What Makes a Company Great? Taking Care of People

Posted by Chuck Kocher
On January 17, 2013

Fortune has released its annual “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. You can peruse the whole list—and what makes each company a great place to work—here. But here’s a look at the top 10 “best places to work” according to Fortune:

1. Google

2. SAS

3. CHG Healthcare Services

4. The Boston Consulting Group

5. Wegmans Food Markets

6. NetApp

7. Hilcorp Energy Company

8. Edward Jones

9. Ultimate Software

10. Camden Property Trust

The diversity represented in this list is fascinating—on a couple of levels. First of all, look at the various industries represented. There are high tech companies. There is a retailer. There is an “old school” company that does drilling. There’s a company that manages properties. And this is just in the top 10 of 100 companies. The point is that being a great place to work isn’t restricted to any one type of company or industry. No matter what your area, you can make your company a great place to work.

The second fascinating aspect of the diversity on this list surfaces when you take a closer look at what makes these companies great places to work. There is no one-size-fits-all formula that is applied across the board.

For some companies, a big factor can be found in the benefits. But even there, you’ll find a lot of variety. For some employees, flexibility is key. For others, it’s profit sharing. For still others, it’s great healthcare. Some companies reward their employees with bonuses or with wages that are higher than the industry standard.

Other companies emphasize the work environment. For some, it’s a fun, relaxed environment. Others reward employee involvement by recognizing (even showcasing) their skills and accomplishments. Sometimes the reward has monetary implications and other times it doesn’t.

The point of all this is that the leaders of these companies don’t just do something for their employees—they do things that are important to their employees. That, of course means being in touch with employees to the point that they know what’s important to them.

I encourage you to glance through more of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. You don’t have to read the whole thing (although you might end up doing that because it’s pretty interesting). But take a look at some of the different things companies do to retain happy, motivated employees.

What motivates your employees and makes your company a great place to work?

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