Company culture is formed by guiding principles, such as core values, team structure and workplace practices, that dictate how employees should interact with one another and carry out their daily job duties. Employers have plenty of tools at their disposal for enhancing culture. For example, they can implement a flexible work program that allows employees to set their own hours and choose where they’ll work. Companies may regularly collect feedback to understand what’s working, what isn’t and what changes employees want made. Here are some companies with interesting organizational cultures designed to build a business environment that’s inclusive, supportive and makes room for work-life balance.
Companies With Interesting Organizational Cultures
- Airbnb
- Etsy
- BetterUp
- Clif Bar & Company
- Workday
Companies With Interesting Organizational Cultures
Airbnb, the ubiquitous short-term rental app, established a workplace culture that lets employees perform their jobs from almost anywhere in the country in which they’re based and spend as much as 90 days working in another country. To ensure team members still have a chance to build in-person connections, the company also plans off-site gatherings so co-workers have the time and space to get together. People understandably love working for companies that cultivate positive collaboration, and at Airbnb, one of the ways that’s been done is through peer mentorships.
Etsy is an online retailer that runs a virtual marketplace for handcrafted products, from clothing to kids’ toys to furniture. It is widely known as being a desirable, progressive workplace, with significant investment into DEI, a workforce that’s nearly 50 percent women and a feedback program that continuously seeks detailed anonymous reports about the on-the-ground Etsy experience.
BetterUp is a virtual life-coaching platform for individuals, teams and organizations. It works on a “whole-person” basis, not differentiating between professional performance and personal optimization. Congruent with the service it sells, BetterUp’s company culture is all about facilitating peak performance from every team member and providing them the support they need to give it, including unlimited access to personalized coaching and stipends for learning, development and wellness.
Clif Bar & Company, makers of the Clif and Luna bars, says it prioritizes investment in employee wellness and encourages all team members to “bring their passions to work, not check them at the door.” To support that request, the company pays for time spent volunteering and working out with in-house trainers and provides a subsidized on-site daycare.
Workday makes enterprise resource planning software for companies in a wide range of professional fields, and it extends this holistic view to its own offices. The company offers programs to support employee mental and physical health, like reimbursement for fertility, adoption or surrogacy expenses, a 24/7 family support service, financial wellbeing support services, menopause support — even reimbursement for adopting a shelter pet.
PatientPoint offers digital patient education solutions, largely through interactive screens in doctors’ offices, medical groups and hospitals. These screens give patients educational health information as they wait for their appointments. The company is able to give its solutions to 140,000 physicians at no cost through partnerships with health brands that include Pfizer, Merck, NatureMade and Bristol Myers Squibb. It allows its employees to structure their workdays flexibly and believes it fosters collaboration.
Golden Hippo offers both online and direct-mail advertising campaigns, along with direct response marketing to health, beauty and pet care brands. It says its culture focuses on transparency, collaboration and innovation, and its employees are encouraged to take ownership of their work, make data-driven decisions and challenge the status quo.
Dynatrace offers a unified observability and security platform. It says its culture is fueled by authenticity, openness and curiosity. The company’s “Culture Decoder” is how its team pushes boundaries and navigates complex issues while maintaining purpose.
Companies use 360Learning to build their upskilling and employee training programs. It defines its culture as “convexity,” a principle which guides its asynchronous approach to work with a focus on collaboration. Applicants for roles at 360Learning are given a presentation on its 13 cultural pillars to help ensure that they can imagine themselves at the company.
Toast provides restaurants and retailers with a single platform that offers tools for marketing, customer service operations and back-office management. It says two-thirds of its employees have worked in restaurants, informing its solutions to ensure they serve clients’ needs.
Wise is a fintech company that enables users to make cross-boarder payments in more than 40 different currencies. The company says all employees own a piece of Wise — literally. In addition to salary, employees are granted RSUs, or Restricted Stock Units. The company also offers paid sabbatical after four years of employment and a dedicated annual professional development fund.
Mixbook’s digital platform allows users to create customized prints, calendars, cards and books featuring their personal photos. Its globally distributed team operates fully remote, with several opportunities to work in person each year. The company touts its employees’ autonomy, flexible scheduling and open door policy.
