It’s a Great Place to Work

What makes a company a good place to work? "Workers need to find their work meaningful and be able to understand why they do what they do," says Marjaana Toiminen, CEO for Finnish magazine maker Bonnier Publications Oy. Toiminen should know, since the company was just named the 7^th best medium-sized company to work for in Finland by the Great Place to Work Institute. The institute is part of a global network that ranks workplaces, with some 5,000 participants and over 10 million employees.

Placing No. 7 is a big achievement for Bonnier Publications Oy, which publishes Olivia, Evita and Divaani magazines and ranked No. 20 on the list last year. "For us, this is not just a survey," says Virve Jalanne, Administrative Director at Bonnier Publications Oy and the person who coordinates the work with the Great Place to Work Institute. "We actually do want to be a great workplace and we work hard for it. Everyone in the organization is taking part, this is our thing. Not just the management's."

The ranking process includes an index based on a survey that employees fill out, focusing on five key dimensions credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie. The institute also carries out an audit, looking at company practices in terms of recruiting, information channels, meetings and cooperation between departments, support of personnel development and career paths, celebrating success and rewarding staff.

"We believe that having a great work culture in the company is essential for our business strategy," says Toiminen. "In order to succeed in what we do, we need that supportive and inspiring work culture and that sense of meaning in our work. So it is not merely an add-on, a good thing to have. It is an important part of our business strategy and our success."