Best Company to Keep

In case you missed it, the list of "Best Companies to work for in 2013" was released a few weeks ago by Glassdoor.  It’s their fifth list of the fifty best places to work this year. A recent article on the Forbes website gave details of the story.  http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/12/12/the-best-companies-to-work-for-in-2013/

Glassdoor claims their process of soliciting anonymous responses to their surveys gets more accurate results. Eighteen questions were posed to some half million employees in the US. Those who responded rated career opportunities, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, senior management, culture, and values.

At the top of the list was Facebook. And who wouldn't like this deal?  Along with paid vacation and healthcare, employees get free food and transportation, $4000 in cash for new parents, dry cleaning, day care reimbursement, and photo processing. And as a bonus, your job entitles you to impact a billion people. Sweet! Even without the photo processing.

McKinsey and Company came in second. In third place, a tech firm named Riverbed. Ten companies have been on the Top 50 since the list was created in 2009. Firms like Apple, Careerbuilder, Google, and others are top dogs.

Glassdoor says what works for one company may not work for another. But opportunities for advancement, clear cut business priorities, and solid company cultures are the common themes. Well, and those unbelievable perks.

Sounds great ... but what about the ga-zillion small business owners and medium size employers who can't pony up like Facebook, Google, and the like?  What about struggling ministries?  And what does the Bible say about employee culture and perks?

It doesn't say anything on employment benefits. But Paul tells his protégé Timothy that a worker is worthy of his wages. And that those in charge should take care of the people who work for them. 

Probably the best advice to the spiritually minded business leader is to apply Jesus's words we often call the Golden Rule. No ... not the rule that says "he who has the gold makes all the rules." The one that says "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Play that out in the world of compensation, benefits, etc. and you will likely be much more generous and perk minded than you would be otherwise.

And getting employees involved in mutual care of each other helps build a pretty strong culture. This stuff isn't magic. It's good spiritual common sense.

And that, my friend, is one of the perks of a spirit led life.

That's the way WE work.  For Moody Radio, I'm Mark Elfstrand.