Share thisPeople are happier at work when they can be themselves. That means the enterprise takes account of both emotion and intellect when setting policy, and employees can be transparent rather than political. That doesn’t suspend the need for mature judgment about appropriate behaviour; it does mean you needn’t park your personality before walking through the office door in order to assume a persona.
By and large the rationale for sincerity at work is almost exactly that of animal welfare advocates who promote environmental enrichment: suppressing innate behaviour creates anxiety and stress, and whatever the species, those two uncomfortable states create a negative outcome. When it comes to lab animals, the response to sterile housing can be stress and stereotypies, and data that may be compromised. For us, suspending innate behaviour can thwart—among other natural, enjoyable acts—initiative, inquiry, learning, cooperative endeavour, thinking, innovation, a deep sense of self, significant connection with others, and trust that is the glue for all that. But what does it take to create such a workplace, and where do I start?
To find some tips, I asked executives from two top Great Place to Work winners— profitable enterprises in diverse sectors and far-flung countries with very varied cultures whose employees nevertheless share a common feeling. This feeling is a confidence that every individual has credibility and respect; that the employer is fair and absolutely trustworthy; that individuality makes for happy times; and that learning from one another makes a whole greater than the sum of the parts.
CREATE VALUE
Salem Samhoud, whose Utrecht-based consultancy &samhoud was voted Europe’s Best Place to Work 2011 among small and medium enterprises, respects and celebrates every person’s uniqueness and potential. Employee policy reflects Mr. Samhoud’s commitment to supporting individuals and bringing people together.
“Every company creates value for its customers”, Mr. Samhoud says. “The trick is to define what the value drivers are for your employees—those who are the starting point for, and source of, value creation. And to get that right you have to have a culture in which people are individuals, with a chance to deliver their best and be happy”.
“We think that a big driver for individuals is the opportunity to balance freedom and responsibility”, Mr. Samhoud said. “For example, at our company no one automatically gets a car. It depends on how needed it is. One of our employees, a young man who is a very talented soccer player, did get a car. It helps him to keep his working schedule and his training schedule. This sounds a bit like an unusual policy because it has nothing to do with status. But, when you look at it honestly, it’s the most usual thing to do”.
“When my children came to light our lives, I was working very hard. I missed a lot back then”, said Salem Samhoud. “Later on, I decided that young fathers in our company must be able to balance their lives differently. They get a full paid father’s leave of two months when a child is born. That is unique, but it has so many advantages, even economic ones. Another part of working life is that we don’t count how many days for holiday people take. This rule is all about freedom and responsibility”.
“We work very, very hard”, Mr. Samhoud continued, “and we are highly productive; we just use time in a different way. In three years’ time we tripled our income, we tripled our net profit, and we tripled the number of employees. And although we have grown quickly, I am proud to say that our employee satisfaction and our customer satisfaction ratings have both risen”.