What Makes a Best Place to Work?

Stacy Yuen,

Whether you’re a woman or man, from the Baby Boom, Gen X or Gen Y, liking your job is one thing that everyone agrees is important in the workplace.

Beyond that, what drives the genders and age groups can be quite different, according to our 2013 Best Places to Work survey.

The BPTW project is a great place to discover these differences between the sexes and generations because anonymous surveys were returned by 6,504 employees of all ages at 100 companies and nonprofits statewide.

Best Companies Group conducted these surveys for Hawaii Business and uncovered the main factors that led to overall employee engagement. In other words, the survey respondents told Best Companies what, in their minds, makes their organizations the best places to work in Hawaii. And when employees said these factors were lacking, their companies failed to make the list.

Companies “can use the information to focus their attention on the top drivers that drive their employees,” says Mary Plissey, director of market research for Best Companies Group.

“So, if a company knows that the top driver for employees age 25 and under is, ‘I can trust what this organization tells me,’ and their employees are (mainly) in that age group, the company can say, ‘OK, we need to spend time communicating with the team and be as good as our word.’ ”

Signe Godfrey, president of Olsten Staffing, says the results of Best Places to Work surveys match what she has learned from her experience. She calls the information a valuable tool to motivate and retain employees.

“However, how companies will adapt policies or implement changes to their businesses based on the survey will be the challenge,” Godfrey says.

 

Men

What are the top factors/drivers that create overall engagement for men at work?

Responses = 2341

  1. I feel I am valued in this organization
  2. I have confidence in the leadership of this organization
  3. I like the type of work that I do
  4. My pay is fair for the work I perform
  5. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization
  6. Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion
  7. I trust that if I do good work, my company may consider me for a promotion
  8. 401k or 403b plan
  9. My supervisor helps me develop to my fullest potential
  10. Amount of vacation or paid time off

 

Women

What are the top factors/drivers that create overall engagement for women at work?

Responses = 3147

  1. I can trust what this organization tells me (This issue is also the top factor for the age group 25 and under, but it is not even in the top 10 for men overall.)
  2. I like the type of work that I do
  3. My supervisor acknowledges when I do my work well
  4. Quality is a top priority with this organization
  5. Amount of vacation or paid time off
  6. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization
  7. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well being
  8. There is room for me to advance at this organization
  9. Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion
  10. I feel physically safe in my work environment

 

 

What men and women agree on

Top factors in common for both genders that help create Best Places to Work:

I like the work that I do

Amount of vacation or paid time off

I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization

 

Gen Y (Great Recession grads)

Age 25 and under

What are the top factors/drivers for this age group?

Responses = 449

  1. I can trust what this organization tells me
  2. My job makes good use of my skills and abilities
  3. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well being
  4. I like the type of work that I do
  5. There is room for me to advance at this organization
  6. My pay is fair for the work I perform
  7. My supervisor is open to hearing my opinion or feedback

 

Gen Y a.k.a. Millenials

Age 26–35

What are the top factors/drivers that create employee engagement for this age group?

Responses = 1,376

  1. I feel I am valued in this organization
  2. I have confidence in the leadership of this organization
  3. I like the type of work that I do
  4. There is room for me to advance at this organization
  5. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization
  6. I feel I can trust what my supervisor tells me
  7. Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion
  8. Tuition reimbursement benefits (Tuition reimbursement is important to Gen Y but not to any other group.)
  9. My pay is fair for the work I perform
  10. I like the people I work with at this organization

Gen Y wants to feel valued. “I feel valued in this organization” is its No. 1 driver, just as it is for men overall.

 

Gen X

Age 36–45

What are the top factors/drivers that create employee engagement for this age group?

Responses = 1,310

  1. I feel part of a team working toward a shared goal
  2. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well being
  3. I like the type of work that I do
  4. My supervisor acknowledges when I do my work well
  5. There is room for me to advance at this organization
  6. Amount of vacation (or Paid Time Off)
  7. I can trust what this organization tells me
  8. I understand the long-term strategy of this organization
  9. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization

 

Gen X + Boomers

Age 46–55

The Top Drivers for the Organization based on Overall Engagement

Responses = 1,470

  1. I feel part of a team working toward a shared goal
  2. I can trust what this organization tells me
  3. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization
  4. Amount of vacation or paid time off
  5. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well being
  6. My pay is fair for the work I perform
  7. I feel physically safe in my work environment
  8. Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion
  9. I have confidence in the leadership of this organization
  10. I like the type of work that I do

Older Boomers

Age 55+

What are the top factors/drivers to create employee engagement for this age group?

Responses = 953

  1. This organization treats me like a person, not a number
  2. I understand the importance of my role to the success of the organization
  3. I like the type of work that I do
  4. I trust that if I do good work, my company may consider me for a promotion
  5. Employees are treated fairly here regardless of race, gender, age, religion
  6. Amount of health care paid for
  7. My supervisor tells me when my work needs improvement
  8. Quality is a top priority with this organization

 

 

Teamwork

Age groups 36-45 and 46-55 both cite teamwork as their top driver (“I feel part of a team working toward a shared goal”)

 

Fair pay is important to men overall and every age group except 36 to 45.

This article appears in the April 2013 issue of Hawaii Business Magazine.
Categories: Best Places to Work – Events, Careers

Related