Recently, I did some health and safety “due diligence” consulting work for a client who wanted to acquire a small, 65-employee business. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with supervisors and employees and touring the facility and was struck by two important findings: this small company didn’t have much by way of written programs that supported health and safety regulatory compliance AND it had a remarkably good safety record -- one that much larger companies would envy.
The other impression I walked away with was that this company had a very “caring” culture. For example, company management hired several former gang members and supported their pursuit of new and better lives. Supervisors had opportunities to interact with their employees many times over the course of a day. (Actually, this was hard to avoid in this small company!) Relatives of employees were hired, and this seemed to serve as a built-in accountability boost. Some employees expressed the sense that, with regard to their workplace behaviors and performance, they answered not just to their supervisor and teammates, but to their father, mother, sister, or uncle. The caring in this company was palpable. And it started at the top. The company’s top leader had owned it for more than 40 years and employees felt like family to him. It was clear that their well-being was important to him.