How good is your company?

Do you work for a great company? Do you look forward to going to work and meeting your coworkers and enjoying the work you do every day? Let’s examine some of the characteristics that can qualify a company as a good one.

A good pay structure. Everyone likes to be fairly compensated. A good employer pays market rate wages or above to remain competitive and to attract the best employees. All employers should know that workers despise being underpaid and overworked. {{more}}Workers should be paid on time. Needless to say, paychecks should never bounce.

Supportive environment: A mechanic in a repair shop couldn’t stop telling a customer about how wonderful his boss was. The mechanic said with admiration, that whenever there was a problem with the equipment, people, or the nature of the work, the boss would not hesitate to deal with the problem. If the equipment needed fixing or replacement, it was done immediately. The boss would intervene right away in problems with people.

If there was a problem with the work itself or an overload of tasks, this boss did not think twice about rolling up his sleeves and helping the men on the floor.

Do you have a boss like that? This mechanic saw his boss demonstrate how much he valued his workers. Do you see that in your workplace?

Reward programmes: Every good company has reward programmes designed to motivate and help the workers to achieve more.

Reward programmes cannot work by themselves; they must to be a part of an overall strategy to encourage employees. Reward programs can be as simple as giving certificates to employees for a job well done or hosting celebrations or meals for the entire team. Rewards can include monetary extras or time off.

Whatever avenues your company chooses, it must be part of a comprehensive strategy and must be done consistently and fairly. There is no room for favoritism or overlooking people.

Vacation plan: How does your company’s vacation plan stack up against those of its competitors? Are you getting less vacation time? Do you have to wait longer after beginning a job before you can go on vacation? Do you even have time off?

Benefits plan: Some companies offer medical benefits plan, but many do not.

If you have medical insurance you are probably among the lucky workers. Take advantage of it when possible.

Family/child care: Does your company offer you time off to care for a sick child or aging parent? Employees have a lot to juggle and companies must stay abreast of the changing needs of their workers. It’s not unusual for companies to offer employees a few days a year to take care of personal matters.