Let’s face it - we’ve all had jobs we’ve truly enjoyed, and others that made us absolutely miserable. As the modern workplace has evolved, jobs have become more than just a paycheck, benefits, or labor. In order for employees to truly thrive in their profession, they must also appreciate and respect the company values, their co-workers and the awesome vibes in the work environment. And just as the talent pool of prospective employees increases each year, so do the number of companies trying to recruit those brilliant minds.
What’s the key differentiator of those companies?A stunning company culture.
There’s no excuse for a negative company culture. And while not every culture can work for all business types, we’ve put together a list of 5 of the best company culture examples to give you some inspiration.
HubSpot
Okay, maybe I’m a little biased. After all, we are a HubSpot partner. But if there’s one company to look up to, it’s this one.
HubSpot has created a workplace that believes on autonomy, not autocracy. It’s an organization that trusts its employees, and only requires that they follow one rule: use good judgment. They are truly an admired culture, with perks like annual tuition reimbursement, free books delivered to their E-reader, unlimited vacation days, a gym, nap room (awesome!) and free food. With perks like that, it’s not hard to see why their employees love them. To HubSpot, their employees’ growth is just as important as their customers’. Check out their culture for yourself in their latest video.
Zappos
After watching HubSpot’s culture video, it didn’t take me long to track down Zappos’. The Zappos culture has been all over the media, and their culture is one I’ve admired for a while. And let me tell you - the Zappos video is everything I hoped it would be, and accurately portrays the culture I’ve heard so much about in the last few years.
The video appears emotionally genuine, and you get the feeling that the employees introduced throughout the video are truly appreciative of the culture. The video is raw, and you can tell that Zappos wants to be seen as a collection of people, not just a brand. Zappos has seemingly defined the causal link between happy employees and success at the bottom line. I’ll let the video speak for itself.
Free snacks and meals, rooms to rock out to music in, tents to relax, ping pong tables… these are just a few of the many incredible amenities Google provides their employees. What I love most about this culture is that the price of these investments is of no importance. The goal in offering these perks is to keep employees happy, and maintain a solid retention rate. Not to mention, break rooms are a great way to clear your head while simultaneously coming up with brilliant ideas! Ultimately, it’s the freedom Google gives employees to pursue their own ideas that makes Google such a role model for other companies.
Nike
Parker’s concern is a reality for many large companies, especially those with over 44,000 employees and dependent on constant innovation. It’s not uncommon to hear of a company losing its identity after becoming super successful. But Nike is constantly reinvigorating its organization on a regular basis. And it isn’t just the sponsorship deals and famous athletes that choose to wear the swoosh - internally, Nike provides employees with state-of-the-art workout facilities, encourages healthy living with a competitive spirit, provides significant product discounts, and, most interestingly, equips their creative teams with the freedom to design but with the parameters to be successful.
I couldn’t leave the king of social media out! From an outside perspective, it’s certainly questionable how such a young organization is able to grab so much attention in the media - as well as a billion customers - regardless of whether people “like” their product. One of the key reasons for the social network’s rapid success just so happens to be a strong corporate culture. From the elaborate employee orientation to the many social activities like intramural sports teams and happy hours, it’s not hard to see that Facebook truly wants to create a culture that attracts and keeps great talent.
Reinvent Your Company Culture
As you’ve just read, company culture means more than just allowing Jeans Friday. It’s about going above and beyond to create a place that employees can thrive in, and that will be noticeable from a customer’s eye. It’s that feeling of, “I can’t wait to get into the office today and do great things!” Simply put, happy employees = better performance.
If you’re now thinking to yourself, “Man, I really need to reevaluate the type of environment and culture I am providing my employees,” download our free guide below and we’ll help you uncover all the tips and tricks that’ll send those resumes flying through the door!
