Blogs

The 2013 Great Place to Work® Conference
Last year’s event included memorable Keynote presentations from CEOs Clarence Otis and Dr. John Noseworthy of Best Companies to Work For® Darden Restaurants and The Mayo Clinic, respectively, that left the audience not only inspired to return home and build their own great workplace - but equipped with the tools necessary to do just that. Don’t miss out on this year’s equally impressive Keynote lineup.

Raising the Value of Employee Contribution

The idea of a minimum wage says that as a society we are choosing to indicate the minimum amount of money that needs to be provided to someone for his or her time and contribution at work. This hourly wage represents the value we accord to a certain amount of effort. It follows from the idea that a person’s contributions to the work of a group, organization, or community should be valued highly enough that that person can live decently.

My Inspirational Culture Experience visiting the former Coach at Zappos
Doc, as most call Dr. David Vik, was the coach at Zappos, joining the company back in 2005 as its 119^th employee. That year happened to be the first that Zappos appeared on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For^® list, and it has remained on that list every year since. Coincidence? I think not.

How telling your story can create greater purpose
Our workplaces use the art of storytelling to create its identity and as a method for differentiating themselves from other workplaces.  The story of a workplace molds the public’s perception of its personality; how they began, how they wish to function in the world, and the service they provide are standard on nearly every workplace’s website.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants debuted on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list in 2009 in the #95 spot, and steadily rose all the way to the #16 position in 2012. Steve Pinetti, Senior VP of Inspiration and Creativity, shares with us the spirit in which Kimpton was founded that helped propel this company culture to the top of the List.

Whole Foods Market is one of the few companies that has been named to all 16 FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® lists, and today I had the opportunity to immerse myself in their culture at their flagship store and global headquarters in Austin, TX.

In 2013, Fourteen of  the 100 Best Companies to Work For® saw more than 50% of their employee population residing outside of the US, and twenty seven have more than 25% of their employee population outside of the US. Find out how Best Companies are using technology to enhance communication practices, build operational efficiencies, and more.

How to integrate visceral experiences into the workplace
It is difficult to separate how we feel about something from how we think about something, and sometimes attempting to intellectualize an event leaves us with no clearer an understanding than when we started.  Perhaps, some things, such as workplace culture, are best experienced viscerally as well as intellectually.

The Darden family of restaurants features some of the most recognizable and successful brands in full-service dining. But despite being the 26^th largest employer in the U.S., the company has managed to create a consistent culture across 8 different brands to earn itself a spot on the FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® list, three years in a row.

Last year, we asked companies applying for the 100 Best Companies to Work For® list to name their top three priorities for 2013. Answers varied from using social media to enhance internal communications and collaboration, to enriching corporate citizenship and community involvement programs. One focus area in particular that keeps cropping up year over year is diversity in the workplace.