The Two-Part Formula for Best-in-Class Culture

Rebby has already done the first two things I recommend:

These are not as fun as snacks, scooters, or ping pong.

BUT THEY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF A GOOD WORKPLACE!!!!!

They tell you what to do and how to do it.

A job without these guideposts is a wasteland of boredom and apathy with a twice-a-month direct deposit to thank you for your suffering.

(Okay, maybe not that bad, but really annoying and crappy.)

I could do a whole post on why those two things are so important but Rebby saved y’all from that (for now…mwhahaha).

Instead, we get to talk about how to go from Very Good Culture to World Class Culture! Thank you, Rebby!

I’ve been lucky to see a lot of great company culture:

• early employee at multiple companies that have scaled quickly while also winning 2 or more Best Place to Work awards

• worked for best-in-class companies at the startup, mid-market, and Fortune 500 level

• talked to many founders, leaders, and employees who built standout, enduring cultures

The programs, benefits, and strategies varied depending on company size and personality.

But ultimately everything falls into 2 buckets:

1. Enable good work

2. Do things for people that they wouldn’t do for themselves (but provide tons of value!)

BONUS: many things fall into both categories.

Let’s talk specifics!

People want to do meaningful work.

They want the tools, direction, and freedom to get shit done!

The best companies to work for — regardless of size — are making it easy to do good work.

As scrappy startups have known for eons (well, decades), this can be free!

Here’s a bunch of ideas around good work at various price points and effort levels:

• Set clear goals, priorities, and objectives

• Offer purpose and meaning — how is this company making the world better? Doing community service together is an amazing way to build camaraderie and add value to the world!

• Autonomy — set the goals, then let people operate. Micromanagement is a great way to make someone want to leave!

• Working with other “A” players

• 20% Time — a Google classic, let people have time to work on things that help the company of their own choosing; Gmail came from 20% Time

• Sabbaticals — for example, after 5 years, get 5 weeks off (paid). Phenomenal way for fast growing startups to retain talent. Your great people will work even harder (and stay for the long term). Also, the company will be at a different place in 5 years so it’s a “deferred gratification” perk that incentivizes people now.

• Paid time off (PTO) – need to take breaks to do good work, untracked PTO is much easier to manage in the early days. “Unlimited” PTO is not really accurate 😉

• Flexible hours — let people work on schedules that work for their life and personal rhythms; don’t be an 8am-in-your-office-chair stickler

• No meeting day(s) — having 1 no-meeting day per week is one of the simplest, most impactful ways to prevent burnout with top employees. They want to do great work. Give them time for deep focus.

• Well-run meetings or ability to decline any internal meeting (which enforces the “well-run” part!)

• Good equipment — quality computers, nice monitors, tech accessories, ergonomic chairs, standing desks, walking pads

• Good technology — helpful tools, quality software products, large AI budgets 😉

• Saying yes to new ideas or experiments

• Career growth opportunities: promotion, new projects, new roles, travel, expanding to new geographies or industries

• Education, training, professional development

• Manager and leadership development (working for good people is part of good work!)

• Snacks, drinks, food — fuel your brain, less time on meal prep logistics

One of my favorite examples from my Pardot days:

We got our cars washed and detailed!

It was such an amazing treat. Park in the deck. Hand off keys. Car is clean when you leave the office!

I’d guess it was $50/quarter. Maybe $100.

I could have afforded it but would have never, ever paid for it out of my own pocket (because I am perfectly capable of washing a car — even though I never did 🙃).

It provided WAY more value and joy than an extra $500/year in salary:

• Immediate burst of joy

• Felt grateful to my company

• Got to brag to my friends how awesome my job was

• Appreciated it all over again every time I entered my car for the next week

Much more powerful than a very small increase in the amount of money in my paycheck direct deposit (that I never looked at anyway).

You can probably put healthcare and 401k in this bucket, but they are often simply “tablestakes.” You need to do them. But most people don’t appreciate them as much as they should, especially given how expensive they are.

These are not my rules, just how humans (myself included) tend to operate! Yay clean car! Meh long term health and retirement. 😳🫠🙃

The fun thing about all these items is that THEY ALSO HELP PEOPLE DO GOOD WORK!

Frees up mental energy. More time to do what matters. Overall well-being and joy that overflows into your professional life.

Many of the “Enable Good Work” items also fall into the “Love It But Wouldn’t Do It On My Own” category:

• Sabbaticals

• Good equipment for working

• Providing time for deep work

• Food! (Must. Fuel. Brain.)

Team celebrations and recognizing people’s contributions actually fall into BOTH CATEGORIES!!

Part of good work is the acknowledgement of it, whether it’s at the company, department, or individual level.

Celebrations and recognition can also offer amazing things you wouldn’t do for yourself!

Examples:

• Team parties at memorable places — bumper cars, arcade games, cooking class, gun range (true story 😬), escape room, nice dinner, pottery, improv class

• “President’s Club” at an amazing location — resort, mountain or lake house, wine country

• Peer-to-peer award with gift card, fun swag, socks with your face on them, your own Bobblehead, or 100 other creative ideas!

• Workaversary celebrations — including sabbaticals, fancy things like watches, or company-wide recognition of your many contributions

• Sales bonuses or challenges — and make it fun! A sales leader I know did a “shopping spree” prize: win a $1000 gift card, 2 hours to spend it.

• The ultimate “wouldn’t do it for yourself” celebration — you have to take a trip. Company funds $x, you leave from the office, and report back what you did!

• Gongs, ARR scoreboards, champagne on ice for an impromptu toast

• Community service also fits in here! Great team building and something you might not do on your own. Celebrate your abundance by helping others!

The list is endless and I’m sure I’m forgetting some favorites.

What have been some of your favorite best-place-to-work traditions, perks, or benefits? The more creative and memorable, the better!

Coming Soon:

We’ll also answer Rebby’s next question about employer brand building and share some common mistakes that well-intentioned founders make!