Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, perfectly encapsulates the awakening of the world of work in this quote:
“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit.”
Even more so now, in post-Covid times, your company is only as exceptional as the people who work within it.
The shift from employer-focus to employee-focus has shown that you create a culture of transparency, honesty and trust by recognising and rewarding people.
Our recent blog highlights how business leaders could adopt a people-first approach. Here, we look at three Great Place to Work award-winning companies that are doing just that and reaping the reward.
1. Evolved
Established in 2014, Evolved has a clear mission: ‘to act as a positive force for our people, clients and industry’.
Their mission emphasises that, as a business, people are at the core of their purpose. Evolved hasn’t just crafted a positive mission – they are living it as shown by being 2022 winners of UK’s Best Workplace for Women. A 2021 report from Deloitte reveals that, on average, 19.7% of board seats are held by women. With a board and senior leadership team that comprises 25% women, Evolved is making significant strides in balanced leadership. Evolved makes a point of showcasing its culture on the website with a standalone page,
“We’re more than a team.”
The web page outlines their values, ensuring accountability and commitment to live by them.
One female member of Evolved’s staff notes,
“Working at Evolved has been the best job I’ve ever had. I’ve seen us grow and learn as a team, and there’s a shared sense of pride in how we work and the campaigns that we work on. I feel like everyone’s contribution is valued, and we’re treated like human beings (with all our ups and downs), not robots.”
The key benefits at Evolved include four-day Flexi-working, family-friendly policies, enhanced holiday packages and an annual training budget.
2. NVIDIA
NVIDIA technology is solving the next big challenges, such as accelerated computing, the metaverse and AI.
Achieving extraordinary breakthroughs requires extraordinary people. As the No. 1 UK’s Best Workplace 2022 (Large companies), NVIDIA ensures they attract and retain exceptional talent by:
“Making NVIDIA a place of opportunities – a place where they can do their lives work. We do this because it is right and just and because we believe it will help make NVIDIA better.”
Focused on the societal impact of AI, NVIDIA is a shining example of technological leadership. Inclusivity and diversity from the top are the foundation of this company’s people-first approach through employee sponsorship and development.
Open dialogue ensures the delivery of the right benefits based on specific needs, such as those aired by their Women Tech Resource Group to reshape parental leave and partnering with LGBTQ+ colleagues to provide extensive benefits related to IVF and surrogacy.
With NVIDIA’s wellness programmes, flexible working, and other comprehensive benefits, this company’s celebration of the individual, different cultures, and perspectives continue to drive them forward as a people-first leader worldwide.
3. Monday.com
Ranked No. 1 Best Workplace to Work, Monday.com is a work operating system (WorkOS) for organisations of any size to manage every aspect of their work.
Monday.com’s About page greets you with an infectious splash of colour – it’s upbeat. When it comes to the company’s culture, they summarise it as follows,
“When you break it down, it’s all about the people.”
With values like Transparency and Inclusivity, Monday.com provides its customer with a portion of the collaborative magic they experienced. They note,
“We experienced how deeply empowering it is to build our own workflows with customisable building blocks, how there can be a place where all work happened – eliminating silos, aligning our organisations, and elevating our teams. It is through this journey that the Monday.com Work OS was born.”
To achieve first-class results for its customers, Monday.com continues to embed its own learnings into how they do business. For instance, the company highlights Ownership and Impact as core values.
They’ve learned that giving their employees full ownership of work instils a sense of personal investment and drive. The outcomes are ‘better overall execution and the understanding that ‘done’ is often better than perfect.’
These are three organisations making giant leaps in creating company cultures of connection. There are more to learn from out there. Companies that harness the power of the employee experience will outlive the rest. To quote from McKinsey Digital, “Talent is the most important thing we do”.
At Quirk Solutions, we work with business leaders to enhance their teams’ ability to create solutions. Our Q-suito model helps embed lasting organisational change, including a shift to a people-first approach.
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