I’m sat in my ergonomic chair in an open plan office in Sheffield, the sun is shining, my headphones are on and I have a great coffee that’s placed next to my lovely succulent plant Keith (don’t ask). I’ve just joined a Livestream by Glassdoor which promises to shed the light on how companies became the “2018 Best Places to Work”.
And we’re off…
Part 1: George Daskalakis – Head of Norwich Business School:
- Research being undertaken has shown that Employee satisfaction has a direct impact on corporate performance.
- Sainsburys, in the media this week for increasing staff wages but removing paid breaks. Despite varying opinions; each employee on average is reported to be £1,700 better off each year. George compares this to Costco; who value family life so much that they close on Holidays so employees can spend time with their families.
- Employee satisfaction is key for: recruitment / retaining / motivation.
- Using 2014 – 17 Glassdoor data research:
- The research found that 1-star rating increase in satisfaction related on average to 1% increase in return on assets annually.
- High glassdoor ratings = high corporate performance.
- If your investment is in companies with high glassdoor ratings, you will earn superior returns; between 10-16% on average annually.
- Employee satisfaction is a competitive source of advantage for companies.
Part 2: A Panel Discussion with Facebook Employer Brand Manager / Recruitment Head of Nandos / EasyJet Recruitment Business Partner / 02 Head of Talent and Development.
- Nandos – How do you create a good place to work?
Set the right expectations from the start and get the right people. Attitudes and culture fit are key; you can train skills and knowledge but you can’t teach attitude.
- Facebook – How do you make it a place for the long haul?
There isn’t one key ingredient. Keep employees doing the work they enjoy to make them more productive (a metric of 70% of work they enjoy). Employees have to buy into culture and values. All employees have the ownership to pull people up if they aren’t living the values.
- What is your employee value proposition?
02: Authenticity and voice of the employee. They look at what matters to candidates when they are looking to join; not just pay and benefits but what is it really like: what support is on offer, what training do they receive, what is their social responsibility. All of this is much deeper and gets the better people for the company.
Facebook: Innovation in employer branding. We’re not afraid to fail. We used our own product “Facebook live” to talk to staff which is key in times of high growth. An immersive experience is provided, which is key for millennials; they get to know the company through a 360 tour of the office and a day in life of an employee with a go pro.
- How did you become a best place to work?
Facebook: HR benefits, learning and development, engaged and happy employees who live and breathe it’s purpose.
Nandos: Our people and a thriving culture.We acknowledge we aren’t perfect; we need to keep listening to our employees/customers with an open heart.
EasyJet: Our people; they bleed orange and we have an open and honest culture. The CEO sits amongst us and we all hot desk. We treat our employees like our customers. Transparency of give and you get.
02: Our people, a strong purpose and values and that being clear. Everybody buys into it. Act on feedback, evolve and listen, don’t dismiss.
Part 3: Glassdoor VP for global communications Samantha Zupan and L’Oréal CMO of HR Carol Paco-Domerague – Building a powerful culture:
- L’Oréal has a very telling and clear message. “Lead the future of beauty, if you’re an impacting seeking inventor, a driver of disruption, take L’Oréal to the next level with us” – we don’t want people to join us for what we were, or what we are, come and redefine us.
- CMO for HR to look at consumerism for our people and what is most important for our people. Right message to the right target. Looks at how the “product” (the business) reaches the “consumers” (the employees)
- Human in our approach – start with big smiles!
- We have received great praise on our diverse workforce and it’s vital as “beauty” is linked to humanity. The Diversity ensured the business was going in the right direction. It’s at the core of everything we do.
- We are committed to: accessibility – access everything to do their job (technology / workplace / people have to adapt). Equality – No differences in pay gap between men and women. We recognise people for value of their ideas.
- Be Authentic / Open / Transparent / Focus on people
In Summary…
To be one of the “Best Places to Work” there should be a clear purpose, drive and sense of belonging. A culture of: transparency, honesty, equality, diversity, ownership and strong leadership. Leaders should listen to and develop their team members, allow them to work on what they enjoy, focus on their strengths and ultimately treat them as you would a customer. Recruitment must focus on the right people; with the right attitudes.
Where the employee experience (Culture + Technology + Space) is positive; employee satisfaction will directly impact on corporate performance.
It will be soon Monday again; what will you change first?
thehuman-centricworkplace.com 
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