Article published in The New Zealand Herald on 23 July,
2008
When people spend more waking hours at work each week than they do with their
loved ones, it’s important that the workplace has a solid sense of
community.
And the need to ensure employees feel an attachment to their place of work
has become more important as the competition for skilled workers continues to
grow.
The notion of community is a strong one for travel agency Flight Centre,
which had a firm policy of egalitarianism in all its offices.
“Flight Centre’s team culture is the backbone of everything we do and what
makes our company such a great place to work,” says Flight Centre (NZ) HR
director Sue Matson.
“One of our most important philosophies is the importance of egalitarianism
in the workplace. Egalitarianism means people are focused on their core role at
work, rather than position or hierarchy and helps people quickly into the team
culture. On a daily basis, this means everyone in the company, no matter what
their role, wears the same corporate uniform and manages their own
administration work – so there are no personal assistants or receptionists. No
matter what their position, everyone is entitled to the same work
privileges.”
Ms. Matson said new employees were often surprised to find there was a
uniform, particularly in the support office.
“We find that it really does help instill the importance of our employees’
achievements, rather than their appearance,” she said.
Flight Centre’s approach to community in the workplace will be on display at
the New Zealand Herald Your Career Expo, to be held at the ASB Showgrounds in
Auckland on September 27-28. The expo will bring employers and potential
employees together in the biggest careers event in the country, with a two-day
series of workshops, presentations and exhibitions across four pavilions.
Surveys by workplace analysts JRA (NZ) have found that the very best
workplaces in New Zealand understand the importance of the social side of work
life – so much so that “Sense of Community” is recognised as one of the four
pillars of a Great Workplace.
JRA’s Amy Silvester-Brooks said that employees who had a strong sense of
belonging to their organisation were much more engaged in the workplace.
“Our research has found that organisations with an engaged workforce enjoy 23
per cent greater employee productivity than the New Zealand average, as well as
5 per cent greater staff retention levels,” she said. “People who have more fun
support each other better, and have more co-operative working relationships
within and between teams.’
JRA is sponsor of the Your Career Expo’s Great Places to Work pavilion and is
founder of the unlimited/JRA Best Places to Work
survey.
