The prize-giving ceremony of the Best Companies by Great Place to Work Italia is much more than a social event or a self-celebration. The enthusiasm aroused at the announcement of each company entering the Best Companies’ exclusive circles is the tangible proof of how the Corporate Objectives and Vision are really shared… as well as the evidence that a Great Workplace can achieve the best business results.
At the ceremony, hold last February 17th at Triennale di Milano, attended by the 35 companies nominated out of the 98 who competed for the award, one could feel that sense of belonging, high-trust, pride and camaraderie, which has been much talked about in theory.
Through the job conducted for over 25 years by Great Place to Work, the Best Companies give us a pragmatic proof that all workplaces can get excellent and demonstrate that great workplaces lead to better business results.
On the average, the Best Companies have a 11,49% higher turnover than similar companies not included in the place list, yet there are instances like 7Pixel, that in 2015 has increased by 39% over the previous year!
“The Dawn of the Great Workplace Era” it the title of the research conducted by Great Place to Work around the world. It shows that the world’s best workplaces are getting better. On World’s Best Multinational Workplaces list and on national lists throughout the globe are a kind of vanguard, leading the way into a more hopeful economic epoch.
Here the keywords of the research:
Awareness
There is increased awareness among company leaders globally of the importance of a high-trust workplace culture. Trust is top of mind for today’s executives worldwide, according to a PwC report last year, which surveyed 1,330 CEOs in 68 countries2.
Evidence
Evidence is mounting that great workplaces lead to better business results. Higher levels of employee satisfaction corresponded to stock market outperformance in countries with high levels of labor market flexibility.
Y Generation
The Millennial generation is demanding better workplaces. Around the world, the cohort of people in their mid-30s and younger is pushing employers to pay more attention to work-life harmony and social responsibility. Generation Y does not only search for a job, they search for a fulfilling activity that they can be proud of. Topics like health and work-life balance are key in companies that want to be top concerning the quality of their workplace culture.
Employee gratitude
High-trust cultures aren’t just about what management does for employees. They also reflect employee gratitude and reciprocation—especially in difficult times. Although economic downturns can erode workplace cultures, organizations that take care of their employees amid crises can bolster trust. In a number of European countries that have weathered political and economic challenges, employees at great workplaces appreciate their companies more deeply, says Dimitris Ganoudis, general manager of Great Place to Work Greece. When companies keep high standards and good working conditions amid layoffs, salary reductions and benefit cuts in the overall economy, Ganoudis says, “this makes employees more likely to reward the company in return. They are more conscious of the benefits and the treatment they have.”
Wellbeing
The emergence of a ‘wellbeing’ movement is nudging organizations to improve their cultures. Levels of stress have risen at organizations globally as companies have asked employees to do more with less and the growing use of mobile devices has led employees to feel pressure to be “always on”. Stanford University Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer has estimated that there are more than 120,000 excess deaths annually in the U.S. alone because of unhealthy work environments—which include features such as little control over one’s work, conflicts between work and family, and job insecurity.
Partly in response to stressful work climates, people have placed more value on physical and mental wellbeing. Great workplaces around the world are embracing this trend. Among the three Trust Index© scores that have risen most among the World’s Best Multinational Workplaces is this statement: “People are encouraged to balance their work life and their personal life.” Backed by research that relaxation and meditation techniques translate into better business results, Italian best workplaces in particular are doing such things as providing yoga classes, mindfulness workshops and emotional intelligence training, says Alessandro Zollo, CEO of Great Place to Work® Italy “Workspaces are changing to allow people to find self-awareness, physical well-being and, most importantly, psychological well-being that puts managers in the condition to make better decisions and employees in general to work without worries and with a smile.”
Momentum
Once an organization develops a positive workplace culture, that culture tends to continue getting better. This positive, upward spiral owes both to management and employees. They participate to advance the organization and feel greater appreciation for their work setting.
Transparency
The emergence of technologies such as social media and mobile, personal devices that can easily record images and audio are providing unprecedented transparency into organizations. So is the pressure on organizations by government agencies and non-governmental organizations to disclose information related to labor relations and environmental impact. The result is that the sunlight of transparency is exposing and punishing less- than-great organizations and rewarding good ones.
Text by Great Place to Work Italia.
Italian Best Workplaces/Large Companies:
1. Microsoft Italia, 783 dipendenti, www.microsoft.it
2. FedEx Express, 1226 dipendenti, www.fedex.com
3. EMC Computer Systems Italia SpA, 501 dipendenti, www.emc.com
4. Bricoman, 798 dipendenti, www.bricoman.it
5. Eli Lilly Italia SpA, 991 dipendenti, www.lilly.it
6. IKEA Italia Retail SRL, 5927 dipendenti, www.ikea.it
7. Bottega Veneta Italia, 680 dipendenti, www.bottegaveneta.com
8. Adecco SpA, 1695 dipendenti, www.adecco.it
9. Quintiles, 760 dipendenti, www.quintiles.com
10. Lidl Italia, 10.425 dipendenti, www.lidl.it
11. Markas SRL, 5558 dipendenti, www.markas.it
12. Abbvie, 1227 dipendenti, www.abbvie.it
Italian Best Workplaces/Small and Medium Enterprises
1. Sanofi Pasteur MSD, 81 dipendenti, www.spmsd.it
2. W.L. Gore e Associati SRL, 104 dipendenti, www.gore.com
3. Vetrya, 56 dipendenti, www.vetrya.it
4. Cisco Systems, 376 dipendenti, www.cisco.com
5. Mars Inc. (Mars, Royal Canin), 317 dipendenti, www.mars.it
6. National Instruments, 74 dipendenti www.ni.com
7. Loccioni, 371 dipendenti, www.loccioni.com
8. Coca-Cola Italia SRL, 75 dipendenti, www.coca-colaitalia.it
9. ConTe.it – Admiral Group PLC, 467 dipendenti, www.conte.it
10. Zeta Service, 113 dipendenti, www.zetaservice.com
11. Mellin – Danone Nutricia, 250 dipendenti, www.mellin.it
12. CSL Behring SpA, 51 dipendenti, www.cslbehring.com
13. Volkswagen Financial Services, 334 dipendenti, www.vwfs.it
14. Biogen Idec Italia, 88 dipendenti, www.biogenidec.it
15. SAS, 332 dipendenti, www.sas.com
16. Smith & Nephew SRL, 173 dipendenti, www.smith-nephew.com
17. MBS Consulting, 50 dipendenti, www.mbsconsulting.it
18. Eurac Research, 172 dipendenti, www.eurac.edu
19. Assimoco SpA, 353 dipendenti, www.assimoco.it
20. Aptar Italia, 498 dipendenti, www.aptar.com
21. Monsanto Agricoltura Italia SpA, 128 dipendenti, www.monsanto.it
22. 7Pixel, 90 dipendenti, www.7pixel.it
23. Griesfeld APSP, 134 dipendenti, www.griesfeld.it
