Did you ever think there could be such a thing as relaxation at work? Well, at the software company Daxko there is. When the current CEO, David Gray, took leadership of the company in 2003, he took the position that company culture is the key to a competitive advantage. In this small business, there is an intense amount of work required so he believed that his employees needed something to keep them productive. As the article states, no employee has their own office, video game breaks are encouraged, and vacation days are not hard to come by. By providing the aforementioned incentives, among others, Daxko’s employees have been proven to perform better. Who wouldn’t want to play the Wii on their break and not get fired? At the company website, they state their values as follows: integrity without compromise, sense of ownership, synergistic teamwork, and fun. This shows that the company is extremely dedicated to maintaining a company culture in which their employees and business can thrive. They even have a blog in which every employee contributes to (even the CEO), providing another outlet of communication for the company.
I personally would love to work for a company like this. There is certainly something to be said for a company that invests so much into the comfort and well-being of their employees. As a small business, and hopefully a strong group of employees, encouraging open communication is the key. This allows employees to build relations with their peers and be happier in their positions. Daxko’s flexibility keeps their employees stress levels in check and allows them to have a good work-life balance. Although some may view all of the perks as distractions or just a waste of money, if that is what helps employees develop a positive attitude towards their job, I think the sacrifices are well worth it in the long run.
Do you think these types of work incentives would help you do better work for a small business? Is this how you would run your small business?
Article: http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/03/smallbusiness/wii_at_work.fsb/index.htm
Posted By: Brittany Meredith
A healthy corporate culture is extremely important to the success of a business, especially a software company like Daxko where collaboration and teamwork are essential factors to effective work. Every aspect of Daxko's culture seems to focus on relieving stress and building close relationships with your fellow employees. A free weekly lunch with friends at work and lounge with a large plasma TV and Wii would definitely be strong incentives to perform well. Ultimately though, it's not the physical manifestation of these perks that drive people. Employees will perform well because psychologically they know that they are cared about. The old saying, "It's the thought that counts" holds true here and is one of the underlying reasons Daxko is so successful in my opinion.
ReplyDelete-Posted by Grant Luther
I completely agree. Like you said, all the physical perks are a definite plus, but the reason that Daxko employees strive to achieve company and personal goals is because of the team of people surrounding them. Without those core values being expressed throughout such a small, tight-knit company, the "fun stuff" would be meaningless.
ReplyDeletePosted by: Brittany Meredith
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ReplyDeleteMost people associate the word "work" with stress. People often forget that work, while tough at times, can and should be fun in some aspect. There should be a reason you interviewed for your job and chose that company to work for. Daxko is providing their employee's with successful fun in the work place. I can imagine when their employee's are asked about Daxko, you can tell that they like where they work. More companies should follow suit.
ReplyDelete- Matt Blachowicz