Establishing a Positive Workplace

By: Calla Krummel

Week 1 Blog

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When reflecting on the human resource practices from 3 of the top 100 companies on the 2020 Fortune Best Companies to Work For list, the Cheesecake Factory, Veterans United Home Loans, and CarMax stand out for the ways they support their employees. Each of these companies showcases how strong HR strategies contribute to their employees’ satisfaction, loyalty, and overall company success.

The Cheesecake Factory:

The Cheesecake Factory, known for its large, inclusive workforce of over 40,000 U.S.-based employees, brings light to a warm and welcoming work environment. Employees are offered continuous opportunities for growth, with the company focusing on experiential dining and teamwork. As highlighted in our lectures, creating a sense of belonging and recognition is key to maintaining a motivated workforce, and the Cheesecake Factory proves this by emphasizing hospitality within its HR practices.

Veterans United Home Loans:

Veterans United Home Loans demonstrates a specialized approach to employee care, as 91% of employees agree that it’s a great place to work. Veterans United’s dedication to supporting veterans in homeownership reflects its values of purpose and service. This commitment to a meaningful cause is shown in its workplace culture. As learned in one of this weeks readings by Buckingham and Coffman (2016), states purpose-driven work will significantly boosts employee engagement, thus Veterans United capitalizes on this statement by ensuring its employees align with their larger mission.

CarMax:

CarMax, which has an 86% employee satisfaction rate, is known for revolutionizing the used auto industry with a focus on integrity being transparent. These core values extend beyond customer interactions and are deeply embedded in CarMax’s HR practices. CarMax places a strong emphasis on flexibility, offering both employees and customers the freedom to tailor their experiences to their preference’s. This flexible approach to work arrangements promotes autonomy, a crucial element in cultivating a positive workplace, as emphasized in Garvin’s How Google Sold It’s Engineers on Management (2013).

As an aspiring manager, I want to foster an inclusive, purpose-driven environment, much like the ones at these companies I’ve chosen. However, I recognize that balancing employee needs and ensuring consistent performance may be challenging. HR activities like professional development programs and open communication channels will be crucial to/ when overcoming these challenges occur and in supporting both individual and team growth. All in all these companies show how strong HR practices create successful and supportive workplaces, and I hope to implement similar strategies in my managerial career after graduation!

Go Beavs!

Sources:

“Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® 2020.” Great Place to Work United States, 2020, www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/100-best/2020.

Buckingham, M., & Coffman, C. W. (2014). First, break all the rules : What the world’s greatest managers do differently. Gallup Press.

Garvin, D. A. (2013). How Google sold its engineers on management. In Harvard business review (Vol. 91, Number 12, pp. 74–82). Harvard Business Review.