Wednesday, February 11th, 2009
Interesting article by Anne-Marie Fink in Talent Management Magazine. She argues that great places to work, are places with a tough performance culture that looks the world, as it is, firmly in the eye. One of the companies she cites is Southwest Airlines. She argues that it is successful, and has loyal staff, not because it is ‘fun’ but because it has exacting standards and demands a lot of its staff but recognises their contribution.
She calls the article: ‘Strict, honest culture can drive shareholder value’ and therefore the adage that places that you should invest in, are horrible places to work in and vice versa is increasingly an urban myth. The best organisations to work in, now, are the ones that are honest, fair and strict about standards, and expect a lot of their staff. They will have a much better chance of coming out of the recession.
The Employee part of the Southwest Airlines mission is:
To Our Employees
We are committed to provide our Employees a stable work environment with equal opportunity for learning and personal growth. Creativity and innovation are encouraged for improving the effectiveness of Southwest Airlines. Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.
This has remained unchanged since January 1988.