In a recent effort to engage in readings of the top rated corporate strategy publications, I found that the practices we have been rolling with are not far from the management styles of some of the ‘trendy’ corporations of today.
Now celebrating our 30th year in business as a manufacturer and distributor of USA-made resistance-based exercise products, our practices may have set the tone for what corporations are now stating as new and innovative management style.
For over the past 15 years, NZ has adopted a practice of asking employees what hours they wish to work. All NZ staff decided to work 4 – 10 hour days, leaving a 3 day weekend for rest. This choice was solely voted upon by peers, not management. Our philosophy is to work hard and play harder. Another practice the company initiated over 15 years ago was the Christmas in July celebration. The July 4th holiday is accompanied by an entire week of fully paid time off. In addition to the summer holiday, up to two weeks of paid time off is provided for employees in December.
What about day to day business you ask? Well, there is no fishbone diagram listing the levels of management in our company. We work cross functionally. Everyone is cross trained to support each other within a department. Departments meet throughout the week to discuss projects and offer suggestions and advice for their team members. It has been found that suggestions from other departments often prove beneficial as sometimes a fresh set of eyes and ears can lend insightful suggestions. Though we do not provide daily free food options to employees, groups meet once a week for a company sponsored lunch. Not always is business the center of the luncheon; we may just discuss what everyone is doing over a long weekend or employees’ latest family updates. It is a time to connect and share some laughs and perhaps some tears of what is going in each others’ lives.
There are many large corporations today that tout their management style as new and innovative (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon), but are we that much different from one another? What NZ has been doing for the past 30 years has been proven to work by the success of the company, the retention of its team members, and the continued growth of the products in their respective markets worldwide.
