Putting People First. Creating a Culture of Trust

José Tolovi Neto, Managing Partner, Great Place to Work^® Institute, Canada

bh IN BRIEF

Great Place to Work^® is an international organization dedicated to building a better society by helping companies transform their workplaces. Now, active in 49 countries, GPTW evaluates workplace culture by blending analyses of employees’ workplace experiences through its Trust Index^® Survey, with an assessment of the company’s workplace programs and practices, through its Culture Audit^©. The results of this annual study are used in conjunction with media partners, such as Fortune Magazine and the Globe and Mail, to produce prestigious global lists of Best Workplaces. This study is the world’s largest of its kind.

www.greatplacetowork.ca

As a result of annual surveys of roughly five million employees in almost 7,000 organizations, Great Place to Work (GPTW) lists are now published in 49 countries. But it wasn’t always so. Research began in the early 1980s when Robert Levering (GPTW’s co-founder) was writing a book about the best companies to work for. After running focus groups with employees from almost 200 companies, it was apparent that the phrases that people used most often to describe great workplaces related not to benefits, programs or practices, but to relationships with people, characterized by TRUST (relationships with managers), PRIDE (relationship to the job and the company image), and CAMERADERIE (feelings of companionship).

Over time, Levering’s work evolved into the Great Place to Work Institute (GPTWI) and in 1984, the world’s first best place to work rankings. During interviews with thousands of employees, the most common response to the question, “What makes a great workplace?” was still “THE PEOPLE.”

Now, after more than 25 years of research, we see the importance of people more clearly. For example, we can evaluate CAMERADERIE in specific workplaces by assessing the quality of three dimensions:

INTIMACY: people enjoy their colleagues, sense that they can be themselves and count on and support each other;

HOSPITALITY: people feel the work environment is friendly and welcoming and they can have fun and enjoy each other’s company; and

COMMUNITY: people feel there is a sense of “family” or “team” in the workplace (the deepest level of camaraderie).

Relationships are key but TRUST is fundamental. We know that great workplaces create cultures that are qualitatively different – cultures that are based on trust, where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in what they do and enjoy the people they work with. Leaders and managers who work to create a culture of trust see the quality of their workplace culture as central to their business success.

Consider the difference between an average organization and a great organization. In an average organization the work of employees is considered a commodity and workers can end up feeling alienated, like part of a machine that can be discarded. In a great organization, there is something extra. Granted, in some respects, work there is also a commodity – employees receive a specific amount of pay in exchange for an agreed upon amount of time and effort. But there is more.

In great organizations, the work of employees is treated like a gift. It is recognized as part of their personal identity and sense of self-worth. Organizations respond to their employees’ gift-like work with generosity, creating unique and personalized practices that are integrated with the values of the organization. Moreover, these practices are part of ongoing, gift-like exchanges between employers and employees. Both respond by doing over and above what is required, offering what Levering calls “Giftwork”^® As a result, they create a “Giftwork^® Culture,” with a high level of trust where leaders consistently choose to carry out gift-like exchanges with employees and put people first. You can see some of the differences for yourself in the chart below.

Transforming an Average Organization: From the 9 Steps to Creating a "Giftwork^® Culture"
Transaction-Like		Gift-Like
Hire individuals with skills for a job.	Hiring	Hire people with gifts/talents who fit into the culture to contribute to the organization's growth.
Offer competitive benefits to take care of people's material needs.	Caring	Offer distinctive benefits that respond to people's needs and show concern in times of crisis.
Offer fair compensation for jobs.	Sharing	Sharing rewards of mutual efforts equally with all who helped produce those results and with communities.

Based on research at GPTWI there are nine areas where the Best Workplaces have unique and distinctive policies and practices that create a Giftwork® Culture. The other areas are Inspiring, Speaking, Listening, Thanking, Developing, and Celebrating.