Monday, September 12, 2011

Good HR makes good PR

I love it when an organization's treatment of its employees accurately reflects the company's public perception. One example of how good human resources makes good public relations is apparel maker Patagonia.

Here's a snapshot from Bloomberg Businessweek of some of the benefits that Patagonia employees receive:
  • Up to four months unpaid personal leave for "big, life-changing journeys"
  • Two months paid parental leave for dads as well as moms
  • "Working your flextime" by going surfing during the day at a surf spot two minutes from the Ventura, Calif., headquarters
I bet that Patagonia employees are more productive because of these benefits and the focus on work-life balance. Surf's up!

4 comments:

  1. Brant - I love this. My husband and I are big fans of Patagonia. It's a great brand. I am in complete agreement with on on both main points here. Productivity is much greater when people aren't limited to confines, which exist in most companies (some worse than others). People being able to express their individuality (within reason) and have flexibility and a degree of autonomy make for a much better culture in my opinion. The media opp for being progressive in this area is fab. Being progressive in any way is always beneficial for PR. Sadly, most companies aren't that great at doing good things for the people that power the company -- but they like to pretend they do. Funny how the HR function is typically in the best interest of the company and not necessarily there to protect its talent. Rant over ;-) Great post, Brant.

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  2. Thanks for your comment, Lisa. Google is another example of a company that has excellent and unique benefits. It would be fun to work for a company like Patagonia or Google.

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  4. I love it when an organization's treatment of its employees accurately reflects the company's public perception.

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