The Great Place to Work Institute, a global research and consultancy firm that recognizes the best workplaces in over 45 countries worldwide, is again searching for the UAE’s top companies to work for.
This annual ranking of the nation’s best employers is a process that any organization with 50 or more employees can undertake. But smaller organizations need not feel excluded. The lessons learned from our research can be applied to companies of any size. And often, nimble SMEs are better placed to make the necessary changes.
Great workplaces are fundamentally built on high trust relationships at work. Unless you are a fully automated company, with the highest levels of artificial intelligence, business growth is essentially driven by your people.
There are three relationships that most matter to great workplaces and which underscore business success. The relationship employees have with their manager, with their job and with their colleagues. It is often easier for senior leaders in SMEs to develop high trust relationships with their employees than in larger companies. They don’t have to navigate a complex web of reporting lines or internal politics, meaning management can more easily stay connected to their employees and to the bottom line.
To stay connected, SMEs can start by examining their work environment or the culture that actually drives people to work harder or less efficiently. The workplace has a very powerful impact on employees and if it is not an inviting and stimulating place to work, employees are likely to be less productive, less efficient and become easily worn-out. Employers also need to ensure that the workplace is equipped with the necessary resources and tools for employees to adequately perform their jobs.
Communication may seem an obvious point, but it really is the most important tool for developing high trust relationships between managers and employees. It is not only critical to be open and transparent in your communication, but also important to encourage interaction from and between employees.
Managers at best companies listen to ideas, issues and questions, and they always look for opportunities for employees to collaborate. Offering your staff a vehicle for decision-making and problem solving is a great way to keep them engaged, strengthen teamwork and make everybody feel valued within the workplace, regardless of their position.
Another differentiator of best companies is their ability to motivate their staff. Motivation is not only about making people feel competent to perform their jobs, but also helping them to find value in doing so. Make the connection for employees between their daily work and a meaningful, concrete business outcome. Employees need to know that what they do matters so it is also important to remind them of this regularly.
Give employees feedback weekly. Catch them doing something right and say so, but also be just as quick to give constructive feedback. On a regular basis, discuss an employee’s development plan – not just training to perform certain job functions, but also how you can help to grow and nurture their talents.
Consistency matters. Larger organizations that are considered great workplaces tend to apply programs, policies and practices very consistently across their workplaces. They also do a lot to communicate their message internally, often through more creative channels than newsletters or town halls. Transparency and fairness go hand-in-hand when reinforcing organizational values and expectations.
Conversely, smaller companies tend to have a very friendly, family type of culture and are often entrepreneurial in spirit. Processes tend to be informal and policies are limited. A critical issue that SMEs need to understand is how to scale their workplace culture as they grow. As they become larger, they need to take extra care to ensure they remain true to the core values and culture they created. SMEs can look to best companies for ways of creating programs and practices that are scalable and culture appropriate.
Through our annual ranking of the UAE’s best employers, we demonstrate, by example, the steps that organizations are taking to develop high levels trust, pride and camaraderie in their workplaces. Our next list will be published in February 2012 and registrations for that close on 31st October 2011.
Michael Burchell is the Partner and Director of Great Place to Work Institute, UAE, a research and consultancy firm that produces an annual ranking of the Top Companies to Work for in the UAE.
