14 Characteristics of a Great Workplace
Have you ever wondered what is it that secret formula that makes a great workplace with extraordinary employees motivated to report to work every day? Or what makes a workplace to attract, retain, and motivate the very best talent in the industry? This article discusses some of the attributes which characterise a great workplace and makes it attractive enough to lure the very best of talent in the industry.
- Employees Always Engaged
A great workplace offers challenging and meaningful work to its employees keeping them engaged. Great workplaces understand the significance of keeping employees work exciting, interesting, challenging, and meaningful. High Performers are of the opinion that challenging and meaningful work is one of the first attributes that they look for while seeking a job.
- Hire & Retain Great Talent
Great workplaces are known to hire the best of talent. It’s therefore of no surprise they’re comprised of great people with brilliant talent. In great workplaces, top performers work hand in hand with other top performers demonstrating positivity, hard work, commitment, loyalty, have belief in what the organisation does, and participates in making the workplace a great one. They carefully draft the talent requirements and strategically recruit to meet their needs. They have specific selection practices and on-boarding practices in place which help in identifying top performers, as well as engaging top performers and setting them up for success right from the beginning.
- Offer Competitive Remuneration
Other than attracting new talent, great workplaces tend to offer competitive and lucrative compensation and above average increases. They also provide various opportunities to earn more based on performance such as profit sharing, bonus, and other incentives to reward top performers.
- Recognise and Reward Employees
A great workplace always appreciates and values its employees and their contributions. It celebrates success by praising, recognising, and rewarding employees in various formal and informal ways.
- Offer Opportunities for Training and Development
Great workplaces are seen to invest openly in training and development of their employees so that they can nurture their talents and capabilities. They support their employees by setting aside time for learning and allowing them to participate in various training and career development programs by paying for them.
- Offer Guidance and Support
Great workplaces provide clarity on how to be a top performer. They also support their ace performers through various performance management practices which help in guiding and developing exceptional performance. Great workplaces also help other employees to become top performers and help the existing top performers to maintain their excellent performance. Striving for excellence every day is what is behind the success of great workplaces.
- Promote Work/Life Balance
Great workplaces are inclined towards offering flexibility to employees so that they can strike a balance between work/life. They encourage work/life balance by allowing flexi timings, accommodating individual requests and needs, providing generous paid time off, and creating a supportive work environment that understands the significance of personal and family obligations.
- Genuinely Care about Employees’ Wellness
Great workplaces are seen to be genuinely concerned about the well-being of their employees. They offer options which enable employees to develop a healthy lifestyle. They also provide a list of benefits that support the health and personal wellbeing of employees
- Involve Employees in Key Decisions
Great employees empower and involve employees by involving them in moving the organisation forward, listening to their input, providing them opportunities to lead initiatives, participating in decision-making, collaborating with one another, and making a meaningful difference at work. Employees working in great workplaces feel that their opinions are taken into consideration and that they can positively impact their organisation.
- Maintain Transparency
In great workplaces, leaders share information about the organisation’s performance, the vision and direction of the organisation, its financial results, and other critical information and updates. Furthermore, leaders interact with and communicate with employees on a one-on-one basis or in small groups, and even at an entire staff level. Great workplaces also help everyone understand the mission and vision of the organisation and how each employee’s contribution is connected to the greater mission.
- Exceptional Leaders Leading
Great workplaces are always led by inspiring and exceptional leaders who set an example for the employees. They lead from the top and lead the organisation well. Such leaders care about and value employees in a genuine manner. Great workplaces project a relationship between leaders and employees, driven by trust, mutual respect, honesty, and support.
- Promote Growth and Innovation
Great workplaces are successful, growth oriented, and innovative in nature. They have high standards and are focused on offered exceptional customer service and quality. They also strive to promote innovation and continuously improve their organisations. Great workplaces are constantly seen to increase the bar regarding conducting their business.
- Create and Maintain a Unique Work Culture
Great workplaces have a unique work culture which is fun, collaborative, congenial, passionate, creative, and positive. The kind of work environments, work practices, and people they have, help in creating a positive, vibrant, magnetic, and infectious work culture for employees.
- Give Something Back
Finally, great workplaces tend to create an impact on the society by giving back to the local community. Apart from donating funds, they also serve these communities by helping the needy and offering the time and talents of their workforce.
The attributes that have been described in this article are some of the common traits that great workplaces seem to posses. It’s not a magic formula! It is understandable that while no workplace is perfect, many of the organisations these days are striving to improve with the ultimate goal being… a great workplace.
