A Tough Measurement for the 100 Best Employers

Fortune magazine's annual 100 Best Employer issue has a legitimate aim - the public chronicling and applauding of the those employers who by all accounts really do believe that people are an important asset that add the primary value in any business.

How interesting it might be for those firms to agree to have a statistically significant sample of their workforce participate in an engagement survey, administered by a reputable third party, that unequivocally establishes whether folks are truly committed to the enterprise.  

Many on Fortune's list are clearly excelling at providing a steady shower of good perks and pay, but are they really creating a work environment with meaning and purpose?  It may be an open question.

Comments

[Howard Gutknecht]

I frequently ask people to tell me a story from their work life - a time when they were genuinely thrilled, excited, fulfilled. They're in a workshop on communication skills and we're videotaping them. They tell stories about all sorts of motivated moments: completing big projects, starting at new jobs where their boss gave them the stimulus to learn a lot, working on high-output teams, receiving recognition for their commitment to a team or to achieving results. They're all different. Are these on a par with a sports victory, giving birth, moving to a new city, surviving an auto wreck? I don't know. And I'm interested in how we engineer some of those "PEAK" moments into the workplace. I'm reminded of a plaque on the wall of a climbers hostel near Pico Orizabo, Mexico, which translated says: "The longer the journey, and the greater the risk, the more beautiful the memory."