Against Our Values As A Company

Second, be aggressively authentic. Too many companies view a values initiative in the same way they view a marketing launch: a onetime event measured by the initial attention it receives, not by its content.

Permission-to-play values simply reflect the minimum behavioral and social standards required of any employee. They tend not to vary much across companies, particularly those working in the same region or industry, which means that, by definition, they never really help distinguish a company from its competitors.

Words are just that. Words. How does a company uphold its stated values with deeds that keep promises to employees, customers, and the community? It begins by communicating those company core values in ways that everyone understands and then can act upon.

When distilled down to the basics, company values might be described simply as the Golden Rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Or, to paraphrase filmmaker Spike Lee: Do the right thing.

There are many other company core values, of course. (HubSpot has compiled an excellent list of 16 values and some specific company examples.) But defining a guiding philosophy set is unique to every company.

Across our global enterprise, Boeing employees are united by a shared commitment to our values, which serve as the guiding principles for all we do. As we innovate and operate to make the world better, each one of us takes personal accountability for living these values and leading the way forward for our teams, our customers, our stakeholders, and the communities in which we live and work.

Rooted in transparency, fairness and learning, a Just Culture creates an environment where everyone feels free to report errors and are treated fairly for making mistakes while being held accountable for negligence or malicious behavior. The intent is to help all of us learn from mistakes to improve as individuals and as a company.

As we strive for continuous improvement in ourselves and our company, we will seek insights from one another, as well as external thought leaders and companies with demonstrated excellence. Discovery and assimilation of these best practices will empower us to solve our most difficult problems.

By committing fully to our values, communicating with transparency, and delivering results with excellence, we will earn and retain the confidence of our customers, suppliers and investors; our team members; and everyone who uses our products and services.

What an exhilarating feeling. Your company likely nailed the art of making their employees feel welcomed, appreciated, and motivated to do their best work. These companies stand apart because of their exceptionally powerful core values that resonate with everyone in their workforce.

This article will break down what lies behind the best company values, help you identify the values that define your business, and inspire you with 11 outstanding examples of companies that live their values each day.

A recent Harvard Business Review article by Dr. Natalie Baumgartner, Chief Workforce Scientist at Achievers, explores why culture needs to align with company values. She cites a LinkedIn survey that suggests 26 percent of employees would forego a fancy title and 65 percent would accept lower pay before dealing with a poor workplace environment.

3M is a global company with over 88,000 employees that produces innovative technologies to change the world for the better. The values they choose to live by reveal the deep appreciation they have for their investors, the environment, and their employees. Their guiding values include:

One way that 3M ensures these values stay constant as they grow is by investing in educational opportunities for potential future 3M employees. 3M supports programs like WorldSkills, DonorsChoose.org, Frontline Sales Initiative, Young Scientist Challenge, and 3M Visiting Wizards. Each initiative hopes to inspire the next generation of scientists, innovators and inventors.

Everyone in the world has heard of Google. Such an influential business needs killer corporate values, and Google does not disappoint. They refer to their values as ten things we know to be true, which were originally written when Google was a few years old:

Meijer is a large grocery store chain based in the Midwest that has provided nutritious, fresh food since 1934. As such, their values emphasize the importance of making customers happy, selling the freshest products, and keeping up with the fast pace of the grocery industry while maintaining a superior level of safety:

In accordance with their values, Olympus has committed $100,000 annually to their five long-term charity partners. It has also engaged in internal environmental initiatives, including implementing an integrated Quality and Environmental Management System. Olympus also adopted a recognition platform that let it more closely align its corporate values with its recognition and rewards program. Olympus realized incredible benefits from its new platform, seeing a 102 percent increase in total recognition activity and an increase in its favorable engagement score from 34 percent to 63 percent.

Recognizing the employees who embody your company values connects your workforce and unites them in support of your culture. Achievers data shows that every time organizations double the number of recognitions in their organization, their overall engagement is expected to go up five percentage points, and a five point increase in employee engagement is linked to a three point increase in revenue growth the following year. And companies with culture alignment are six times more profitable.

Many of the companies listed above use Achievers to drive their business forward. And Achievers recognizes them in turn for their exceptional employee engagement. Join the elite group of organizations whose company values instill trust in their employees, customers, shareholders, and partners by requesting a demo of Achievers Recognize today.

Businesses often look to each other to figure out how to refine their values, habits, and ideas into a set of values. To keep growing, companies need something their teams can get behind and understand.

Core company values give employees purpose. Purpose is undeniably critical for employee satisfaction. In fact, a McKinsey & Company survey of employees found 70% of employees said their sense of purpose was largely defined by work. However, that number drops significantly to 15% when non-executive participants were asked if they are living their purpose at work.

This bold act was the first of many, including offering on-site childcare, creating the Tools for Grassroots Activists conference, and Patagonia Action Works. The most recent is the news that Chouinard is shifting his family's ownership of the company to a trust that will support future operations. This $3 billion decision also has the potential to contribute about $100 million a year to climate change research.

Fulfilling values like "don't be evil" can be complicated. As Google grows and develops more products, there is more tension and scrutiny. Ultimately, a core value doesn't have much power if your company can't list intentional, calculated decisions it's made to put values ahead of profit.

Additionally, Coca-Cola's Sustainability page exemplifies its commitment to climate, as well. This page includes charts and statistics about water usage, recycling, and more. By acknowledging both its efforts and its shortcomings, Coca-Cola is able to show its desire to live up to its values, while taking responsibility for any mismatch between its ideals and reality.

Amazon's acquisition of the grocery chain in 2017 caused some loyal shoppers to question the authenticity of the brand. But they brought in a new CEO in 2022 who wants to more deeply connect to the core values of Whole Foods. And a 30% increase in local brands and double the number of banned food ingredients in stores show that the company is still focused on its core values.

These frustrations didn't just lead her to solve a problem that she struggled with for years. They helped her create a set of company values that emphasize empathy, access, representation, and awareness.

This popular payroll app supports 200,000+ businesses in the United States. Gusto doesn't just talk about supporting the needs of employees and customers. Leaders at this company make it happen with radical transparency.

Recreational equipment co-op REI has remained true to its values since its founding in 1938. The co-op model allows them to invest a significant portion of profits back into their community through employee profit sharing and donations to nonprofits dedicated to the outdoors.

The company states "We give all our employees a day off to #OptOutside with family and friends on the busiest retail day of the year. We continue this tradition because we believe in putting purpose before profits."

This took several rounds because one of the common themes was that employees love working at HubSpot because of the people. It took more time and effort to discover why and how that feeling could translate to a set of company values.

The level of feedback you need for a project like this isn't a one-time and done sort of effort. While the responses to a question like "Why do you love working here?" may feel good to hear, they may not be specific or honest enough to build your core values on.

You'll want to ask tough questions and get into the details. This will help you collect constructive criticism. It will also help you understand the culture your business already has. Building on your existing values is the best way to create a lasting company culture.

You learn from each other and develop tactics and strategies every day. These habits come from a foundation of shared values. So, your goal during this step is to bring those distinct values to light.

Company values often use short sentences and declarative phrases. Because of this, it can also be useful to explain how your team interprets a simple phrase within your values. For example, the culture code explains what transparency is and what it isn't at HubSpot. 2b1af7f3a8