Be One of the Best Places to Work, Even If You Didn’t Make a List

December 3, 2018

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Even if your company didn’t make it on a Best Places to Work list, we can analyze these reports to better understand what the best do well and how we can improve.

Here’s how to use the rest of [the year] to make your employees feel your company is their best place to work:

Live Out a Mission Employees Can Stand Behind

A sense of purpose is a main driver behind productivity and motivation. Give your employees a mission to connect with and a community goal to work toward. Help them reach their full potential by making the connection between your product and how it impacts customer’s lives.

Medtronic is not a brand many people are familiar with, but this healthcare organization made Fortune’s list of Most Admired Companies.

“Our employees are inspired by and focused on our mission,” said Carol Surface, Medtronic Chief Human Resources officer.

“We work hard to support them by creating an environment that welcomes diverse perspectives and allows everyone to bring forward their best ideas. This recognition is a reflection of our talented employees and the innovative solutions they create to solve some of healthcare’s toughest challenges.”

How can we learn from Medtronic whose success at living out a mission employees can stand behind gave them the distinction of Best Medical Sales Companies to Work for in 2017?

• Make your company’s mission clear to employees. Listen to their feedback on how it can be achieved, and recognize them when their solutions are implemented.

• Make sure your company’s leaders not only understand the mission, but also live out the mission through their words and actions.

• Offer days when leaders and employees get together to volunteer as a team or have monthly meetings where your team can share how their work positively affects the company’s goals.

Use the company mission to bring all levels of employees together, working toward one collective goal that drives motivation and innovation.

Provide a Nurturing Workplace Culture

This year, Facebook took the number two overall spot for best places to work on Glassdoor’s survey. Their employees say culture switchandshift.com is the best aspect of working at the social media company.

Facebook created a workplace culture where the employees were nurtured, not only at the professional level, but at a human level which allowed employees to thrive and excel.

One employee said, “The openness is a real thing. We’re trusted to do the right thing, mistakes are expected, being yourself is important and encouraged, humility is encouraged and expected, and building trust is paramount.”

Another offered, “The diversity is better than any other company I’ve worked at, and it’s getting better. Those who are figuring out how to make what we do better for everyone are really good at implementing their ideas.”

While Facebook is a large organization, companies of any size can learn from their humancentered employee philosophy and build their culture around those values.

• Focus your efforts on ensuring everyone is represented, or at least has the chance to be, in all parts of the organization. Diversity will not only help your team grow, but can infuse your company with fresh ideas.

• Big or small, find ways to make your employees feel like a team versus a group of anonymous faces who pass by each other in the office five days a week.

• Offer team bonding experiences through brainstorming exercises, daily meetings where they can help each other on difficult tasks, or fun events outside work to establish a stronger and more unified culture.

Encourage Employees to Continue Learning

The best places to work understand access to learning and development opportunities and the guidance of strong mentors can catapult their employees’ potential.

Bain and Company, which secured the number one spot on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list (the third time since the survey has been conducted), puts learning and mentorship at the forefront of the company.

Says one happy Bain employee, “Throughout my career, I can point to people who invested in me, helping me to grow and develop. And the relationships I formed in the trenches with my supervisors, peers, and reports helped make me into who I am today. It’s an apprenticeship business and you get to learn from some of the best. Good learning, fantastic impact, and a lot of fun along the way.”

Knowing employees are their most important asset, the best places to work give their employees frequent opportunities to grow and advance within the organization.

Show your employees how invested you are in their future by taking the time to understand what learning and development opportunities they need.

Pair individuals with mentors who have led a similar career path, provide one-on-one training with peers or managers, and allow for multiple learning and development opportunities for the way they learn best.

Make Them Feel Like Your Company Is Their Best Place to Work

A well-defined and supported mission, a human-centered approach to personal and professional growth, opportunities for learning and development, as well as mentorship – these are strategies some of the most well-known companies have used to make it on a “Best Place to Work” list.

Determine in your own organization if there are areas for improvement – but remember to recognize all the “best” features that already exist within your company!

While making it on a publicly recognized “Best Places to Work” list is a significant achievement, it is just as significant to create a workplace culture your employees would be proud to call their best place to work.