Crain's New York Business recently announced its top 50 Best Places to Work in New York City, and as the President of Rand, I'm happy to say we came in at number 11. We've made the list four years in a row now, so we're pretty sure it's not a fluke. Rand was also the only engineering or architectural firm named. In a city where the A/E industry plays such a major role, that's an achievement in itself.
Unlike most industry awards, which are typically chosen by a select committee of insiders or determined by the company's performance (fastest growing, highest revenues, most profitable), the Best Places to Work winners are rated by how their employees feel about working for them, based on an anonymous survey, which accounts for 75% of each company's score. An employer survey, which scores the company's policies and practices, makes up the other 25%.
Dignity, Respect, Yoga
Crain describes the winning companies as showing a "steadfast commitment to treating employees with dignity and respect. They've also gone to tremendous lengths to imbue the workplace with warmth and a sense of fun." The fact that our employees continue to rate Rand as one of the Best Places to Work year after year gives winning a special meaning.
At Rand, we're proud of the things we offer employees to make working here more enjoyable. Extras such as on-site yoga, an in-house exercise facility, personal training, and nutritional counseling no doubt boost our ranking. But I think making the Best Places to Work list each year since its inception in 2008 points to something more than just our benefits and amenities.
Fairness Doctrine
As much as our employees say that they enjoy working at Rand, we don't pretend that everything here is Nirvana. With 65 people who have a mix of personalities, backgrounds, and styles of working, there are bound to be conflicts and differences of opinions. So the question is not whether there will be problems, but rather, how do you handle them? On that count, I believe we do extremely well.
Our employees may not agree with every decision we make, but I think most of them would say they are treated fairly and that we try to balance what's best for the individual employee with what's best for the company as a whole. I also think Rand's management has shown we don't have a hidden agenda and that we are who we say we are and do what we say we will do. As a result, our loyalty to employees has been returned to Rand—with interest.
Money Is Not the Object
Of course, compensation also plays a role in employee satisfaction. Rand maintains a salary structure that helps us attract and retain talented people while keeping us competitive in the rates we charge clients. But we've never tried to buy employees' happiness or use gigantic salaries to compensate for intolerable working conditions. If money is the main reason you get someone to work for your company, you risk their jumping ship whenever another firm dangles a little bit more in front of them. Fortunately that's not a problem at Rand.
Making the Best Places to Work list also reminds me that while I'm Rand's president, I'm also an employee. Being part of a team that relies on one another to solve problems keeps me connected to the daily challenges that each staff member faces. And belonging to a group of people who enjoy working together and take pride in what Rand does is what makes coming to the office every day worthwhile for me. Because the best places to work are the ones with the best people by your side.
