The Zappos Family - How They Work

Zappos Family Careers

27 Sept 201202:54

Summary

TLDRThe video script highlights the unique company culture at Zappos, emphasizing work-life integration, a positive work environment, and a family-like atmosphere. The hiring process focuses on selecting people who fit and appreciate the culture, even prioritizing this over skillset. The culture is seen as a critical business strategy that competitors can't replicate. Employees are encouraged to connect across departments, contribute to the culture, and help it grow as the company expands. Ultimately, Zappos believes that a strong company culture leads to excellent customer service and long-term success.

Takeaways

🌡️ It's currently very hot, setting a relaxed and informal tone for the conversation.
👥 Zappos prioritizes work-life integration, emphasizing that it's all just life in the end.
🏰 The company culture at Zappos is compared to a happy place like Disney, where employees feel like a big family.
📊 Company culture is the main business strategy, considered the top priority by leadership.
🛍️ While competitors may copy Zappos' product selection or shipping, they believe their unique culture cannot be replicated.
🤝 Hiring at Zappos focuses on cultural fit, with an emphasis on personal connections and whether employees would enjoy spending time together outside of work.
⭐ Performance reviews at Zappos include criteria for living out and inspiring core company values.
⏳ Zappos takes extra time to hire the right people who will fit and help grow the company's culture.
👋 Employees are encouraged to build relationships outside of their own departments, and this is factored into promotions.
🎉 Zappos allows employees the freedom to plan and participate in fun activities, reinforcing that it's possible to work hard while enjoying each other's company.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the company mentioned in the transcript?
-The main focus of the company is work-life integration, which they see as essential to a fulfilling life.
How does the company describe its culture?
-The company describes its culture as being like a family, with employees happy to see each other, enjoying their work, and having fun together. It is referred to as even 'happier than Disney.'
Why is company culture considered the top business strategy?
-Company culture is considered the top business strategy because it is something that competitors cannot copy. They believe that while competitors can replicate aspects like product selection or shipping, the unique company culture cannot be duplicated.
What criteria does the company use to hire new employees?
-The company hires based on whether they would want to spend time with the person outside of business. They look for people who fit into and appreciate the company culture.
How are employees evaluated for promotions within the company?
-Employees are evaluated on whether they are living or inspiring core values in others. Additionally, they are scored on how they contribute to the culture, including building relationships outside their departments.
What is the importance of culture in relation to customer service and long-term success?
-The company believes that if the culture is right, other aspects like delivering great customer service or building a long-term, enduring brand will naturally follow.
What responsibility do new employees have as the company grows?
-New employees are responsible for creating, maintaining, and improving the company culture as it grows.
How does the company encourage employees to participate in building the culture?
-Employees are encouraged to take initiative, such as organizing group activities like hikes. The company emphasizes that everyone plays a role in scaling the culture.
What is the company's approach to balancing work and fun?
-The company believes that it is possible to be focused and get work done while also being happy and having fun.
What does the company emphasize about core values?
-The company stresses that it's important to have a defined set of core values. While their culture may be unique, they encourage other organizations to define their own distinct cultures and values.

Outlines

00:00

🌞 Embracing the Heat and Workplace Happiness

The speaker opens by commenting on the hot weather and introduces themselves as Christen Wisa. They share that the upcoming discussion will focus on a company called Zappos, particularly emphasizing their work-life integration philosophy. They believe that work should be viewed as part of life and not as a separate entity. Zappos' company culture is unique, described as happier than Disney and akin to a big, joyful family. Employees enjoy spending time together at work, and the sense of community enhances their overall job satisfaction.

🎯 Company Culture as a Business Strategy

Zappos places its company culture as the primary focus of its business strategy. According to the speaker, competitors may be able to replicate aspects like product selection or shipping processes, but the one thing they cannot replicate is Zappos' distinct culture. From the beginning, the founders, Fred and the speaker, personally interviewed all potential hires to ensure they were a cultural fit. They focused on whether they would enjoy spending time with the person outside of work, highlighting the importance of aligning with the company's values and environment.

👥 Hiring the Right People for Cultural Growth

The hiring process at Zappos prioritizes finding individuals who will thrive in the company's culture and help nurture its growth. Employees are hired based on how well they fit the culture, even if it means taking longer to fill a position. Zappos believes that getting the right cultural fit ensures everything else, such as customer service and brand development, falls into place naturally. The company values cultural contribution so much that it is a criterion in performance reviews and promotions.

📈 Scaling Culture with Company Growth

As Zappos has grown, maintaining and enhancing its culture has become a shared responsibility among employees. They are encouraged to foster connections beyond their departments and take initiative in organizing team activities. The speaker points out that happiness and fun are integrated into the work environment, alongside productivity. This cultural emphasis helps employees feel more engaged and enjoy their work, creating a sense of unity and purpose as the company expands.

🎉 Work Hard, Have Fun: The Zappos Way

The speaker concludes by stressing how the Zappos culture fosters a balance between being productive and having fun at work. The environment encourages collaboration, camaraderie, and personal satisfaction, which in turn fuels the company’s success. Although Zappos' culture is unique, the speaker emphasizes that it’s important for any company to define its core values and cultivate a culture that aligns with those values, ensuring long-term business success.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Work-life integration

Work-life integration refers to blending professional and personal life in a way that feels harmonious and natural, as opposed to balancing them separately. In the video, the speaker emphasizes that the company focuses on work-life integration because, at the end of the day, 'it’s just life.' This approach aims to help employees find fulfillment by aligning their work with their personal lives, creating a more holistic sense of happiness and productivity.

💡Company culture

Company culture refers to the values, behaviors, and social dynamics that define the atmosphere within an organization. In this script, Zappos emphasizes the importance of company culture as their main business strategy. The culture is described as familial and joyful, where employees enjoy working together, which sets Zappos apart from its competitors. The company actively hires people who align with these values, making culture a crucial factor for success.

💡Core values

Core values are fundamental beliefs or guiding principles that shape an organization’s behavior and decision-making. In the video, Zappos places great emphasis on ensuring that employees not only embody these core values but also inspire them in others. Performance reviews even evaluate how employees contribute to these values, which underscores their importance in maintaining and growing the company's unique culture.

💡Hiring process

The hiring process at Zappos is described as being centered on culture fit. The company takes extra time to ensure that potential employees would not only perform well in their role but also fit into the company’s culture. This means hiring people based on whether they would enjoy socializing with them outside of work, a process that prioritizes personality and cultural alignment over skills alone. Zappos believes that getting the culture right from the start leads to better performance and long-term success.

💡Performance reviews

Performance reviews at Zappos go beyond typical job performance metrics to assess how employees contribute to the company culture. Employees are evaluated on how they live out the core values and how they inspire others to do the same. This demonstrates Zappos' commitment to maintaining a vibrant culture where personal interactions and cross-departmental relationships are just as important as job tasks.

💡Long-term brand building

Long-term brand building refers to the strategic effort to create a lasting, positive perception of a company over time. In the video, Zappos' strategy includes focusing on company culture as a key element in creating an enduring brand. By prioritizing their culture, the company believes that other factors, like delivering great customer service, will naturally follow, contributing to the company’s long-term success and brand reputation.

💡Cross-departmental relationships

Cross-departmental relationships refer to the interactions and friendships that employees form across different teams or areas within a company. Zappos encourages employees to build relationships outside their own departments and scores them on this during performance reviews. This helps strengthen the company's culture and fosters collaboration and camaraderie across the organization.

💡Scaling culture

Scaling culture refers to the challenge of maintaining and expanding a company's culture as the organization grows. In the video, Zappos acknowledges that as the company hires more employees, it becomes crucial for everyone to contribute to scaling and enhancing the existing culture. This collective responsibility ensures that the core values and the unique work environment grow along with the business.

💡Fun at work

Fun at work highlights the idea that productivity and enjoyment can coexist in a professional setting. Zappos fosters an environment where employees are encouraged to enjoy their time at work and plan fun activities, such as group hikes. This focus on fun is seen as a key element of their culture, making work enjoyable while still getting things done efficiently.

💡Unique culture

A unique culture refers to the distinctive environment that defines how a company operates and how its employees interact. Zappos’ culture is described as unlike any other, even being 'happier than Disney.' The video highlights that competitors can imitate Zappos' products and services, but not its culture, making it a core differentiator that contributes to the company’s identity and long-term success.

Highlights

The approach focuses on work-life integration, as it's all just life.

Zappos' culture is described as happier than Disney, creating a family-like atmosphere.

Company culture is Zappos' main business strategy and its top priority.

Competitors can copy selection and shipping, but not the company culture.

Fred and Tony Hsieh interviewed every person hired, ensuring cultural fit.

Hiring criteria include whether you would want to grab a drink with the candidate.

Getting the right people who fit into and grow the culture is more important than filling positions quickly.

Performance reviews at Zappos evaluate whether employees live and inspire core values.

Investing extra effort in hiring the right people leads to great customer service and long-term success.

Employees are scored on contributing to the culture, including making friends outside their departments.

The responsibility of maintaining and growing the company culture falls on all employees as the company grows.

Employees have the freedom to plan fun activities, contributing to the culture.

Zappos has a unique culture, and it emphasizes the importance of defining core values.

Tony Hsieh's philosophy: You can get your work done, be focused, and still have fun.

Zappos' culture encourages happiness, enjoyment of work, and strong relationships between employees.