An Interview with Robert Levering, co-founder of The Great Places to Work Institute.

Your definition of a "great place to work" is "one where you trust the people you work for, have pride in what you do, and enjoy the people you work with." What is the specific meaning of each of the terms in this definition?

My definition is based on interviews I've conducted at dozens of great workplaces throughout the world. I discovered that employees at these companies invariably talked about three issues. The first was that they had a high level of trust in management. By trust, they meant they believed what management told them; they thought management delivered on promises; they felt management genuinely respected them as people, not just as hired hands; and they thought management treated them fairly.

At the same time employees of great workplaces also said they had great pride in their jobs and in the company itself. Finally, they all felt a great sense of camaraderie with the other people they worked with. That is, they said the company had a very friendly environment or, oftentimes, a place where they felt they could have fun.

Read more...

http://www.extensor.co.uk/articles/int_levering/interview_robert_levering.html