There are good employers and there are bad employers. For anyone who has worked for more than a few years or changed jobs more than once you know that you can work for a great company and still have a miserable boss. For each of us the traits of a good employer might be slightly different to fit our personal needs even our needs at specific times in our lives. The traits of a great manager might vary based on our own personality quirks and even the stage of our career. One thing is certain though there are common traits that make a stellar employer and a standout manager.
Let's start with the common values that distinguish an employer as excellent or heads and shoulders above the rest.
A) Treats all employees as valuable members of the organization from the file clerk to the CEO. This includes providing consistent benefits and fair compensation plans commensurate with market and contribution.
B) Treats all employees with respect and courtesy and requires that that same treatment be accorded at all levels of the organization. This is not only part of the employee manual but also part of the culture. It is a socially ingrained into long-term employees but it is also an actionable breach when an employee consistently behaves with a lack of respect or courtesy toward their peers or employees. This would be particularly true when the breach is that of a supervisor or manager toward their employees.
C) Provides a learning environment for all employees. Organizations that focus on internal learning and encourage employees toward both internal cross training and external education will reduce attrition and increase employee satisfaction. The rapid rate of change especially in technology today demands that employees continually enhance skills and knowledge throughout their career. Organizations that recognize the need for skills management, encourage, and contribute to their employees to learning, cross training, and continuing education will find themselves with a committed workforce.
D) Has an open door policy that is not just part of the employee manual but is part of the culture. There is a real difference between hearing that the door is always open if you have concerns and knowing that you are able to walk into your manager's office or even their manager's office with your issues and concerns. If the culture of the company is one of open communication and real concern for the organizations reputation, its customer's needs, and its employees concerns the doors of leadership will be open to any employee of the company. This is not to say that employees should not be respectful of the formal chain of command, however, there will be times when that chain of command must be bypassed due to circumstances that are outside of the formal chain of command or official process; this is the real test of what the company handbook says versus the culture of the company.
E) Provides opportunity for advancement based on contribution and capabilities. An organization that looks inside for talent first will be one that retains talent. All too often organizations will seek outside for new leadership rather than looking within their organization for those they can mentor and grow. This creates a lack of commitment to the company as members ready for the next step with the skills and willingness to work hard look outside for the opportunity to contribute. Those organizations that create and commit to mentorship programs succeed in growing their next generation of leadership who will continue their culture and commitment to excellence.
F) Finally has a standard of excellence and ethics in its treatment of its financial management that can withstand the closest audit. This standard is true of all its financial transactions including vendor, customer, stockholder, and employee. Whether the company is a publicly or privately held organization the standard of excellence is the same. The ethical management of funds and treatment of relationships hold true. Respect for these relationships is a key indicator of whether this employer is worthy of your trust and commitment.
Bottom line is that great managers and excellent organizations have several similarities. Those that are ethical and treat individuals with respect tend to attract and retain the best employees thus be the best places to work. There are of course other components of a good employer that are less esoteric then the above description; things like medical benefits, educational benefits, family leave. I did not discuss these since most medium to large organize offer some form of benefit to their employee and these are more of a competitive nature rather than the foundation of what makes a truly great organization.
Whatever or whoever your employer is, ask yourself whether he practices this or not? If you manage people, are you doing it the right way?
We wish you a good day in the office.
Article by Valentine Logar and modified by HCC.
