In Part Two of my article series, I talk further about the importance of your team and their contribution to your business.
“I don’t use the word ’employee’ because it can imply someone is working ‘for’ you rather than ‘with’ you,” the founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks told Business Insider. Lubetzky went on to say he can’t recall having ever used the “e-word.” “I just don’t like it,” he says. “Not using it reinforces the level of accountability we each have to one another.”
KIND Healthy Snacks is a business that is definitely getting it right when it comes to working with their team. Researching further into their organisation, I found that out of 56 reviews, 84% of people who worked with Lubetzky would recommend working for KIND; as well as that, 84% of people also approved of the CEO. See results here.
What really impressed me was a comment from one team member and it got me thinking whether there were many businesses out there that had members of their team speaking so glowingly about their work environment. The comment was super long so I pulled out some key phrases:
This is the best company I have worked with in my career!! It has a great brand, great products and the best culture I have ever experienced! The people at KIND are smart, talented and care about the company. The senior management team is approachable and open to listening to your ideas. It is non stop every day at work but I enjoy the energy and pace and I find everyone willing to help out in busy times…. I also appreciate that our CEO, Daniel, is open and transparent about where we are as a company and how much opportunity we have ahead. There is a great culture at KIND and I hope we can maintain the culture as we continue to grow.
Let me highlight some key points from this comment alone:
- Best company
- Great brand
- Great products
- Best culture
- Senior management team is approachable
- Ideas are listened to
- Everyone willing to help
- CEO is open and transparent
How many of you reading can say that your team feels the same? If I were to walk into your business and run a short survey, how many of you would be confident about a positive response from the majority of your team?
Google is a company that is talked about a lot in terms of being a great place to work. Based on this, I went on the hunt and again, found through Glassdoor.com.au that Google’s rating is incredibly high. This time responses from over 7,000 team members, 90% of people who worked there would recommend working for Google; as well as 96% of people also approved of the CEO!
One comment from a team member:
- Great team
- Great Boss
- Work when I want
- Feel like I’m part of a team
Another said:
- Great Benefits (Meals, Transportation, Gyms, on-site doctors and physical therapists)
- Great co-workers
- Upper Management are real humans who genuinely care about others and get up in front of everyone every week and answer arbitrary questions – you might not like the answers but the fact that they’re even up there is still amazing
- Depending on which area you’re in but work/life balance is quite good
Key take aways:
- Great team (in other words, culture)
- Great boss (I’d call them a leader)
- Work/Life Balance (flexible working hours)
- Great Benefits (perks)
- Upper management are real humans – they care about others
In Australia, PwC (PricewaterhouseCooper) earlier this year was ranked #1, as per LinkedIn’s Top Companies list, as the best place to work in Australia. They attribute this result to the implementation of flexible working in all areas as well as the implementation of their new dress-code policy. No longer all about suits and heels only, they encourage team members to pretty much wear what they think is appropriate according to their daily work task for that day.
What I love about PwC is the flexible working in all areas where team members are not fixed to an assigned desk. Instead, they arrive of a morning, tap a touch screen to see which space their team mates have decided to work from and go there. Can’t say I would hate that baristas hand out free coffees each day and that there’s an on-site restaurant. Oh, did I mention the ping pong tables and treadmill meetings? The list goes on. All in an effort to foster creativity and of course an amazing team culture!
So, there’s three companies that are doing it well. You can see the Top 25 Companies to work for in Australia according to LinkedIn by heading here…see if you’re on the list.
In the next instalment of this article, I give you ideas on where to start when it comes to uniting, aligning and inspiring your team. For now, I am sure you can take some real value from this instalment of my article series. Take a look at your business, your team and how you lead them.
