The Drake Blog

Previously, we announced that Drake had earned Great Place to Work Certification™.  To gain a better understanding of the certification process and what it means, we sat down with Julie Musilek, the Director of Product Marketing at Great Place to Work.

Drake:“It’s great to speak to you today, Julie.  As you know, Drake recently earned Great Place to Work Certification, which we’re extremely proud of.  Tell us what all it means for a company to be Great Place to Work-Certified.

Julie: “Thank you for inviting me.  First, I want to congratulate Drake on earning certification.  It’s not an easy feat.  As you mentioned in your last blog, at the typical American company only 59 percent of employees say that it’s a great place to work.  However, 89 percent of Drake employees say it’s a great place to work, which is huge.  Clearly, you’ve built an outstanding workplace culture that makes Drake a special place to work.”

Drake: “We agree wholeheartedly. Tell us more about what makes a company, like Drake, a place where employees want to be.”

Julie:  Well, Great Place to Work has been gathering employee experience data around the world for 30 years. And based on over 100 million employee surveys, our research has proven what makes a great workplace in every country and language: trust.

Specifically, a high-trust culture makes a great place to work. There are three key ingredients:

First, employees must have a great relationship with leadership. In order for employees to have this great relationship, management has to demonstrate credibility, show respect for employees, and treat all employees fairly.

The second ingredient is for employees to have a great relationship with their colleagues while at work.

The third ingredient is to have pride in your job.  Employees need to know that what they do each day makes a difference in the world.  To them, it feels like more than just a job.

If a company has all three of these ingredients, then they likely have a high trust culture and are a great place to work.”

Drake:  “Wow!  That’s great to know. And that pretty accurately describes Drake. Tell us more.”

Julie:  “Those are the ingredients that every great workplace has in common.  However, each company culture is unique and has special things that make them a great place to work, which we learn about through the certification process.   

Building a great workplace is challenging, but as you all at Drake prove, companies can do it, even in a manufacturing facility.  Across all industries, the Great Place to Work Certification standard is the same.  The good news is that it doesn’t matter what a company does, they can absolutely create a great place to work for all. 

Regardless of the product they make, the customers they serve, or the number of employees they have, everyone wants to work at a Great Place to Work-certified company, where they know they’ll have a great employee experience every day. 

Learn more about how your organization can become certified, like Drake.  

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