In a recent publication, a ranking was developed with the best companies to work in Chile, with concern I was able to verify that only three companies classified in the Top Ten are of national origin, to which a question arose, which is not minor and that I hope I can answer: What are foreigners doing within their organizations that are not being implemented in ours?
This question is important and closely related to the title, since according to a study published by the American magazine Fortune, the best companies to work for are also the best companies to invest in, considering that they are almost twice as profitable as the rest of the companies, the conclusion of the study indicates that " Joy is contagious and is a good investment" And the proof of this, is that these companies are the most profitable when it comes to investing, because they use their resources in people in a more intelligent way, remember that in the era of the service economy, the favorable spirit of Employees (Some of these companies call them collaborators or partners) is also good for shareholders, as an example of this conclusion is graphed in the returns of the company of ratail LOWE and Harley-Davidson, who recorded profits that exceeded 40% per year, despite the stock market variations after the black September 11.
Another notable example is that if an investor had obtained shares of the best 100 organizations to work for and of the companies that occupied places above No. 500, the first year in which the ranking was made (1998), in the case of the 100 best, the profitability obtained by buying and selling shares of companies that entered and left this section, their annual profit would have reached 10.6% versus 5.7% that would have been obtained by buying shares of companies ranked over 500.
Now, if we analyze the common features of the best companies to work for (MEPT), they are related to the good ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE, based on the excellent communication channels that the organization has for its members (formal Feed-back channels), as well as, mutual trust. Another notable feature is the organization's concern for the collaborator to grow professionally, for example, MEPTs not only measure the individual success of their collaborators in a quantitative way, but also measure the degrees of achievement obtained in a certain period, delivering the necessary tools for the collaborator to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for its development. Too,the spirit of equal opportunities and non-discrimination that are found within organizations must be taken into consideration, a factor that is common to the best MEPTs; An example of this is the international Mc Donalds chain that was distinguished for hiring 40 disabled people among its staff.
The good quality of life of the workers is another common concern in the MEPT, since in several of these organizations for this purpose, they have made reductions in the working day together with training people in the proper use of the time resource, rewarding collaborators who excel in achieving Work-Life Balance.
The benefits that operate in the MEPT range from life, accident and disability insurance, complementary health insurance, dental insurance, baskets of companies' products, marriage, birth, school, emergency loans, gym payment bonds., performance bonuses, scholarships for higher studies, even sessions and cultural activities such as sports and art workshops, "movie evenings" created by a MEPT, where every Thursday at 7:00 p.m., collaborators together with their Families can attend to watch a movie on the giant screen in the organization's auditorium. Such is the success of this activity, that every week the projection of films has an attendance that does not drop below 100 people.
As, it can be read in the previous paragraph, the ways to improve the organizational climate, ranging from the most varied types, in which not only with larger monetary amounts can be developed, but in which creativity can play an important role for its successful development. That is to say, it is not about making and implementing revolutionary Management systems, or making major organizational transformations, it is simpler and at the same time more complex than we think and this is based on the maxim: TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE YOU TREAT YOU.
The key aspects to be part of the MEPT are born in the Generation of Trust (Credibility-Respect-Righteousness), making people feel proud of their organizations, teams and their work within the organization, as well as the Product and / o Service they develop. They must also provide the tools so that people feel the true sense of team.
Consequently, it is our obligation to change organizational climates, encouraging our companies to choose to generate systems that allow the company to share information on the aspects that affect business development and employee stability (Information Sharing).
We must be able to involve employees in business decisions, as well as those related to their work environment and generate transparent, explicit and confidential mechanisms in which employee-collaborators can resort when they feel mistreated or involved in an unfair situation. It is of great importance to recognize and thank those who show their commitment to the organization, as well as thanking those who have added value to the company. (Acknowledgment that can be verbal-written-material / public-private).
The leaders of the organizations must develop instances of Feed-Back regarding the performance and expectations that the collaborators have. Professional and personal development must be one of the points of greatest consideration within organizational strategies, where there must be formal training plans that are aimed at the development of people, in order to achieve better employability; Complementing the foregoing, it is important to create fair and clear separation policies, for those who leave the organization (Voluntary or Involuntary), which is oriented towards the company's social responsibility, since this process of separation is very complex, and not only influences those directly involved, but also those who stay,since these generate a more stable work environment, seeing the concern and collaboration that arises from the organization with those who leave before their dismissal and after they leave the organization.
We must state that the benefits must be directed to the stability, protection and family well-being of the people who make up the organization, which is linked to creating socially responsible companies.
Finally, MEPT builds its success on the philosophy of the Intelligent Organization, which is constituted through pedagogical processes that develop new skills and promote the following habits:
Leaders who exert influence by example, who trust and are trustworthy, are humble, tolerant, teachers, visionaries, guided by values, who promote the leadership of others and teamwork, who listen and promote change.
Teamwork, with common objectives, solidary and directed towards synergy, respect and appreciation of differences, teams with clear and flexible roles, high standards of achievement and self-control. Responsible, committed, creative, honest people, with orientation to Empowerment, social conscience and service attitude.
Processes, agile, efficient, simple, team-based and cross-functional.
Organization that encourages innovation, change, with continuous learning and that are open to society.
In other words, our organizations should encourage cooperation as opposed to competition from their members. Bearing in mind that our small and medium-sized companies will most likely never appear in an MEPT ranking, but every day we must direct all our efforts so that our organization tends to be an MEPT and therefore are increasingly more profitable, let's not forget that "joy is contagious and is a good investment".
