What could Google have in common with Wegmans and Costco?
The tech giant is working on big idea projects like driverless cars and “smart” contact lenses, as well as its top research businesses. The other two are mainly focused on selling food.
Yet it’s crucial that all three companies do something right: They offer employees “good jobs,” not unpaid, low-paying jobs that make employers feel like cogs in the machine.
All three companies give their employees freedom and a sense of personal responsibility for their work, says Laszlo Bock, Google’s human resources manager, The Wall Street Journal. This makes workers “like owners,” says Bock.
All three companies are often on the list of the best companies that they can work for or that everyone wants to work for, thanks to competitive wages and strong benefits. All three offer flexibility and, in particular, training that conveys the message to workers that they are valued.
It is important that employees do not feel trapped in their work. Wegmans and Costco promote the interior and use real resources to help workers ascend. Rotation is low.
The Reports
According to BusinessWeek, 70% of Costco’s warehouse managers started at the end of the business. At Wegmans, 66% of promotions are internal.
Stores also offer rational programming. Employees are happier if they plan their work hours early and change shifts with their colleagues. This is not common in retail, where workers generally don’t know when to work week after week.
Google’s advantages are legendary. The MyWegmansConnect provides sabbatical workers, mindfulness training, and many other coveted advantages to keep employees motivated and happy.
All this salary, respect and freedom can cost companies more from the beginning. However, research has shown that creating “good jobs” that, like zombies, are more than a dead-end, is actually a victory for employers.
“Higher investments in MyWegmansConnect make companies very successful,” said Professor M.I.T. Zeynep Ton at the Huffington Post in February. Ton’s research showed that employers who offer “good jobs,” attractive jobs that give employees a chance to think, are more profitable.
It is win-win.