Last month, 45 companies were named the best workplaces in Singapore. This was verified by consulting firm Great Place To Work. The survey is an annual ranking that applauds the good efforts from employers.
While we are proud of the efforts by employers to improve their workplace environment, we can’t help but question how consulting companies derive their formula to certify a company as a great place to work in. Also, with an increasing diversified workforce due to the flourishing gig economy and more people opting for freelance work, there is the curious question of whether these surveys are still as relevant in today’s context.
As we know, every company is different – in terms of company culture, product, staff strength, and industry – so how is a best workplace the best for every worker?
Also, how can companies of various shapes and sizes from different industries fit into a metric that is universally approved as “the best workplace”?
For example, we don’t really see hospitals (private ones) being ranked highly in surveys like this. Does this mean that a hospital is not a great place to work in? If you ask a hospital worker, you might be surprised as some might say that they feel very satisfied with their work as they help save lives and heal the sick.
Theme parks are also probably great places to work in too, as you get free rides and you bring joy to visitors who are there to have a good time. Is that not a great place to be for employees?
While we celebrate the wins of companies that are lauded in these surveys, let us be reminded that such surveys are a gauge on what is determined to be the best and may not always be the complete truth.
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Most Surveys Require Self-Registration: Companies Have To Register And Get Certified To Participate In The Selection
For many surveys, it is necessary to register and certify the company to participate. This is understandable as it helps consulting firms to verify the company and its authenticity.
But that also means that companies that are not certified or registered will not be in the running. This inadvertently narrows the pool of suitable contestants on the score board.
When you read the survey results of the winners, do note that there are still plenty of companies out there that aren’t joining in the poll as they did not sign up for it. These companies could be busy making money, focusing on the employees, or not planning to shout about what they do perhaps due to a more laid back humble company culture (think Asian companies).
Most Surveys Are Sent By The Company To Employees – They Already Know It Is A Company Survey
Most of the time, such companywide surveys are issued to employees. The employees will receive it in the company mailer and be told to take active actions to participate in the survey.
Surveys like this would mean that employees won’t be too honest about how they feel (unless if they plan to quit soon). That’s because it is a top down instruction instead of an anonymous poll conducted externally, and employers who send surveys like this tend to expect their employees to help boost the company’s image.
Disgruntled workers may choose not to participate in the survey if they are allowed to escape from it. But for those who have been pressured by their managers to complete the surveys and are not let off the hook, it is unlikely that they will poll negatively for fear that their comments will be read.
Most Surveys Tend To Have A Minimum Headcount Of At Least 10 Staff Or More
Let us not forget the mom-and-pop shops, neighbourhood stalls, smaller SMEs, and startups that are also employing workers and providing jobs for Singaporeans.
In Singapore, there are over 100,000 micro-SMEs. They include family-run shops in the heartlands and coffee shop stalls. These businesses are unlikely to be included in best workplaces surveys as they do not qualify in headcount.
Actually if you think about it, working for a business run by your family where you can “be your own boss” and disappear at odd hours for a coffee break or run errands while at work – as you are in control of your time – is actually pretty great.
Companies That Participate In These Surveys Have An Agenda – They Are Trying To Attract More Talent/Change The External Opinion Of The Company Culture
A company works for profit, well most of them do. The only logical rationale for companies to spend their precious resources on a workplace survey would be to attract talent to their company.
Companies that are participating in the survey are likely to be either high-growth companies who are beefing up their talent pool or perhaps large multi-national corporations (MNCs) who are always hiring due to the natural attrition of workers.
Companies that are drawn to such surveys are also likely from industries that are competitive for talent – such as tech and IT.
There may be some companies that wish to participate in such surveys in a bid to change the company culture too. P.S. It could be that a new CEO/Head has joined the company and wants to do something to be remembered by so he/she ropes in the management and calls for change in the company (tell me you haven’t heard of this story before). The rest is history as you can fill in the blanks.
There Are “Cheat Codes” To Scoring Higher In The Rankings
These surveys return every year and it is normal for a company that applied previously to want to improve in the rankings. So how do they do it? They can refer to previous survey questions as well as work on those areas that they lacked previously to score better.
This is equivalent to reading the 10-years series for exams during your student days. If you already know the answers, you will know how to solve the questions and do well.
The Workplace Surveys May Not Include Local Culture Standards (Benefit Americanised Companies)
We must also note that for global surveys, the workplace standards may not be localised. Hence if a survey has American standards, it will benefit international companies compared to local firms.
For example, some questions in these surveys may ask employees whether if they are made to feel welcome when they join the company. For Asian companies, making a person feel welcome may not be something that is of importance. If we place the same benchmark on a Japanese firm it will likely rank lower in this aspect, but this does not guarantee that the workplace environment is not great.
How Should Employees Decide What Represents As “The Best Workplace” For Them?
Even if a company is known to be the best workplace, the company culture may not always be your cup of tea.
You could be an introvert who wants to just clock in and clock out on time daily, and to you work is just to pay the bills. If you join a company that is vibrant and constantly organises events as well as after work activities, you may feel stressed and overwhelmed by the commitments.
The way to go about finding the best workplace for yourself is to ask yourself what you want in a job and to do your own research first before joining a company.
You can ask around to find out more about the company or go online to read online employee reviews (like Glassdoor) so that when you join the company, you go in with both your eyes open.
Another important tip is to research about your reporting manager and find out if the person’s management style is something you are okay to work with (be it a micromanager or an impatient manager).
At the end of the day, a companywide survey is not really relevant to individual employees, because as workers on the ground, the only people you usually work with are your team mates and your managers.
It’s not that bad to set your workplace expectations lower too. If you work in a company thinking that it is the best workplace and keep having high expectations, it could make the work experience worse as you got your hopes too high.
So don’t go looking at other people’s jobs thinking that they have it better than yours. Even a company that was awarded one of the Best Workplaces In Singapore this year had more than meets the eye…A source told me that the work environment there is toxic, where employees tattletale on each other, “spies” are watching employees’ moves, and people cannot take coffee breaks. (Now, how is that possibly a best workplace? The survey must have missed something.)
Read Also: What Is The Average Working Hours In Singapore For Full-Time And Part-Time Employees
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