Last month, Limeade welcomed Lucy English, Managing Director of Institutional Research at Horizons Workforce Consulting, to speak at our biannual “Anything is Possible” Day about her research on dream companies. Building great places to work is our passion, so we were all ears.
As we all know well — the workplace has evolved. Employees strive to feel fulfilled and find meaning in their role, and they often spend their entire career chasing their ‘dream job’. However, a study by Dr. English of 4,000 employees made it clear that dream jobs are more of a myth than a reality. But dream companies? Definitely a reality.
While satisfying work is key, working for a highly desirable company with elevated benefits is even more important (and attainable).
“All of the outcomes an employer would want — productivity, job satisfaction, lower stress levels, intent to stay with the organization — are more strongly associated with being at a dream company than being in a dream job,” says Dr. English.
So, what makes a company dreamy? They support employees as a whole person and their entire life, enabling you to do your best work — all while they continue to grow.
Characteristics of a dream company:
Here are three things Lucy encourages us to keep in mind and ways I’ve personally seen this come to life in my time at Limeade.
1. Really caring about well-being — and offering things such as:
- Wellness program
- 401K
- Health coaching
- Office snacks
2. Opportunities to learn and grow, such as:
- Cross functional training
- Career coaching
- PTO to volunteer
- Tuition reimbursement
3. Work-life balance and policies and culture that support:
- Flexible work schedule
- 20 days of vacation + 12 holidays
- Parental Leave
- Child care
- Meeting effectiveness
Our biggest takeaway? If you want to be a dream company, create an intentional and supportive community. In order to do so, you’ll need to find out what inspires and worries your employees inside and outside the workplace.