seeking their input, and caring for them as people with lives outside of work. Part of that is trusting their employees to be able to work flexibly in remote locations.

fairness

Lack of adequate compensation often arises convene The 2024 Salary Survey comments on what planners like least about their jobs. According to Best Places to Work data, employees are twice as likely to say they think their workplace is great if they are paid fairly for their work, but when employees are proud of their jobs, they say so The likelihood will increase by 20 times. Which brings us to…

pride

There are three levels of workplace pride: pride in your job and work, pride in your team, and pride in the organization and its reputation. Whatever the situation, workplace pride needs to be strengthened over time and through consistent action. Across the 100 Best Companies, employees say they have a sense of winning together when times are good and a sense of unity when times are bad.

sense of belonging

It’s not just about being appreciated for the work employees do, but being accepted, valued and appreciated by the organization for who they are. The 100 Best Companies show they value their employees by celebrating their achievements, ensuring new hires feel welcome, and embracing their diversity and individualism. This includes making parental leave practices more inclusive and empowering employee resource groups to influence business decisions.

effective leadership

Great leaders inspire, motivate and drive innovation. A bad leader can demoralize, inhibit productivity, and give people a reason to leave the organization. The Great Workplace Leadership Effectiveness Index measures how well a leader: walks the talk; avoids favoritism; demonstrates competence, honesty, approachability, and a genuine interest in employees.

values

The best workplaces are led by shared values ​​rather than rules and policies. According to Great Place to Work, shared values ​​“engage and empower, fostering innovation, creativity and productivity.”

Innovation

When leaders create a safe place for employees to express ideas and make suggestions, employees are 31 times more likely to believe their workplace promotes innovation.

Professional development and flexibility

In “Why Workplace Culture Matters,” Harvard Business Review Similar characteristics of a positive workplace culture to a “best place to work” were identified – specifically trust/psychological safety and a sense of belonging. Harvard Business Review offers some other ways organizations can improve workplace culture. Among them: Provide professional development opportunities and flexibility, areas convene Covered in salary surveys.

Nearly all planners who responded to this year’s survey (nine in 10) are teaching themselves new skills, but few (seven in 10) work for an organization that funds their professional development in the form of conference attendance. Considering that most planners organize

Organizational professional development sessions, and it appears that at least a quarter of respondents to the survey are in organizations that do not implement this professional development mission internally.

However, planners appear to be in a very good position when it comes to flexibility – nine in 10 respondents said they work for an organization with a hybrid working policy, although a higher proportion of them compared to last year , they have fixed working days and need to be in the office. Despite enjoying a hybrid work environment, many say the amount of work travel required by the position is a work-life balance challenge.

Why micromanagement fails

When respondents complained about poor management in their organizations, the most common complaint was micromanagement. The Harvard Business Review article highlights the importance of autonomy in organizations with a good culture. Michael McCarthy, DCE Lecturer in Professional and Executive Development at Harvard and host of the Happy Work Podcast, shares that we should “think of autonomy this way: You have a task that needs to be completed in 48 hours—let’s climb to the top out of State a mountain of purpose. You tell employees where they need to go and why. Then you let them figure out the best way to get to the top, and make sure they know they can ask you for help at any time.”

On the other hand, in a workplace with less micromanagement and less autonomy, McCarthy says, “employees are told to get to the top of the mountain, the path they have to take, and the tools they can and can’t use. They’re also often not allowed to Ask a question or ask for help.”

Michelle Russell is the author of “ held.