A Great Business To Work For

A Great Business To Work For

Unknowingly, most employees of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work for in 2020 cite human resource management as an underlying reason why their company is one of the best. Looking at 5 companies spanning different areas of the service industry, Hilton (1), Edward Jones (7), Plante & Moan PLLC (21), Perkins Coie LLP (40), and T-Mobile (41), a pattern starts to emerge. Employees repeatedly mention having autonomy, being empowered, being listened to, being invested in, and being a part of a family as top reasons why they love working for their organization. These feelings and organizational culture are greatly influenced by human resource management. The greatplacetowork.com website mentions that eighty-five percent of the evaluation in Fortune 100’s methodology for the list looks at what employees report on a sixty-question survey, and the companies themselves submit their HR programs and practices.

As mentioned in the book First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, when The Gallup Organization set out to find what a strong and vibrant workplace looks like, they relied on data such as surveys, productivity, profitability, employee retention, and customer satisfaction across many companies spanning several industries and covering thousands of employees. They found that an employee’s manager was more important and the “key” to building a strong workplace instead of the company itself or their employee-focused initiatives.

Since I want to manage a law firm of less than ten to fifteen employees where productivity, retention, and job satisfaction are crucial to being a profitable business, my focus is to be the type of manager employees want to work for. When it comes to human resource management, I need to determine where the business stands, decide where human resource management needs to go, and finally implement a plan to get us there. As reported in the Harvard Business Review’s article, How Google Sold Its Engineers on Management by David A. Gavin, I will need to focus on several areas such as having a clear vision and strategy for the team and being a good communicator to convey that vision, but also by being a good listener. I will also need to be productive and results-oriented while not micromanaging but empowering my team and being a good coach. This will reduce turnover, lower the costs of employee acquisition and training, and increase employee morale and productivity.

References

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. (2001). First, break
all the rules: What the world’s greatest managers do differently. Simon
& Schuster.

Fortune 100 best companies to work for® 2020. Great
Place To Work®. (2020).
https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2020

Gavin, D. A. (2013, December). Review of How Google sold
its engineers on management. Harvard Business Review, 74–82.

Appendix

Position in Fortune 100’s list, Company name, and what employees say.

• 1 – Hilton – I love how I don’t feel like just a number here. I am a strong believer that Hilton cares about their employees just like they care about their family and I am truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to work for such an amazing company.
• 7 – Edward Jones – We are given the opportunity to be our best self. We promote a High Care/High Expectations environment.
• 21 – Plante & Moan, PLLC – My company listens to my voice.
• 40 – Perkins Coie LLP – Perkins Coie consistently and regularly invests in their employees, not just as company investments, but as people. They provide training opportunities for all staff every week.
• 42 – T-Mobile USA – I feel I have real power to make a difference in the way things are done. My boss trusts me to do what I think is correct. Our commitment to diversity is outstanding and makes me feel proud.