3 Powerful Company Culture Examples | AIHR Learning Bite

Summary

In this video, three companies with standout cultures—Tony's Chocolonely, Kabbage, and Zappos—are highlighted as inspiring examples of how strong organizational cultures can drive success. Tony's Chocolonely emphasizes team values, with creative initiatives like the Tony's Happy Box and relay races. Kabbage promotes transparency, wellness, and community involvement through perks like free lunches, workout classes, and a commitment to social responsibility. Zappos places a high priority on culture fit, offering unique perks like a $2,000 incentive to quit after training, ensuring employees align with their core values.

Takeaways

• 😀 Company culture is essential for driving competitive advantage, reducing turnover, and increasing employee engagement and productivity.
• 😀 Tony's Chocolonely has a clear mission to make chocolate 100% slave-free, which aligns with its strong company culture.
• 😀 At Tony's, new employees receive a 'Tony's Happy Box' that includes a t-shirt, chocolate bars, and the company’s annual fair report to help them understand the company’s mission.
• 😀 Weekly Monday morning meetings at Tony's ensure the entire team is aligned and informed about ongoing projects.
• 😀 The quarterly Tony’s Award ceremony celebrates employees who go the extra mile, fostering a culture of recognition.
• 😀 Kabbage promotes a fun, collaborative work environment with free catered lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge, fostering employee satisfaction.
• 😀 Kabbage's ‘Eat up, drink up’ culture allows employees to unwind with free meals and drinks, even enjoying beer on Fridays.
• 😀 Kabbage emphasizes transparency, with management sharing key business updates with all employees regularly.
• 😀 Zappos has a culture-first approach in hiring, conducting a 'culture fit' interview that weighs 50% of the hiring decision.
• 😀 Zappos offers $2,000 to new hires to quit after the first week if they feel the company is not a good fit, ensuring cultural alignment.
• 😀 Zappos integrates its 10 core values into every employee’s training, ensuring consistency in the company's culture across all departments.

Q & A

What are the key reasons why company culture matters?

Company culture is important because it provides a competitive advantage, reduces turnover, increases the quality of hires, enhances employee engagement, and boosts productivity.

What unique item does Tony's Chocolonely give to new employees?

New employees at Tony's Chocolonely receive a 'Tony’s Happy Box' that includes a t-shirt, chocolate bars, and the company’s annual fair report to ensure they understand the company’s mission and ethical practices.

How does Tony's Chocolonely reinforce the value of 'Team First'?

Tony's Chocolonely reinforces 'Team First' through weekly offline meetings where everyone gets together to discuss the organization, and a quarterly award ceremony to celebrate employees who go above and beyond.

What is the purpose of the Tony’s Friendship Booklet?

The Tony’s Friendship Booklet serves as a guide to the company’s culture, helping new employees familiarize themselves with the organization’s core values and beliefs.

What is the 'relay bar' at Tony’s Chocolonely?

The 'relay bar' is a temporary chocolate bar that Tony’s Chocolonely launches twice a year, and to celebrate its creation, the entire team participates in a relay race.

What key value does Kabbage emphasize in its work environment?

Kabbage emphasizes a culture of wellness and transparency, offering free catered lunches, a stocked fridge, beer on Fridays, and wellness programs like yoga and bootcamp classes.

What is 'Kabbage Kares' and how does it support the community?

Kabbage Kares is the company’s initiative to support the community through projects like delivering meals to refugee children, raising money for various causes, and helping local animal shelters.

How does Kabbage promote transparency within the company?

Kabbage promotes transparency by sharing everything that’s going on within the company with its employees, ensuring they are always informed about business developments.

What is the cultural fit interview at Zappos, and why is it important?

The cultural fit interview at Zappos is a key part of their hiring process, where 50% of the final decision is based on whether a candidate aligns with the company’s values and culture.

What happens during the four-week training program at Zappos?

During the four-week training at Zappos, all new hires, regardless of their role, go through call center training where they learn the company’s 10 core values.

Why does Zappos offer $2,000 to new hires to quit?

Zappos offers $2,000 to new hires to quit after the first week if they don’t feel passionate about the company or its mission, ensuring that only those truly committed stay.

How do these examples of company culture benefit employee engagement?

These companies foster a sense of belonging and purpose, encouraging employee engagement through practices like team recognition, wellness programs, cultural training, and alignment with company values, ultimately improving productivity and job satisfaction.