Are there any well-managed companies out there in reality?

18 Comments

1. AnonymousMarch 4,2023 at 5:21PM UTC

   I know there are industries and companies and ways to find them that help. Also, specific industries are more likely to treat their employees better. Non-profit companies that work in human services to underserved populations generally treat their employees better than others because, after all, that is their mission. Typically, I take the "one of the xxx top places to work in -location-" lists with a grain of salt because individual managers/supervisors can perform contrary to the stated culture, making your experience significantly different. Specific industries distribute badges for corporate transparency, which companies will display on their websites (one example is Candid's transparency badge for non-profits).

   If you are actively looking, you may want to connect with someone who works there before accepting an offer to get an "insider's" view. I will promise you one thing: there is no perfect company or perfect industry out there because what you perceive to be follow-through and compliance with directives for dignity and respect may not be consistent with the company's need to comply with sound business practices. Just because there has to be a balance between the two indicates that there will likely be disagreement.

2. Brenda JMarch 4,2023 at 6:37PM UTC

   I've had excellent experiences and would say Yes, there's well managed companies. Yet, I've witnessed others ugly/horrible experiences within the same organization. Ultimately i agree with, people don't leave companies, they leave bosses, sometimes co-workers.

   So your question is based on how you're evaluating it. But I'd say the honest answer is No.

3. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 1:18PM UTC

   Over my 30+ years in the workforce and across a multitude of industries as consultant, it has proven over and over again that companies are NOT well- managed this way. I have personally experienced bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination and unless I was willing to pay an attorney in excess of $600/hr there is little means to do anything about it. HR works for the company, not you, and this is important to remember. It has led to my leaving on 4 different occasions while the known culprit has ended up being promoted or secured in their role while I have had to start all over again.

   if One looks at the statistics of women and diverse groups in leader roles or boardrooms the facts speak clear that things are not changing at a necessary rate.

   however, to your point, they have to advertise that they are “welcoming and fair” or risk legal implications. It’s always about CYA and $$$. Always!

4. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 2:02PM UTC

   The meanest bullies I’ve had at work have been female (funny that I’m putting bullies in plural and that there is a scale- a reflection of my experiences).
   I can actually track the turning point in my career from mediocre to untenable when I went from reporting to mostly men to reporting to women, and even more funny, when I started to work more primarily with the HR organizations of those companies.

5. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 1:34PM UTC

   Yes, but the organization I work for is a faith-based nonprofit. They did a salary comparison and then went on a campaign to raise enough money to increase staff salaries. They close down the week of Christmas and one week in February for family time and pay everyone, including part-timer employees. There is an all staff meeting with lunch once a month; and a massive holiday party thrown for staff complete with bonuses. They do everything they can to take care of their staff. Needless to say the organization is a success.

6. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 2:19PM UTC

   Statistically speaking, there must be (I want/have to believe this). Unfortunately, during my many years of working, I have not encountered one. It took me a while to accept the reality—not everyone in a management position is equipped for it; corporate America is a mess; high performers are often not rewarded (in fact, they are penalized by being expected to do more to compensate for low performers), and low performance often is not addressed; HR is part of the problem; equal opportunity will not happen in my lifetime (though it is worth fighting for); most people are too sensitive to deal with criticism maturely; most people speak (“criticize”) without much thought, which isn’t very helpful…I could go on.

   I don’t expect to see much change in my lifetime so I focus on living up to my own personal values.

7. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 2:29PM UTC

   Short answer-no. I've been working for 40 years and while there are well intentioned individuals in organizations, I've yet to see follow through when it comes to abusive peers or managers. Sad.

8. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 9:28PM UTC

   This is eerie as I was actually thinking about this for some reason before I went out hiking. Out of my 20-odd years of working, I will say that I have only worked for two and those were wonderful environments - definite anomalies for sure.

   From my experience, it has never been about the work - it's always something else. I feel that a lot of people bring their issues to work and don't understand boundaries/priorities and those that maintain boundaries are the ones that suffer.

9. Charlotte PartridgeMarch 5,2023 at 10:12PM UTC

   I’m my experience, how companies follow through on their employee- centric policies is very difficult to judge, because even though companies will try to foster a certain culture, it is near impossible to get management to think alike. Obviously everyone is different and their perceptions will differ widely, what is fair to one isn’t to another and the sad truth is that most people are motivated by personal/ company interests and not what is fair to others, which is a very sad truth. So, in short, im yet to come across a place where employee interests are at the heart of it, but I do love the radical idea that that could change some day!

10. AnonymousMarch 5,2023 at 11:16PM UTC

    My experience has been that it (usually) comes down to the individual managers. Great managers often do well enough even in an otherwise unenlightened company, and the best-intentioned company can be undermined by bad managers.

11. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 12:12AM UTC

    I think that there are many well-meaning companies out there, but I also think that not every manager is a good one. It depends on the tone at the top. I have worked for a long time at my company and I always thought that this company is great. Now I realized that my two previous bosses have been great, but my last boss left and now I have a new one and let me tell you, it has been close to hell. I am trying to find something else internally, but it seems this person is poisoning it for me. Also, we have a new head of HR, so it seems there are several changes going on. So only a year ago I would have answered that I work for a great company, now I am leaning towards the opinion that it is not so great after all. Having said that, for a big corporation it is still a good company overall. Nothing is perfect. The best thing is to have a good and supportive boss.

12. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 12:56AM UTC

    About 50% of the companies I've worked for walked the talk, went out of their way to create a positive environment and took decisive action to week out the bad actors.

    I have watched other leaders enable the bad actors, feel sorry for bullies and protect them because they felt bad fie the bullies" situation and make excuses fir their mental health. This in turns creates a horrible atmosphere in the company.

    None of this had to do with the work. Instead people weaponize the work when they want and are allowed to flex.

13. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 12:36PM UTC

    I think a reality check is advised.
    I believe that companies strive to be a reflection of their core values and represent their leadership traits. Getting that buy in from all is tough. There are some business decisions that not all will agree with, and may feel it's coming from a point of not caring about the employee's wellbeing. We all have our own story. The abuse that is outlined of unacceptable behavior needs addressed even at the best companies who excel in this area. People are not all cut out cookies, but freely formed. Example, a nonsmoker doesn't get charged a surcharge each pay at a company but someone who does smoke does. The smoker may opt out of company provided free programs to help them to stop smoking. The company's wellbeing pov is employee centric wanting all to be healthy that will help the cost of healthcare and future payment increases. A smoker may not agree with this as they are charged higher by their employer. I think company's do their best with good intent. As soon as you think a company is perfect you will be let down. Sorry.

14. GirlBossanova934974March 6,2023 at 1:43PM UTC

    What it really boils down to is do you really have a REAL HR Department that has some teeth? REAL HR Departments have people with HR degrees from accredited universities. The HR managers are not just a bunch of transplants or hand me downs from some other department. There are codes of conduct which the HR Department enforces. There are many cases 360 Reverse Feedback programs where employees rate supervisors. Those ratings get back to HR and HR deals with the problem managers. Managers with a track record of losing employees left and right are dealt with by HR. Last by not least, these HR Departments actually READ online reviews and take action. I have seen these sorts of outfits. They used to be a lot more prevalent until we started going on a cost cutting spree which put unqualified people into HR and said who cares? I think this sort of cost cutting began around 20 years ago.

15. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 3:50PM UTC

    I've worked for excellent companies and a couple of not-so-excellent companies. I left the ones that were not a good fit. I now run a company and I stand by what we do and how we treat our employees. Does that mean that my 240 employees all think everything is perfect all the time? Absolutely not. They do know they are valued and listened to and that all decisions are made with their best interests in mind - yes, really. Maybe it's because I worked my way up and remembered what it's like. I think too many CEOs, managers, etc., have never done the rank and file jobs and therefore don't value them as much as they should. What I would say to you is that you will get what you expect to get - you seem to feel companies like this are unicorns. Bringing a negative attitude will end in a negative result.No one, and no company is perfect, but it takes everyone in a company to have a good culture.

16. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 4:26PM UTC

    YES.

17. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 7:03PM UTC

    The last company I worked for that walked the talk was in 1999. :(

18. AnonymousMarch 6,2023 at 7:15PM UTC

    There certainly are, but, you do need to do your own discovery and plan a list of what matters to you before you engage. Be realistic about what you expect and if you can be a part of change if you see something that is broken or wrong in a company that you are in, be that change.