The alarm rings. Another early morning start to a Monday work day. Instant thought: “Why am I doing this?” And—”Is my job truly worth the effort?”
Are you in the wrong role, or just working for the wrong company? We all have an idea of why it makes sense to work for a top rated employer, but what difference will you notice when you to get the opportunity to work for a firm in the top 100 of the BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR?
Certified great places to work
The best companies to work for achieve a commercial advantage from being good at looking after their people. According to Great Place to Work®, the best firms have employees who are six times more likely to recommend their employer to others, exhibit half the turnover of their peers, and, when asked, 1 in 5 will tell you they look forward to going to work. Take a look at their list of the Top 100 best companies to work for.
The top brands of the world compete annually to be recognized for their qualities as employers, their ultimate ambition being to attract talent, and keep it. That all sounds great, but what difference would you experience if you were employed by one of these firms? In this article, we take a deep dive into what you should expect.
Everyone wants to work for a good employer
We all have a notion of what it feels like to work for a good employer — good salary and benefits, flexible work arrangements, a nurturing and supportive work environment, fulfilling work that makes a difference, the opportunity to make friends and business contacts, and to grow personal business brand credentials to guarantee job security. It all sounds wonderful.
That is until you check out Glassdoor, or look into the industry data and realize that the ideal employer relationship is rarely attained.
A recently conducted study by Great Place to Work® and Johns Hopkins researched worker attitudes to employment and found that:
- Almost half reported not finding meaning in their work
- 39% said their work doesn’t make a difference
- 35% felt no sense of belonging
- 25% felt lonely at work
- Employees from marginalized communities were 9% are more likely to feel lonely at work
What you get from a good employer compared to a bad one
It comes down to the effort and attention that good employers place on supporting and nurturing their workforce. The greater effort and investment good employers put into their people, the greater their sense of purpose. It makes people feel valued, and motivates them to do more—productivity that boosts employer outcomes. According to the same research:
- 9 out of 10 feel cared for
- 4 out of 5 look forward to coming to work
- 4 out of 5 feel psychologically and emotionally healthy
- 4 out of 5 find meaning in their jobs
Five things good employers do that makes all the difference
We’ve examined the top 10 list of good employers according to Great Places to Work. These are some of the areas that illustrate what you can expect from a good employer in 2022.
1. Wellbeing support
The pandemic led to greater personal isolation for knowledge workers. It’s created somewhat of a mental health crisis within young workers. According to the mental health charity Mind, 9 in 10 young people (88%) have said that loneliness has made their mental health worse during the pandemic.
Salesforce introduced monthly employee well-being surveys during the pandemic, to learn how employees were feeling and help address top stressors.
To assist its workforce, NVIDIA has a page that outlines employee benefits regarding their well-being. It’s a one-stop shop for resources for mental, physical, family, and financial health. It’s supported by a webinar program as organized on topics such as mindfulness, work-life balance, and positive parenting.
2. Dealing with life beyond the workplace
For so many of us, the pressures of life are increasing. With the population on the rise, there is an ever-increasing competition for well paid roles. Many of us are pushed to work past the retirement age, with 1 in 3 seniors planning to work past 70 or never retire. Many employees must balance being a carer for a family member or loved one with full time jobs. Furthermore, many who struggle to earn enough to meet their needs are forced to take on more than one job.
Unsurprisingly, these pressures lead to personal issues that extend beyond the workplace. Nevertheless, thoughtful employers recognize that not supporting workers beyond the 9-to-5 does have a negative impact on their work productivity.
Accenture is a top 10 employer that now offers grief and loss counselling, providing its workforce with one-to-one counselling from licensed therapists, as well as access to numerous resources on coping with loss.
American Express offers resources for elder care, giving employees 24/7 access to care consultants who can help arrange in-home care. Similarly, Capital One offers 15 days of back-up care to its workers through a national network of fully screened and vetted care centers or in-home care options. Due to this benefit, the company claims parents and caregivers saved more than 7,700 workdays between January and November 2020. It also added options for discounted tutoring services for parents struggling with children in the virtual school environment.
3. Coaching, counselling and mentoring
At some point in their life, we all need someone as a sounding board, or a steer. Businesses know that employees don’t always have a shoulder to lean on when they need one, particularly remote workers. Hence why good employers are now looking to add counselling and nurturing services to support the needs of their workers.
Cisco offers a “Safe to Talk” community where employees can access resources for mental health support and learn how to offer support to one another. It also features a manager’s toolkit, where leaders can find tips on how to effectively listen and respond to the needs of their teams.
4. Engagement and involvement
Perhaps one of the most important factors for retention, particularly for millenials, is to have a boss who listens to them and allows them to contribute. It’s vital for employees to feel like they are a part of something; who doesn’t want to work for a business that does something positive for its community, society, and the planet?
According to research commissioned by blockchain-based clean energy company Swytch, 40% of millenials have chosen a job because the company had a better sustainability score.
Expect good employers to bring more access to leaders, and to adopt Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and local community activities that encourage their workforce to get involved and participate in positive initiatives. This can range from allocating a day or two a year to social causes, or more significant peer and mentoring initiatives. The big message is, if you work for a good employer, you are given every opportunity to bring your whole self to work and ‘get involved.’
Leaders at Wegmans hold a minimum of two “open door days” per year, with managers saving space in their diary to have one-on-one time with employees who sign up to discuss any topic with their immediate supervisor. This means employees can access leaders positioned two, three, or four levels above their direct supervisors.
5. Perks
It’s no secret that perks are a significant factor that affects employee retention and turnover. These can range from flash flood incentives, to annual performance incentives, and anything in between. Many top employers contract with third-party perk platform providers offering shopping discounts, gym memberships, air miles and enumerate of other benefits.
Research shows that 75% of employees are more likely to stay with their employer because of their employee benefits package.
Being a good employer is good for workers AND good for business
The companies highlighted in this article aren’t doing it solely for the brand halo effect. No question, both sides of the employment equation profit from happier, engaged workers.
According to research by Great Place to Work®, its 100 best employer index outperformed the broader market by 16.5% in 2020, returning 37.4% compared to a 20.9% return for the Russell 3000® Index – the broadest benchmark index for US stocks.
Hopefully, recognition of this point will encourage ever more employers to ‘do the right thing’ and offer jobs on terms that people genuinely look forward to wake up in the morning for.
USTECH SOLUTIONS works with some of the top employers in North America to help people find their next best work-life adventure.
If you’re looking to make your next move, reach out and speak to one of our expert recruiters today.
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