May 2007 Archives

I recently read an article about Google's employee benefits, both formal and informal, which is what got me thinking about those "little things" that make work enjoyable in my last post. Then I started thinking about the policies I would institute if (when) I start my own company. So here's the list:

1) Free soda/juice/milk and snacks -- Few things seem to excite and motivate a group of mildly dorky and somewhat awkward engineers as much as free food.

2) One or more of the following tables: pool, foosball, ping-pong -- Everyone needs a little break now and then

3) Weekly lunch BBQs on Fridays during the summer -- See #1 above for reason

4) Sponsorship (and encouragement) of company sports teams -- Healthy bodies = Healthy minds, and everyone likes teamwork

5) If a meeting requires lunch to brought in, the entire office should get lunch on that day -- a) I'm all for a flat organization that doesn't elevate anyone above anyone else (even for matters as simple as lunch), and b) See #1

6) Regular Lunch & Learns covering everything from the latest ultrasonic welding techniques to retirement investing to African drumming -- Expanding your mind is never a bad thing

7) Flexible hours (within reason) -- If you get your work done on time and to high standards, I see no reason to force someone to work 9-5 everyday

8) 360-degree feedback -- Feedback should come from all angles: above, below, outside, inside, etc

9) No blocked websites, no daily reports -- Employees should be trusted to complete their work to a high quality and on time, and if the trust isn't there, no amount of blocked websites and checking-up on employees is going to fix that

10) Empowered employees -- Everyone's opinion should count, no matter their position or tenure

Perhaps some of these are less-than-practical or a little idealistic, but at least it's a start...

Now that I've been in the working world a while and have seen how a number of different companies operate, I think it's interesting to note the various little policies, perks, and benefits that companies install to make their work a better place to spend your weekly 40 hours. I see how the little (and not-so-little) things can often have a surprising effect on providing a productive, creative, fun, hard-working, and team-oriented atmosphere, but at the same time, I also have to wonder whether companies rely on those little things too much at times.

By "little things", I am talking about the occasional social outings, free lunches, foosball tables, and flexible or reduced summertime hours, to name a few. I'm sure every company has them in one form or another--little incentives here and there to make the employee feel appreciated and valued.

While sponsoring a company bowling team or providing free orange juice and milk in the mornings is great, is it really enough to ensure that you not only attract, but more importantly retain, the right employees? After all, isn't that the basic objective of instituting such policies?

From my observations, all the free lunches in the world will not be enough to offset the detrimental effects of a company that is neither committed to nor truly values its employees. All they can do is temporarily assuage the underlying dissatisfaction and indifference before the "good" employees leave, and only the "bad" employees remain.

So then, how does a company go about effectively demonstrating its investment in and committment to its employees? It seems to me that perhaps, just the mere fact that a company might struggle to identify how to best show that they care should raise some red flags. After all, one doesn't have to wake up each morning and actively consider how best to show their love for their significant other, right? ...At least one would hope not, anyways.

Essentially, my point is that if a company truly values its employees and is truly committed to helping them be all that they can be, then perhaps it shouldn't be much of a stretch to demonstrate this--it should come naturally. It should be in the company's nature to understand their employees and their employees' needs. In my opinion, simply knowing that my company and managers were 100% committed to me and my development would be more than enough to keep me a satisfied and loyal employee. Everything else would just be icing on the cake.

That being said, there's nothing wrong with a little extra icing on the cake... I'm still close enough to the days of being a "starving college student" to appreciate a free lunch now and then.

Clearly, there are companies that do excellent jobs of showing their appreciation for and investment in their employees, and the "little things" do indeed work in many cases. I suppose then the bigger question is how a company can reach this point if they aren't already there--which sounds like a very good and difficult question to answer. I think it might take me a few more years in the real world to figure this one out. Hopefully I can figure it out before I start my own company someday...