What makes a great company to work for?

[This article was written by the chairman of the judging panel of the Excellence in Business Awards and first appeared in the Yorkshire Post on 23rd October 2007].

All four finalists in the Best Company to Work for category of the Yorkshire Post’s Excellence in Business Awards set a gold standard for best practice in their sectors, according to Dr David Spicer of Bradford University School of Management.

Dr Spicer chaired the judging panel of the Best Company to Work For Award, and visited the four shortlisted companies: Bayford, Elmwood Design, Shulmans solicitors and Welcom Software. 

He said: ”The judges all agreed that you could take any one of the finalists and hold them up as examples of world class employers.   Every company who entered this year’s awards demonstrated good practice, but the four finalists went way beyond that.  They all found creative and innovative ways of approaching employee relations that are appropriate to their sectors.

 “Also, we found that what each company was saying about their commitment to being a good employer was consistent: from their initial entry, through employee questionnaires and then site visits.  There was no window dressing but a culture of excellent people management steeped in the bricks and mortar of each of the four companies.” 

Dr Spicer, who is associate dean with responsibility for the School’s MBA programme and a specialist in human resources and the management of change, believes you can tell a great employer from the minute you walk through the door.

“First impressions do count and the way you are greeted gives you an idea of the culture of the business.  At Shulmans their receptionist can give her full attention to visitors because the switchboard function is elsewhere.  It makes you feel special and aware that people matter. 

“Common to all four companies was the recognition that people are a key driver of the business and there was a clear link between excellent people management and great client service. There was an incredible level of engagement with employees who feel valued and have a clear understanding of the business and the role they play within it."

Being a great company to work for need not be expensive, according to Dr Spicer.  In fact some of the most effective ideas they came across were the simplest.  He said:  ”Providing a tea room or soft space where employees can chat during their breaks is often more significant in creating a positive environment  than providing expensive benefits such as a company gym.  Elmwood has an in-house caterer who makes home-made scones.  The response that generates within the company means that she is worth her weight in gold.

“Welcom recognises that some technical people may be uncomfortable talking face-to-face about any problems so they have web-based ‘Be happy, don’t worry’ forms where they can voice any concerns.  

”Bayfords impressed with the strength of the company’s culture and the commitment this engendered in its employees, demonstrated by the company having more volunteers than it needed willing to work all hours to get the business back up and running following the floods earlier this year.” 

Dr Spicer says that all four companies have open door policies and senior managers who walk around the business and know employees by name: “ In fact in one company the MD sits in among his employees in an open plan office so it is hard to know who is the boss. 

“Our finalists are successful companies in very different sectors, but they all demonstrate that being a great employer makes good business sense.  Their employees understand that the business wants to get the best out of them and vice versa.  The ethos is very much work hard, play hard and that valuing people is good for them and therefore good for business.” 

Top ten tips for making your company a great place to work

• Ensure your office reflects your ethos: the culture of a company is apparent to visitors as soon as they walk through the door

• Demonstrate and reinforce your business values constantly, make them part of the fabric of the workplace.

• Limit titles and hierarchal structures, they create divisions

• Find creative and innovative ways to interpret HR regulations and know what will work best for your business and your sector

• Have clear mechanisms for career progression

• Provide areas where all employees can socialise and interact

• Recognise and reward achievements both inside and outside workSenior management should not be behind closed doors:  They need to be visible and know the names of individual employees

• Employees need to have a clear understanding of the business, its goals, its values and how they contribute to them

• Work at demonstrating the company is a good place to work – Investors in People, awards and benchmarking all help show that your practice is world class

News date 26th October 2007