Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants: What Can Office Fitters Learn From BIG Company Culture?

Examples of big company culture

Whilst it’s important to note that the following companies represent the biggest brands in the world (and therefore have the resources to roll out some things that are unworkable for most of us) there is still the intent behind them that we can take on board and learn from. They include:

• Twitter has transformed the way we communicate. The microblogging site sees billions of messages passed through it every minute, influencing our news and giving a person a direct platform to tell the world about their life. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company made a profit of $91m. To rub it in for us, its employees at their San Francisco HQ cannot stop promoting how great it is to work there; from free meals to fitness classes – even unlimited holidays (imagine that!). Like all professionals, its employees want to learn and improve their abilities; working alongside smart and talented people will help with that. This is the lesson that we all can take.
  
  A happy workplace is one that has teammates who are friendly and pleasant to one another, who are helpful and knowledgeable, calm, collected and patient. Most forward-thinking businesses realise that their facilities play a massive part in not only attracting people with these attributes, but also the fact the work environment fosters these abilities and nurtures them. Simply by using professional office fitters, we can create a Twitter-like workplace without spending the millions that they undoubtedly do.

• Squarespace offers anyone the opportunity to build and establish their own website. This is very much in-keeping with their company culture; which is described as ‘flat, open and creative’. It must work, as Squarespace is regularly voted as one of the best places to work in New York City. And there are loads of businesses in New York City.
  
  A ‘flat’ organisation is a concept that sees no (or very few) tiers of management put in place; whether you’re a manager or a junior, you all work on the same floor. This approach throws out the traditional hierarchal structure, although important in many types of businesses, it generally creates an ‘us and them’ mentality between workers. As Squarespace relies on creativity and teamwork, their flat organisation allows for down-to-earth, approachable leadership that has fostered a sense of community amongst their workforce, with even junior staff feeling that they can have direct access to the big bosses. And their free health insurance, relaxation spaces and attractive office environment helps too.
  
  Still, in the words of Meat Loaf; Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad. Whilst offering things like private health insurance and expensive tips out may be out of reach for many UK businesses, we can still make use of office fitters to create a space that allows all employees to feel like their voices are being heard and one that allows them space to collect their thoughts and to relax. Any office space can strip away those traditional bonds of hierarchy and give a level of freedom to hardworking, talented people. A happy and content workforce means a dedicated and professional workforce who will create success for one another (that isn’t a Meat Loaf lyric, but it really should be).

• Google has constantly remained at the top of the industry tree, simply because of its ethos of reinvention and not standing still. It arguably paved the way for major ‘outside the box thinking’ when it comes to a company culture; whether it’s comfortable seating, employee trips and parties, visits by high-level executives, even dog-friendly environments, the same culture is rolled out across all of Google’s many offices around the world. This flexibility given to its staff has helped to attract and grow a workforce that is talented, driven and simply the best at what they do.
  
  It’s interesting to note Google’s approach to facility management. Many businesses will have other offices, but is the culture the same? Do they have the same facilities, perks and opportunities to progress? No matter the location of their offices, Google’s philosophy is rolled out everywhere, making each and every office is uniform (which in itself is ironic, considering casual is very much the dress code). This creates a feeling that, no matter where they may be; London to Berlin, Beijing to Santiago, and back to their HQ in California, everyone is in it together.
  
  The flexibility bestowed by office fitters on all of their workplaces, allows Google to constantly evolve their company culture as and when they need to. With the fast-changing nature of technology, as well as an upcoming generation of new employees to cater for, having a flexible workplace will not only meet any demands placed upon them but save on long-term costs too.