I have been working since I was at school and worked in an office since I was 16 (yes a very long time ago!) and although I have only worked in 3 companies, all of those have been very different in their approach when it comes to their staff and the culture they bring.
The first company I worked for didn’t pay a great deal but they looked after their employees. We were treated to lunch and on our birthdays and christmas we got little presents along with a small bonus.
My second job I worked in was a lot different the pay was better but as it was a larger company the benefits offered were a lot less. It became clear that as it was such a large company you became a bit of a number more than an individual. It wasn’t always like that. When I first started there was times when you got little treats such as an Easter egg or at Christmas we got a £25 Marks and Spencer’s voucher but then things started to change as the times got tougher, the aim was on making profit.
In my current employment it completely different again. Although it is a big company and they may not be able to look after everyone on a specific individual basis they do look after their staff. The kitchen is always stocked with milk, tea and a coffee machine. We get fruit delivered twice a week along with end of month cakes and not forgetting the Christmas party. We also go our every few months for team lunches which the company pay for.
They do try to look after their staff which they offer flu jabs in the winter and you can sign up to the company health insurance too.
Furtniture at Work are bringing together the Workplace Ebook in the coming weeks and have asked me to give them a quote on the workplace and the culture of the workplace.
In the last few months my role has turned into a supervisors role in which I have taken on a small team and one thing that I have learnt over the years is to appreciate your staff. I work by the following rules:
“Appreciation goes a long way with your team, sometimes its a simple thank you or a little gift at Easter or Christmas, just showing that they are appreciated for their efforts gets a better result than not saying anything”
A little thank you goes a long way!
Once the Ebook is live I will share it with you but in the meantime do you have any workplace cultures you want to share?