Page 249 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

236B RE-ENGAGE

someone to take our place” often betray a mindset that employees are
mere commodities, entirely replaceable or expendable, and are con-
stantly looking to avoid doing work. While it is certainly true that
employers must continually evaluate whether employees are perform-
ing in a way that demonstrates their worth, and that a sense of over-
entitlement is an issue for many employees, maintaining the right
balance between “expecting the best” and “inspecting the work” is the
golden mean. We believe that most employers that inspire “I’m lucky
to work here” exclamations in the Best-Places-to-Work survey comments
section have managed to find the right balance.

Engaging by Valuing Contributions Despite the Tipping
Point of 150

Company growth does not have to mean that employees
stop getting the message that they are important and val-
ued in a variety of ways. Here are some practices that allow
successful growth companies to maintain a strong sense of
family and community:

: Reward cross-functional and interoffice teaming and task
forces.
: Reward group accomplishments with celebrations that
create opportunities for socializing and relationship
building.
: Solicit ideas from all employees regarding company
strategies, work processes, and suggestions related to
new revenues, innovations, and cost cutting. Reward
those that are implemented.