The Best Companies Create a Culture of Fairness

In less than a week we will announce the companies recognized on the 2011 Great Place to Work® 50 Best Small and Medium Workplaces list. Glancing at the list-makers, I can tell you that this year is another impressive lineup of amazing companies.

What strikes me about these Best Companies is not the way in which many of them offer really cool benefits, like whole-company exotic vacations, or flexible working arrangements to help employees strike that work/life balance. It’s not about giving employees unlimited vacation time, on-site massage therapy, or stellar health benefits. Of course, all of these things are amazing but, for me, it’s not so much what they do but rather how they do it.

Best Companies take extra care in making sure that their programs and processes include everyone. We see them demonstrate an “all-inclusive” behavior from the very beginning.

During the recruitment process – do they promote diversity in their hiring practices? Yes, Best Companies do!

When new hires come on board – do they get a full tour of the company, a chance to meet members from every team, including Senior Management? In Best Companies they do. 

When celebrations are in order for accomplishing a spectacular feat are employees included in the way that they would want to be included? Yep, you guessed it, in Best Companies, they are.

When problems arise or conflict occurs, can employees go to a member of staff to raise concerns? Can they do it confidentially? In the Best Companies they can.

This is just a sampling of what Best Companies do to ensure theirs is a fair workplace where everyone gets an equal opportunity to be hired, heard and celebrated. Be sure to check out this year’s 50 Best Workplaces list – out on October 18^th!

Stacy Simmons