Cultural Practices of the Best Companies

The companies whose practices are presented here have inspired us in our work at the Institute, and we hope that they will do the same for you. Every two weeks a new set of practices will appear in this space.

Each practice will be linked to its dimension and sub-dimension within the Great Place to Work® Model©.

We hope that you will be inspired by these examples to discover the best practices currently in use in your own workplace, and be lead to develop new practices that will help your workplace to become great.

  • FAIRNESS - Equity

    Health Care /
    East Alabama Medical Center

    1455 employees - USA
    HQ: Opeleika, AL, USA

    At this non-profit federally supported county hospital and medical center employees know that each employee is considered a full member regardless of his or her position. The CEO, Terry Andrus, starts his day by walking through the hospital and greeting everyone he meets, from the person who cleans the floors to the person who handles the most critical medical crisis.

    Each fall the local newspaper in Opeleika asks companies in the community to select a representative to participate in a contest to predict the winners of college football games. Most companies choose their CEO or another high-level manager. EAMC has always chosen its most avid football fan - a mentally challenged housekeeping employee - as its official representative.

  • RESPECT - Caring

    Health Care / Hospital
    Baptist Health Systems of South Florida

    8540 employees - USA
    HQ: Florida

    At this non-profit hospital in Coral Gables, FL, employees support a Sunshine Fund that provides a safety net for all staff members who need funds to help them through emergency situations like paying overdue rent to stop an eviction, visiting a sick relative in need of some help, or other emergencies. This fund is run by Pastoral Care, and employees can donate PTO to fellow employees, as well as money.

    The Fund provides loans of up to $2500, free of interest or fees that are repaid by the employee through payroll deductions. In 2002, about $535,000 was loaned out, interest-free, to 640 employees. Baptist Health matches all contributions to the Fund.