Best Places to Work in America — by Dan Lynn
By Dan Lynn
Our first company was honored as the #1 Best Place to work in New Jersey and one of the 50 Best Places to Work in America. One of the awards was announced before an audience of more than 12,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM) 58th Annual Conference & Exposition in Washington, D.C.
Those were proud moments for me, the team, our clients, and our partners. However, the best thing is that shortly after winning the awards, we had a line of incredibly talented people interested in working for us. Recruiting became easy after that. Build a great place to work and you will build a great team which will lead to great products and to great customers. Build a great place to work and you will be on your way to building a great company.
Questions this Key Learning answers
How can a great workplace make recruiting talented people easier?
The author found that after his company received credible workplace awards, talented candidates lined up to work there and recruiting became easier. Our analysis explains that outside recognition reduces uncertainty by showing candidates that employees, not only management, value the workplace. The lesson is to build the workplace first, then let trusted recognition make that culture visible.
Do workplace awards actually help attract better job candidates?
In the author’s experience, they did. Shortly after his company was named New Jersey’s best place to work and one of America’s 50 best, it drew strong interest from talented people. Our analysis says credible third-party recognition turns culture into a trustworthy signal, giving candidates outside validation of what working at the company is really like.
How does company culture affect products and customer experience?
The author describes a chain: build a great workplace, attract a great team, and that team can create great products and serve great customers. Our analysis adds that retention, productivity, product quality, and customer experience are connected outcomes. Culture is not merely an employee perk; it is part of how the company operates and grows.