What makes a company culture great? To explore this question, my colleague, Bill Baker and I spent the last three years researching the best places to work in the United States. As a part of our work, we selected 21 organizations known for their lustrous cultures, including Patagonia, The Motley Fool, and Edmunds.com.
What the “Best Companies to Work For” Do Differently
What makes a company culture great? To explore this question, the author and his colleague spent three years researching the best places to work in the United States. They selected 21 organizations that appeared perennially on one or more of the “Best Companies to Work For Lists” in reputable business publications between 2014 and 2018 and visited each for a day, during which they interviewed executives, met with Human Resources departments, conducted focus groups with employees, and toured the facilities. What did they find? The best places to work have a few things in common: they put people first, help workers pursue their passions, empower people to own their projects, encourage authenticity, and create opportunities for worker to connect on a personal level.