SURVEY SAYS: Why is YOUR company a great place to work?

While some of you work at those companies (and some are no doubt responsible for those firms making the “cut”), this week we asked readers why they worked where they worked – by completing the sentence,“My company is a great place to work because….”

As you might expect, the nature of the question made tabulation difficult, but not impossible.   In all honesty, a great many answers highlighted MULTIPLE reasons for why their place of employment was a place of enjoyment, or at least reward, including the reader who noted, “My company is the best place to work because of the people, the benefits, the hours, the commute, the environment, the pay, and every year they sponsor our softball team and our bowling league!” 

Flexible Favorites

That notwithstanding, among this week’s respondents the most oft-cited reason, 31% , was what I would term flexibility – in job discretion, time off/out, and hours.  “…The flexibility my boss offers (telecommuting, flex time) and the level of independence and trust the company puts in me to run the benefits programs,” noted one reader.

A close second, at 24% , was the fact that their company, specifically management at the company, “cared.”   A representative comment came from the reader who said, “My company is a great place to work because they care about me, my health, and my family.”  

Not surprisingly, “people” was very close behind, garnering nearly 19% of this week’s responses.   One noted, ” “…we have a pretty good mix of people to work with…older, younger, married, single, with kids, act like kids , etc.”    Responses here were quite eloquent, but one reader who summed it all up beautifully did so by saying simply, “My company is a great place to work because many of my co-workers are my friends.”

Location, Location

“Location/commute was next most commonly cited, by roughly 16% (the shortest commute noted was 6/10 of a mile, by the way).

What a firm did/produced, and how they did that was noted by 8% .   Several of these were product-oriented (recycling firms, car manufacturing, and airplane building, for example), but many had to deal with the integrity of the firm.  “The question, ‘What is the right thing to do?’ often comes up when trying to work through issues,” notes one reader, who goes on to note, “Being in charge of benefits, I have a chance to help employees meet their needs, to educate, and even sometimes to protect.”   A favorite of mine in this category was the reader who said, “We are professional, without being corporate.”

There were some that I found difficult to categorize, including the reader who said, “My company is a great place to work because it says so in the handbook.”   Or the reader (at a different firm), who noted, “My company is a great place to work because…. that is what all of our recruiting propaganda has brainwashed me into believing.   My spirit and will are completely broken – I am an automaton whose only purpose in life is to serve my company.   Shhhh!   They’re coming.”

Pay “Grades”

Some readers were decidedly less “playful,” such as the reader who said, “My company is the best place to work because…they pay me if I do good work.   You can keep all your flextime, sick-child care, before/after school care, etc.   If anyone has truly been in a situation where they are concerned about their ability to provide for their family, these things become what they should be: far secondary in importance.   I guess I have seen too much of an increase in hardship withdrawals recently where the reason is “Foreclosure” or “Eviction”.   It makes all these other issues promoted by Working Mother, AARP, and Fortune seem trivial in comparison.”

Another noted, “My company is a great place to work because it probably will never make any list of best places to work.   I have worked for a company that did make these lists and it was a terrible place to work.   It had launched many diversity, work life balance, job place harassment, etc. programs that were high profile and got them on the lists; however, the reason for the programs was because they had significant problems with diversity, workplace burnout, and harassment.”

A special NewsDash congratulations to Larry Cope at SCANA Corporation in Columbia, SC, who noted, “My Company is a great place to work because next Monday, September 30, 2003, I will be retiring at the age of 57 with 36 years of service! “

But this week’sEditor’s Choicegoes to the reader who offered a very practical rationale: “My company is a great place to work because….If I continue working here, I will never have to wear panty hose again!”

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!

My company is a great place to work because the pay is really great for this area of the country. The work is challenging; trying to do two to three jobs after multiple downsizings will certainly keep you on your toes. I'm never bored because I don't have time. No matter how hard I work I never get ahead of the workload. Best of all I like the company's product: airplanes. I wish I had one to get to work; the commute is 70 miles round trip.

My company is a great place to work because . . . of the flexibility my boss offers (telecommuting, flex time), and the level of independence and trust the company puts in me to run the benefits programs.

I'll put in my two cents on your question - I came to this place first because it was close and I had a lot of friends there. I was looking for a career change. Once I got here, however, I found I had a lot of options to move around. And I've been very happy where I've been lately because the job didn't really exist before I started doing it, and I had an opportunity to build it along the way. I don't think I could have walked into another company and started doing this, as it's unique to my skill sets and not a traditional role in this field. I have also really liked the people I've worked with over the years, and while that's not exclusive to any one company it is not always easy to find.

They brought me back to the East Coast from the Midwest.   I am much happier on the East Coast.   For me, the faith they showed in my ability to meet their needs and the money and the support they invested to bring me here, all helped to create a feeling of affirmation that I have actually achieved some level of success in my chosen field.   That affirmation continues as we deal with all the usual challenges and some of the unusual ones.

The executives of the company have a high degree of integrity.   The question "What is the right thing to do?" often comes up when trying to work through issues.   My staff, although very, very small for the size of our organization, is dedicated and hard working.   My peers are supportive and highly qualified in their jobs. The work is very, very challenging and there is plenty of it.   Being in charge of benefits, I have a chance to help employees meet their needs, to educate and even sometimes to protect.

To top that my commute is only 6 minutes and my new home is everything I ever wanted.   I consider myself very, very blessed.

This was an interesting exercise and good to do every now and then. Along with all those challenges, there are many, many frustrations.   Sometimes those frustrations take center stage and overshadow the things that really matter.   It's easy to get sucked into the doom and gloom of the benefits world these days.   Revisiting core values is uplifting and life affirming.

"My company is a great place to work because...." IF I CONTINUE WORKING HERE, I WILL NEVER HAVE TO WEAR PANTY HOSE AGAIN.

WE HAVE A SLIGHTLY LESS THAN BUSINESS CASUAL DRESS CODE.   OUR CEO WEARS GOLF SHIRTS AND JEANS.    IT IS HIS CAMOUFLAGE OUTFIT.   WHEN SALESMEN COME IN THEY IGNORE HIM AND GO RIGHT FOR THE BEST-DRESSED PERSON IN THE PLACE.   I CAN'T BRING MYSELF TO WEAR JEANS.    I DO WEAR CLOTHES THAT ARE COMFORTABLE ALL DAY.   I NEVER NEED TO TAKE 2 HOURS TO DRESS.

THE CASUAL DRESS IS A REFLECTION OF AN EASY GOING ATTITUDE.   WHICH MAKES IT EASY TO WORK HERE.

My company is a great place to work because it's the only game in town.   I live in a rural area and enjoy the quality of life - one reason my company decided to remain here rather than move to a metro market.

My company is a great place to work because it is 6/10 of a mile from my house.

My company is a great place to work because it probably will never make any list of best places to work.   I have worked for a company that did make these lists and it was a terrible place to work.   However, it had launched many diversity, work life balance, job place harassment, etc. programs.    These programs were high profile and got them on the lists, however, the reason for the programs were because that had significant problems with diversity, workplace burnout and harassment.   As a result, I am very skeptical of a company that needs to launch these high profile type of programs.   To me, the best places to work are the ones that don't need these types of programs because their "internal compass" always points them to what is fair and reasonable in the first place.

"My company is a great place to work because I can watch great new cars roll off the assembly line and get paid well for it and I also get 4 weeks vacation and 16 holidays. Can I say more?

My company is a great place to work because.... that is what all of our recruiting propaganda has brainwashed me in to believing.   My spirit and will are completely broken - I am an automaton whose only purpose in life is to serve my company.   Shhhh!   They're coming.   I must go back to work now.

My (governmental pension plan) is a great place to work because   . . . loyalty runs both ways.

"My company is a great place to work because.... It is SOOOOO close to home - 1 1/2 miles."

I've been with my Company for six years and sadly, it took me a while to come up with a "my company is a great place to work because...." answer.   I wound up asking myself "WHY AM I STILL HERE?!"   The answer is (simply because I really like a challenge) "My company is a great place to work because there's never a dull moment!    I've never been bored and never run out of things to challenge me."  

"My company is a great place to work because....". We have a pretty good mix of people to work with...older, younger, married, single, with kids, act like kids, etc.

My company is a great place to work because it says so in the handbook.

My company is a great place to work because….".   Our owner considers his employees his greatest asset.   And because of this, we have one of the best work environments around.   We have a wonderful work-life culture and creativity is encouraged.   Plus, we have one of the best benefits packages around, including health-care, daycare, gym (w/ pool!), cafe, ...   I could go on and on!

"My company is a great place to work because they care about me, my health, and my family."      

My company is the best place to work because...they pay me if I do good work.   You can keep all your flextime, sick-child care, before/after school care, prescription drug coverage for Viagra, etc., etc., etc.   If anyone has truly been in a situation where they are concerned about their ability to provide for their family, these things become what they should be, far secondary in importance.   To me it shows the increasing gap in the "classes" in this country.   The elite, usually reflected in the media, have a whole different agenda and are totally out of touch with the economic difficulties most Americans are facing today.   I guess I have seen too much of an increase in hardship withdrawals recently where the reason is "Foreclosure" or "Eviction".   It makes all these other issues promoted by Working Mother, AARP and Fortune seem trivial in comparison.

My company is a great place to work because it's a family owned bank. I've worked for a few publicly traded banks and the major stockholders are only interested in one thing. And it's not the employees or the customers. There is a direct correlation between cutting jobs and expenses and the level of service you can provide to your customers. The folks at the top with all of the stock don't seem to understand that concept.   And another reason it's a great place...my employer provides us free lunches Monday through Thursday.

-"My company is a great place to work because they don't beat me! "  

Seriously, my company is a great, well at least nice place to work because we get a fairly large dose of autonomy.   There is also a something of a predisposition for the management and even other departments to micromanage, but once you gain a little experience you learn the micromanagement is only on the surface.   They love to get into the details of your work and question the heck out of everything.   As long as you do you research, stand by and believe in what you've done it will stand as you've proposed.   If you cave in quickly to everyone else, often uninformed, you will be miserable.   The constant shots over the department walls do become tiresome, however, the same philosophy that allows those shots is also where the autonomy is born.   It is a double-edged sword.   The goal is to convince the others to spend their freedom in their areas and just access and get the information they need from yours.   We are also a closely held private corporation owned by two brothers.   It doesn't happen often but it is possible for a vote ending in five to two, have the two carry.   If I were an owner I would sometimes exercise the same.   If the company is ever lost, we lose a job, they lose everything.

My company is a great place to work because... it's a small office providing an excellent, flexible, non-bureaucratic, working environment mainly because the owner is a nice person.

My company is the best place to work because...Well, let's see.   My company will probably never make it to Working Mothers' list in my lifetime however; I am impressed by the way our small firm is trying very hard to create a great working environment.   Just last week, "Scoops" the neighborhood ice cream vendor pulled up to our office and we all got a ticket to go outside for an afternoon treat.   In the past year they have revised the sick policy and vacation policy to our benefit.   And when I returned to work after giving birth to my second child, there was a lactation room available for my use.   All of these "baby steps" give me hope that when my daughter works here someday (the dream of every seven year old, right?!) she will indeed work for one of the 100 Best.

My company is a great place to work because, unlike home, most of the people here respect me!

"My company is a great place to work because….".

A - They continue to pay me even though I do no "real" work.

B - They let me have all of this fun AND pay me

C - Hooters girls serve drinks all day

And now for some seriousness

A - They let me work from home two hours a day in the morning so I can let my son sleep until a reasonable time and then take him to day care before coming into the REAL office around 10.

B - They let me work from home all day if I need to.... without complaint

C - They pay me very competitively and have given me a raise each year I've been here

D - They offer a nice set of benefits, both retirement, medical, and vacation

E- They let me buy stock at a 15% discount

But how about this... My company is a bad place to work because...

A - They still haven't figured out how to keep the idiots out of the lower levels of management

B - They focus on utilization as THE measurement, forgoing efficiency, customer satisfaction, adherence to process, etc.

C - There is no real leadership here...just a bunch of lower level managers who say "me too" when customers ask about what we can do

D - They continue to push us to work 50 and 60 hours weeks whilst our CEO says with a straight face that "no ***er has ever been forced to work overtime" (I guess by "forced" he means they put a gun to your head and say do it or die).

Hope this helps.

My company is a great place to work because it offers job share and flex time.   I also am surrounded by down-to-earth, fun co-workers who can make each other smile on the most trying of days.   The head of the company is also very respectful of our family emergencies and requires his top managers to be accommodating to such issues.  

My company is a great place to work because ... it is only a 10 minute commute!

I have to convince myself of this myth long enough to meet my early retirement eligibility in 4 years.   After that, I can say what I really think.

I get to wear shorts and t-shirts, my colleagues are great as I'm in multiple fantasy sports leagues with them, and I walk to work.

My company is a great place to work because...

First and foremost, my boss (and his boss) is/are great.   At my age, who I work with and what I do is most important to me, not pay and benefits (although good pay and benefits make it that much better!).   Second, I love what I do - some days are more frustrating than others, but that will be the case no matter what job you have.   Third, HR (my dept.) and payroll work closely together and we all have a good relationship, which is good because we're tucked away together on a different floor away from the bulk of the employees.   Fourth, my company helps the environment by recycling, thus preventing these items from ending up in landfills.   At 6 years, I've been here longer than any other job (with most previous changes being the result of a relocation), and I don't intend to leave any time soon (at least by my choice!).   Could things be better?   Always.   Could things be worse?   Most definitely!

"My company is a great place to work because....". I have a quality of life that I had only wished for in my 18 years of being a mother with a career.

My company is a great place to work - for me. This doesn't apply to all the employees. I just got lucky, mostly because of the nature of my job. I drive 45 miles one way to work 3 days a week. The other two days I am allowed to work at home. They provide me with internet access and a work phone at home. My boss works five hours away so I am on my own most of the time. I see him 5-6 times a year. For all salaried employees they are very flexible about dr. appts, events at your child's school, etc. Most of the time we can just go with no need to make up the time or take vacation. The company encourages us to find new, more effective ways of doing things and then provides the support to carry them out. The pay is good and the stress level is low. I'm not sure I could find all this somewhere else!

My company is the best place to work because of the people, the benefits, the hours, the commute, the environment, the pay, and every year they sponsor our softball team and our bowling league!

What a great way to start the day!   I may hang that up at the front door to remind my team to look at the bright side every morning!

My company is a great place to work because.... of our values and beliefs which we truly believe in and use to guide our decisions.

Our Main Beliefs...

Ø        This is a cool place to work.  

Ø        We have the best, most impressive services.

Ø        We work and play hard.  

Ø        We are professional, without being corporate.

Are supported by our Values and Goals:

Team

We know how to get things done together.   We learn and improve by being involved with a group of talented, motivated individuals.   Those individuals create the team that guarantees our ultimate success.

Clients

Clients keep us in business.   We do our best to create a partnership with them; solving their problems, while they point us in new and creative directions.   We will always do our best to meet or exceed their expectations.

Home Away From Home

We spend more daylight hours at our workplace than anywhere else.   We will all endeavor to promote a healthy, enjoyable, and fun workplace.   We will accomplish this by treating each other with respect, and looking for opportunities to make it a better place to be.

Technology

The technology that we use is the backbone of our business.   We will strive to consistently improve our technical ability and incorporate advancements as they are developed.

Photo-Realism

The quality of our work has built the reputation we enjoy.   That quality is measured by the level of photo-realism we create.   Wherever possible, we will push the envelope, reaching for the goal of total photo-realism.

Our team has gone threw some major changes in the last few years (a merger, a partner leaving on not so good terms), but we all come together and support each other during those times.   If we weren't a team, we would have crumbled.   We celebrate everyone as a person first (we are big on birthdays, anniversaries, births, marriages, family parties, volunteer activities) and take great joy in that.   Recently, one of our team members found his birth mother and we've all been sharing the excitement (and trepidation) that has gone with it.

We are not the highest-paid in our industry, nor the shortest hours, but knowing I have a second family is all I need to know this is the best place to work.

Have a fantastic day!

But, my company was a great place to work because there were two main focuses.   The first was the focus on the customer and servicing them, rather than "telling" them.   Second, the family-like atmosphere for a company of 6500 people was incredible.   Not only were the employees tight but management always worked to "do right" by their employees.

It was especially a great place for single working women, both in salary and benefits, while encouraging them to complete any remaining schooling -   paid for by the company.

My Company is a great place to work because next Monday, September 30, 2003, I will be retiring at the age of 57 with 36 years of service!   Enough said. By the way my Company is SCANA Corporation headquartered in Columbia, SC.

Where do I start? I work for the local transit company, and it is an amazing place to work

• Flextime
• Jobshare
• Condensed work weeks
• Telecommuting
• 12 sick days per year (can be used for family members)
• 6 personal days per year
• 12 vacation days per year (increases with time)
• 2 other family sick days
• Extremely Family friendly (go to parent/teacher conferences without taking away from personal time or vacation time)
• Wellness program including on site work out facilities, and if utilized get extra time at lunch to work out
• On-site Nutritionist
• On-site massage therapist
• Compressed work weeks
• EAP - includes 5 in person counseling visits
• Child/Elder referral service
• Short term disability
• Long term disability
• The insurance is the best around, we still only have $5 co-pays, no deductibles, 100% hospitalization,
• Covers chiro, naturopathic, and acupuncture.
• On-site extended education programs with a local university (100% paid)

"My company is a great place to work because many of my co-workers are my friends."

My company is a great place to work because of how the employees treat each other.

My company is a great place to work because….".

Integrity is about more than words, co-workers actually walk-the-talk.

Client's are put first.   Employee initiative is encouraged.

Change is embraced, problems are solved and it's done without shaming/blaming.

My associates are smart, thoughtful, caring and focused.

How could I ask for more????

My company is the best place to work because...We made the Working Mother's survey this year, and have consistently made the Fortune list in the past, until Fortune changed the criteria last year so that companies with less than 1000 employees could no longer participate. As a smaller company, we are able to have a unique culture for our employees. We have on-site daycare at our corporate office, casual dress everyday including shorts and sandals, we offer yoga and aerobics classes to our employees at lunch time, we have an on-site cafeteria, our employees are encouraged to live a healthy lifestyle and we surf, run, walk, ride bikes, etc. during our lunch break. Our company donates a percentage of profits to grassroots environmental organizations, we recycle and commit ourselves to finding ways to lessen our impact on the planet, such as switching to organically grown cotton for our clothing products. We try to do the right thing, and we have fun doing it. It's the best place I've ever worked!

My company is the best place to work because I've been here so long I just don't want to start over somewhere else and prove myself all over again.   I like not having someone looking over my shoulder all the time, or checking on what I am doing.   I've already done the long hours, extra projects and busting my you-know-what to get ahead.   I paid my dues when I was younger and with sixteen years left until retirement, I want to finish up here.    I've put the long hours and constant pressure behind me and can finally strike a balance between my professional life and personal life.   I've earned it.

My company is a great place to work because of the people, free parking and casual dress, but especially the people.   It's so much more fun to work in an environment where people treat others with respect.   I've been here 7 years and am still amazed that no one has ever yelled at me - I've been yelled at before!   I've certainly made a mistake or two that would have resulted in a royal hissy fit at my former employers, but here mistakes are corrected and we move on.   It really cuts down on my stress level!

My company is a great place to work because...they haven't caught on yet that they can probably survive without me, therefore I still have a job.

"My company is a great place to work because....".   They promote Community Involvement!  

We have a Community Involvement Committee that meets once a month to review the requests we get for donations, and to decide if and how much we will donate for each request.   Our giving is based on our "Giving Guidelines" which are decided in part by our entire staff.   Some of our standing guidelines are:   Charity must have a current 501c3 filing, no diseases, no animal and no religious charities and funds will not be donated for administrative costs, sponsoring tables, or activities for fundraising purposes and funds must be used in our County.   The remaining guidelines decided upon by our employees determine which areas we will donate funds to.   This years guidelines, based on what our employees consider our communities greatest needs are:   homeless services and shelters, food banks, children services, senior services and domestic violence prevention.   Note:   If say a religious organization has sponsors a domestic violence outreach program, we will donate funds to the organization with the funds designated specifically for the outreach program.

In conjunction with our Community Involvement budget, my company has a great matching funds program that allows each employee $750 of matching funds.   Employees may donate to any charity and have the funds matched up to $250 per charity of their choosing as long as the charity has a valid 501c3 certification.   This includes the charities and activities that are excluded from receiving our Community Involvement funds.     Last year, with the help of my co-workers, and our matching funds program, I was able to raise $3,175 towards Bre*st Cancer!   Of that, $1,045 came directly from my co-workers and $945 from the matching funds program!

The matching funds program also allows an employee to volunteer their time, in lieu of donating funds, for any 501c3 of their choice and the charity is paid $10 per hour for every hour donated.   Example:   I work at a homeless shelter 10 hours each week my company will match the time I volunteer at $10 an hour up to $250.   Whether we donate funds or volunteer our time, our company backs our commitment to our helping our community.   In fact, so far this year our company has matched $7,202!

In addition to the company budgeted dollars available; our company allows us time to schedule special activities during work hours, so that we can do fund-raisers throughout the year to "beef" up our donations to the charities we sponsor.   Any of the fund raising activities we do may receive matching funds.    Our fund-raising activities include…Clothing or food drives, spaghetti feeds, Holiday giving, bake sales, etc.   A favorite employee fund-raiser is "Casual Thursdays"!   Each quarter the committee chooses a charity to donate the funds to, and then we sell "dress down" or "Casual Thursday's" (jeans - acceptable) for $15/month or $35 for the quarter.   Casual Thursday sales usually raise about $1,400 per quarter, in sales and matching funds combined, all of which goes to the selected charity.    Not all employers would allow for the time off during working hours for fundraising or allow casual days because it's "not professional", but since we are doing it to raise funds to take care of a need in our community, they allow it.  

By location, we are not a large company, only about 60 of us, but our folks have big hearts and our community knows us for our commitment to supporting the needs of those who are less fortunate.

My Company, Brown & Brown of Washington - Tacoma