Work Style - Great Place to Work Institute

Great Place to Work UK
London
www.greatplacetowork.co.uk
T 0044 8706088780
3
Listening
getting employees involved
Winner Mars (Ireland)
Runner Up domino-world (Germany)
Runner Up Kantega (Norway)
Mars is one of the largest familyowned
companies in the world,
with more than 48,000 associates in
over 66 countries. Keeping people
informed and engaged in the business
is essential for living out the
company’s five principles: quality,
responsibility, mutuality, efficiency,
and freedom, which is defined
as “more freedom to make a difference.”
There are no private offices
at Mars; relationships are on a
first-name basis, everybody has the
same desk, and there are no personal
offices reserved. The openness
to ideas begins with every
new hire; the company’s recruiting
materials ask for people who
“always have a point of view and
speak their mind,” who have a
“high sense of responsibility” and
who “like to challenge the status
quo.”
“There is no ‘us and them feeling,’
wrote one employee in this year’s
Trust Index© Survey. “It makes everyone
feel important in the wider
view of the company’s success, and
everyone’s opinions are important
and encouraged.”
4
Developing the full potential of
employees
Winner Coca-Cola HBC (Greece)
Runner Up Microsoft (Portugal)
Runner Up SMA Solar Technology
(Germany)
“Coca-Cola HBC is one of the few
companies in Greece that develops
employees’ competencies to
the maximum... Employees get the
right training and motivation in order
to give 100% of themselves”.
All employees have their own development
plan that is connected
to the company’s Performance Appraisal
System; employees evaluate
themselves first before receiving
input from their supervisor.
The company also uses a succession
planning tool that encourages
every person to develop a career
path; in 2009, more than 50 percent
of the company’s employees
used this tool. There is also a “leadership
pipeline” that follows seven
career levels: i) Manage of Self, ii)
Manager of Others, iii) Manager of
Managers, iv) Function Manager, v)
Business Manager, vi) Group Manager
and vii) Enterprise Manager.
For each of these levels, the company
has created training modules
to develop specific skills and competencies.
5
Caring for employees in
times of need
Winner 3M Deutschland (Germany)
Runner Up Bofællesskaberne Edelsvej
(Denmark)
Runner Up Coca-Cola HBC (Greece)
The award is related to Trust Index
© Survey statements such as
“management shows a sincere interest
in me as a person, not just an
employee” and “people care about
each other here.
3M offers a wide array of support
services to ensure that both employees
and their family members
have a strong base of support in
tough times.
All 3M people undergoing financial
hardship can receive direct and immediate
support. The company offers
support to people who have to
cope with illness or periods following
the death of a loved one.
The company also gives people
more paid days than are required
by law to take care of sick family
members. To support employees
who travel for work,
3M provides an emergency card,
with phone numbers to connect
to support resources in countries
around the world. The company
also provides counselling related to
addiction and other issues, much
of which is available to employees’
families. •
19
twsm — GPTW Special Issue 2010