America's "Happiest" Companies
Discussion
This has had obvious advantages such as more production and creation of new and profitable products. However, sticking with the underlying pessimism of PH 
, is there not certain drawbacks to such an environment? What if the business is "up against it" for some reason or another one day and needs to bear down on its employees, will they be able to hold up after being on a loose leash for so long? Just wondering.
http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-11...
, is there not certain drawbacks to such an environment? What if the business is "up against it" for some reason or another one day and needs to bear down on its employees, will they be able to hold up after being on a loose leash for so long? Just wondering.http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-11...
Manee said:
some of them sound awesome to work for. google is well known for having this sort of thing implemented. too many companies hit workers with targets and strict regimes and then wonder why they have a high turnover.
All true, it would be a pleasant experience I believe. However, I wonder if there are downsides to such "loosness"?Not sure it would work here.
I did a couple of weeks in a well known American bank, by the second week I was ready to beat people with a stick.
Every doorway had a 'happy' little motto above it.
Suppose it might work but in my experience if you loosen the leash too much then 75% take the piss and you're left with the decent 25% carrying them.
Problem is recruiting the right people IMHO.
I did a couple of weeks in a well known American bank, by the second week I was ready to beat people with a stick.
Every doorway had a 'happy' little motto above it.
Suppose it might work but in my experience if you loosen the leash too much then 75% take the piss and you're left with the decent 25% carrying them.
Problem is recruiting the right people IMHO.
They exist over here as well!
I stopped self-employment (after 10yrs) to work for the company I now work for. They are absolutely bloody brilliant when it comes to looking after their staff. Social committee arranges a free event every month. Ski Chalet arranged every spring. Summer weekend usually somewhere abroad. Big xmas bash. Our team tends to bugger off somewhere for lunch every friday. Kitchen on every floor stocked up twice a week with pretty much whatever you like. Dinner free if you're in the office after 7.30pm. Taxi home if in after 9pm. Generally it's bloody great. Not to mention the remuneration.
Last time the Times did a survery we were in the top 3.
I'm working for an american company and we had one of their sales trainers come over to work our guys and it was hilarious.
they were doing all this american stand up and shout things and everyone in the room was soo uncomfortable participating.
saying that i would still rather work for an american company than the uk one. i just feel they would better look after their staff? thats the perception anyway
they were doing all this american stand up and shout things and everyone in the room was soo uncomfortable participating.
saying that i would still rather work for an american company than the uk one. i just feel they would better look after their staff? thats the perception anyway
ukwill said:
They exist over here as well!
I stopped self-employment (after 10yrs) to work for the company I now work for. They are absolutely bloody brilliant when it comes to looking after their staff. Social committee arranges a free event every month. Ski Chalet arranged every spring. Summer weekend usually somewhere abroad. Big xmas bash. Our team tends to bugger off somewhere for lunch every friday. Kitchen on every floor stocked up twice a week with pretty much whatever you like. Dinner free if you're in the office after 7.30pm. Taxi home if in after 9pm. Generally it's bloody great. Not to mention the remuneration.
Last time the Times did a survery we were in the top 3.
Is it pretty much a success? Do you tend to draw slackers thinking it is an easier ride?I stopped self-employment (after 10yrs) to work for the company I now work for. They are absolutely bloody brilliant when it comes to looking after their staff. Social committee arranges a free event every month. Ski Chalet arranged every spring. Summer weekend usually somewhere abroad. Big xmas bash. Our team tends to bugger off somewhere for lunch every friday. Kitchen on every floor stocked up twice a week with pretty much whatever you like. Dinner free if you're in the office after 7.30pm. Taxi home if in after 9pm. Generally it's bloody great. Not to mention the remuneration.
Last time the Times did a survery we were in the top 3.
Jimbeaux said:
ukwill said:
They exist over here as well!
I stopped self-employment (after 10yrs) to work for the company I now work for. They are absolutely bloody brilliant when it comes to looking after their staff. Social committee arranges a free event every month. Ski Chalet arranged every spring. Summer weekend usually somewhere abroad. Big xmas bash. Our team tends to bugger off somewhere for lunch every friday. Kitchen on every floor stocked up twice a week with pretty much whatever you like. Dinner free if you're in the office after 7.30pm. Taxi home if in after 9pm. Generally it's bloody great. Not to mention the remuneration.
Last time the Times did a survery we were in the top 3.
Is it pretty much a success? Do you tend to draw slackers thinking it is an easier ride?I stopped self-employment (after 10yrs) to work for the company I now work for. They are absolutely bloody brilliant when it comes to looking after their staff. Social committee arranges a free event every month. Ski Chalet arranged every spring. Summer weekend usually somewhere abroad. Big xmas bash. Our team tends to bugger off somewhere for lunch every friday. Kitchen on every floor stocked up twice a week with pretty much whatever you like. Dinner free if you're in the office after 7.30pm. Taxi home if in after 9pm. Generally it's bloody great. Not to mention the remuneration.
Last time the Times did a survery we were in the top 3.
el stovey said:
Compare those fantastic employers to the ones on here who state they wouldn't give a woman a job incase she becomes pregnant. 
If you employ 23,000 people then you can afford this .. if you employ 230 people then the above logic makes perfect sense i.e. can't f8g afford it!Relying on targets and pushing is easy management. You can show how efficient you are. Actually encouraging people to work hard is hard.
I took over a department that was run by a chap who treated all staff as people. I knew I was going to have problems when I found he knew all their kids names. I mean, I often get confused with mine.
But I was wrong. The 'team', and they did work like a team, helped me on the take-over. It was brilliant. My office manager frequently 'suggested' things that might be a good idea and did, on occasion, mention that this or that might be a bad thing to try.
It was the easiest management job I ever had.
I took over a department that was run by a chap who treated all staff as people. I knew I was going to have problems when I found he knew all their kids names. I mean, I often get confused with mine.
But I was wrong. The 'team', and they did work like a team, helped me on the take-over. It was brilliant. My office manager frequently 'suggested' things that might be a good idea and did, on occasion, mention that this or that might be a bad thing to try.
It was the easiest management job I ever had.
10 years ago I started work for a US company in the UK, we had fun budgets, regular days out and 'training' events, team bonding type stuff. Coffee shops and really good quality food places (all subbed) break out areas, pool tables etc etc. Massive xmas party, big summer balls all foc. They had a big focus on work/life balance and meant it.The big boss would come over once a year and essentially shut the place down and take all the employees to a show/presentation/Q&A.
Cracking place to work, young and enthusiastic staff and this was in a call centre.
I left as my career wasn't progressing in the direction I wanted. But a brilliant place to work overall.
Cracking place to work, young and enthusiastic staff and this was in a call centre.
I left as my career wasn't progressing in the direction I wanted. But a brilliant place to work overall.
I've worked in some places where there was plenty available to aid happiness, but the key to making any organization work is good management.
I've worked at many places, generally their pleasantness as a place to work was in proportion to their profitability. If the coffee machines are free then it's a sign of a good place to work, real coffee not instant helps too. Free fruit is even better. When it's 25p for a cup of tasteless brown stuff then you know it's not going to be fun, that accountants without any vision are running the place and whilst it might be profitable now it won't be in a few years and will continue to shrink until a significant management change.
Good management is not setting and measuring KPIs, it's about understanding what needs to be achieved and giving your staff enough rope to achieve it, whilst making sure that there's a safety net available and that if they're deliberately slacking then that is stopped. Sometimes a little whisper is all that is needed to stop it, sometimes you manage the person out the door. Generally, point people in the right direction, provide them with the right tools and they'll do what you want. Unfortunately, go up to the next level of management and if they don't understand, they're setting KPIs and measuring them rather than allowing you to achieve and encouraging and mentoring you to.
I've worked at many places, generally their pleasantness as a place to work was in proportion to their profitability. If the coffee machines are free then it's a sign of a good place to work, real coffee not instant helps too. Free fruit is even better. When it's 25p for a cup of tasteless brown stuff then you know it's not going to be fun, that accountants without any vision are running the place and whilst it might be profitable now it won't be in a few years and will continue to shrink until a significant management change.
Good management is not setting and measuring KPIs, it's about understanding what needs to be achieved and giving your staff enough rope to achieve it, whilst making sure that there's a safety net available and that if they're deliberately slacking then that is stopped. Sometimes a little whisper is all that is needed to stop it, sometimes you manage the person out the door. Generally, point people in the right direction, provide them with the right tools and they'll do what you want. Unfortunately, go up to the next level of management and if they don't understand, they're setting KPIs and measuring them rather than allowing you to achieve and encouraging and mentoring you to.
spikeyhead said:
If the coffee machines are free then it's a sign of a good place to work, real coffee not instant helps too. Free fruit is even better. When it's 25p for a cup of tasteless brown stuff then you know it's not going to be fun, that accountants without any vision are running the place
Funny .... worst place I ever worked was a large UK bank where there were no kitchens for the staff and fridges and kettles were banned - only available coffee was disgusting machine stuff yoiu paid for ....the culture was mean , territorial and back-stabbing...and the 2 best places are either where I work now (American Private Equity owned multinational - IT sector ) and previously a restaurant division of a large UK brewer.
..both have good free coffee , staff kitchens , free drinks at the month-end , good team spirit and collaboration etc etc
zakelwe said:
el stovey said:
Compare those fantastic employers to the ones on here who state they wouldn't give a woman a job incase she becomes pregnant.
Exactly ..... Bring on the UK PH Victorians once more to state how the UK should work in the 21st Century
Andy
I do not think happy equals lazy. These are successful companies and are very target-driven. It is a lot of fun to work for a growing company and the enthusiasm is catching. As for the OP's point, If things go down the tube, of course, its less happy, but a very well motivated team will do its best to reverse things as there is a lot of pride there. Evidently, if its a long term decline then happiness is going to go away.
Manee said:
saying that i would still rather work for an american company than the uk one. i just feel they would better look after their staff? thats the perception anyway
The BIG difference is that with a US company you are completely replaceable as is the factory/office etc. You can be fired from 1 day to the other and they close plants at will.. so they have to keep the poor slaves happy while they're there (to keep their minds off the impending closures)In the last 25 years I have seen some 10 american companies in the UK and Germany just close their doors overnighht and bugger back off to the US leaving all personnel without anything and their customers with worthless guarantees. If the german authorities try to get something out of them, their boards are just changed and no one is responsible...
BTW my daughter works for google in Santa Monica and says its great BUT she's only on a 1 year contract which automatically ends and she cannot work for them for 12 months after that!?! simplest way to get around CA employment laws....
Edited by JMGS4 on Wednesday 29th December 09:09
RDMcG said:
I do not think happy equals lazy. These are successful companies and are very target-driven. It is a lot of fun to work for a growing company and the enthusiasm is catching.
but i do think that in the uk business psyche happy does equal lazy. why arent they working hard - why are they finding time to be happy? they assume free coffee/fruit would mean people maxing out the benefit when in truth staff would just use it and stop abusing it after a week of coffee over load!sadly where i am its left to the staff to create a certain cohesion factor. even free doughnuts on a friday goes a long way.
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