I’ve heard lots of people complain about the companies they work for being horribly run, run by idiots and there are the simple things that could be changed and everything would work out well.
However, I’ve never met anyone who claims they work for a company that’s run well. I’ve met people who have liked their jobs, who think their supervisors are great, but no one whose ever said, “my company is run just about as well as it could be and it’s doing great.”
So, do you work for a well-run company? (not your friend, not some guy in the other department, you)
I did once, thanks to an exceptionally precise - yet friendly and laid-back - boss, who documented everything, and worked out a fantastic process flow for everything that happened. He knew exactly what was going on, and improved processes all the time. Unfortunately the company went bust. :rolleyes:
I’ve worked for about 10 companies now, and none of the others were run even remotely well.
I work for a medical lab that I would say is extremely well run. We’ve been expanding constantly since long before I started, two and a half years ago. We’re up to about 1600 employees now, and we’re adding more lab space to the building every year. Every quarter, if we’ve exceeded profit goals, we get a bonus based on how far we’ve exceeded them. There’s only been one quarter since I started that we didn’t get a bonus, even with the economy the way it’s been.
It’s a refreshing change from my last company that declared bankruptcy shortly after I left.
I’ve just started a new part-time job at the public library, and I think it’s a well-run company - not in the “laid back and relaxed” sense, and it’s very heirarchical and strict in some ways, but everybody knows what their job is, and who their boss is, and what they’re supposed to do and when and where. It’s refreshing. Things get done, even.
Three months ago I began working for a local non-profit. Smallish, twenty or so employees, almost all women (1 man), and all dedicated. No cat fights - the focus stays on the children we serve. Every penny is accounted for and frugal office practices are in place. Everyone is pleasant, if not down right friendly, and helpful and keeps their eyes on the common goal. Folks work together, in a true team spirit, to make sure our clients get nothing less than the very best.
From an employee perspective: many employees have been with them 10, 15, 20 and even 30 years! They offer a decent retirement plan, good health insurance, and a vacation schedule that is every working mothers dream (closed school holidays!).
I am but a peon, but truly wish I’d been a peon for them for the last 25 years. They will have to pry my cold, dead body out of the door. I’m so happy I lucked into this agency.
I work for a well-run company which is profitable and has been growing for the past couple years. They were recently acquired by another (bigger) well-run company. Both my boss and her boss, who is the CTO, are extremely talented and competent. Because of that, they tend to hire extremely talented and competent employees, like me.
I work for a very large, well-run company that has completed mergers whilst growing gross sales and keeping profits level. A company that sees trends developing and adjusts accordingly, rather than following the trends too late. My company has managed to increase sales and profits even as our competitors are slipping ground in a harsh regulatory environment. My company has simple, testable, action-based objectives for employees, too - Not vague buzz-words.
My first job was like that. It was for the headquarters of a major supermarket company in the Boston area that planned to double in size over 5 years and then sell out. It did that and all the key employees were well compensated for that aquisition. There was none of that Dilbert crap. I had an amazing amount of authority and responsibilty for a new manager that reached throughout the company. Everyone worked extremely hard but at the same time it was pretty informal and everything was to the point. There was no need to get an important company-wide memo to get approved by 3 people to get the wording right. You just did it and people were expected to act on it and they did. Petty office politics that got in the way of business were stamped out hard and fast. At the same time, there were no pointless and petty behavior rules for employees.
