Learning From The “100 Best Companies to Work For”   

Each January, Fortune magazine lists the one hundred companies selected as the “best to work for” in America.  Selection to this list is a coveted honor.  It’s difficult to translate the value of being known as a “great place to work” into hard dollars, but there’s no doubt that such a reputation has an effect on attracting and keeping the great people and that are key to sustaining profitable growth.

Irrespective of a company’s size, it’s made up people.  The basic needs and attractions of people don’t change much regardless of the size of the company they happen to work for.  It’s a very safe bet that to our current team members and those we hope to attract, the workplace qualities they find most attractive will be little different from those surveyed in the annual Fortune ‘100 Best’ list even though most of the businesses that Fortune highlights are large, publicly-traded firms.  We’ll look briefly at principles that we can broadly apply, rather than specific practices that are limited to one segment or business type.

It goes without saying that all the '100 best' provide a solid package from among the standard array of fringe benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, etc.  They all pay well, typically above the average in their industry, but not necessarily at the top the range.  It’s clear that “highest paying” and “best places to work” are not the same list!  As we’ve identified many times, pay is important, but not nearly the most important factor in determining job satisfaction.

It’s not primarily the tangible things that separate the ‘100 Best’ from the rest as it is a mix of intangibles.  “There are plenty of very good places to work,” says Ray Baumruk of Hewitt and Associates. “But the best organizations are taking a differentiation tack, much like a brand would do in a consumer market.  The message has to be, ‘We stand for something that others don’t.  We’re special.  We’re relevant.’”  Probably the ideal mix would be a powerful shared vision coupled with an aligned framework of truly meaningful benefits and work practices.

For C12 members, the shared vision part is (or should be) a given.  To build a business that honors God and practices the art of business in harmony with Biblical principles – especially the life and teaching of Jesus Christ – is inspirational and challenging in the extreme.  Building a business that contributes to the good of mankind, positively impacting and transforming our community and world, while providing excellent goods and services to the competitive marketplace, is enough to keep an organization focused, challenged, excited and fulfilled for a lifetime!

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