Work Style - Great Place to Work Institute

lish 103 issues that are crammed
with lists, tables, and charts
tracking the progress of companies
in a multitude of categories.
Yet none of these sources regularly
spotlight the human condition
inside business. They don’t,
as a rule, tell how employees are
treated. They don’t discuss which
companies have the best benefit
programs.
We asked all kinds of people
to recommend great places to
work. After we had compiled a
➘ Page 23
People working for the Best Workplaces in Europe are
described as people who are willing to take responsibilities,
display a great spirit of collaboration, show
a positive and proactive attitude, passionate about the
work they do and open minded. “A recent survey,
shows that the ORMIT BV The Netherlands employees
are more extravert, flexible, result driven, people oriented,
ambitious and pragmatic”, says Nick Hoogendoorn,
HR.
At &Samhoud The Netherlands the cultural “click”
is of the utmost importance during the selection of
new employees. “We examine whether the new employees
identify with our mission and whether they
correspond to our core values: intensity, authenticity,
friendship” says Else van Harten, HR Manager.
Liisa Huusari, HR Manager at Reaktor Innovations Ltd.
Finland, affirms “all Reaktor employees love and are
passionate about their work, but they do have a life
outside the office as well. We look for employees who
are not only enthusiastic professionals but also great
people to work with. ”
Francisca Buccellato, Communication Manager at Everis
Portugal states “At Everis, we look for people that
are a match with the company’s overall goals and mission.
With this, we give special attention to the behavioral
characteristics, such as team spirit, flexibility,
ease of integration and adaptation, responsibility and,
above all, positive attitude.”
Conclusions
The employee satisfaction is thus reflected in the effectiveness
of the company. The axiom that provides
“Trust in exchange for the employee’s performance and
thus satisfaction of the market” is reflected in the company’s
results (including economic, see article on page
3, edited by Otto Zell). You could say that the “happier”
company “works well.” The key terms to describe the
relationship of trust established between management
and employees in the companies are characterized by
different situations. What we think is appropriate to
emphasize is the word “dialogue” as a constant factor
of success in its various applications. The circularity of
the information has always been a factor in winning:
the employee converses - the manager converses - the
employee implements - the manager implements.
The “sense of involvement” is the tangible result of initiatives
undertaken by companies to improve or maintain
the excellence of their work environments. Often
the ideas of employees are transformed into the efficient
improvement of company processes. Men and
women finally are on the same floor. There is no excellent
environment that can be maintained over time
without the diversity.
What’s sad about this? We still talk about it. We should
not talk about it. The “normality”, with no journalistic
inspiration, should be the fact that there is no difference
whatsoever in the companies. The rationality of
economic theories, from Adam Smith to this day prevents
it. In the investigation into the nature and the
causes of the wealth of Nations, Smith explores the
“forces” that determine the wealth of nations from the
end of the mercantilist period. After 220 years it is time
to think that equal treatment is a force in the complex
world we live. To quote Thomas L. Friemanm, successfully
navigating an increasingly flat world requires the
ability to live on the wave of change, considering the
cyclical movements of the economy that have caused
tantrums in recent years. •
To follow the main themes of the Great Place to Work
philosophy, “The Work Style magazine” is a unique
international magazine focused on “work style.” It is
a solid and innovative source; trough research and
ideas, HR management, trends, books and environmen
in the workplaces. A four times per year appointment
for the HR community in the world.
15
twsm — GPTW Special Issue 2010