Talk about an amazing Valentine’s Day gift! Today, FORTUNE shared the LOVE and released its 22nd annual 100 Best Companies to Work For® list...T-Mobile has made the cut for the second year in a row! This highly-anticipated ranking is created in partnership with Great Place to Work based on something we take great pride in: honest employee feedback.
T-Mobile is happy to be placed at #49 this year – and we are not going to stop working to earn a better spot year after year! It is a great honor to be recognized for the awesome company we are, but it’s also fantastic to see where we stand within the excellent company we keep on this list of amazing organizations.
Employees are the backbone of every company, and everything from creating an inspiring corporate culture to offering comprehensive benefits is critical to keeping them happy and healthy - not to mention motivated to do truly awesome work. Of course, we're always looking to innovate and improve, constantly asking for feedback from our team of 50,000-plus and trying hard to make sure we listen to our employees' needs - just like we listen to our customers! Here are a few things we've learned to do right on our path to being recognized as a Great Place to Work.
FUEL YOUR PEOPLE’S PASSIONS
Inspiration - how do you excite and engage your employees so they want to execute? What separates Great Place to Work companies from the rest is that from the leaders to every employee throughout the organization, everyone shares in knowing they're making an individual and collective impact on the company.
At T-Mobile we have a "How We Play" playbook, which is the north star for what represents our culture - and a reason why employees are proud to work for our company. It includes things like being bold, making a difference, playing to win and having fun - all at the same time.
But we don't just let this playbook collect dust or use it only for onboarding to check off a box. All our employees live and breathe the "How We Play" ethos each and every day. You'll see it on posters that are displayed throughout our energetic Customer Care Centers, retail stores and in our corporate headquarters. Many employees sport "How We Play" t-shirts at work, or as stickers on their ID badges.
PROVIDE YOUR TEAM THE RIGHT TOOLS TO SUCCEED
At T-Mobile, we have a kickass crew of diverse, multitalented self-starters who are ready to go go go… as soon as they see a green (magenta?) light - but it's up to leadership to first flip that switch. How? Providing a clear path to career and personal development. For Great Place to Work companies, this means offering up resources when employees step through the door on their first day - and giving them access to tools and support along their journey with us.
It's all about building on an amazing foundation. Take, for instance, T-Mobile's Tuition Assistance benefit, which offers free college tuition to every employee nationwide, both full-time and part-time. Students can have their entire tuition fully covered at select universities without ever having to pay a dime out of pocket. We also offer programs like job shadowing and stretch assignments, and various career development programs for Frontline employees to fast-track getting to the next level of their careers.
It is this type of thinking that not only creates an even more highly trained staff, but also happier employees. And what does having happier employees lead to? Higher retention rates! Give them the tools to grow and succeed, and they'll want to grow and succeed for you.
GIVE A $#!*
This is probably the easiest thing to get right, and yet so many companies keep getting it so, so wrong. (Or maybe they just don't give a, well, you know.) T-Mobile benefits are great, and like many of the other companies on this list, we got 'em. 401(k). Generous PTO. Flexible work schedules. And all T-Mobile employees are eligible for perks above and beyond base pay, such as employee stock grants and spot bonuses.
But the best of the best realize that their employees are family – and treat them as such.
When T-Mobile's employees spoke up about wanting more than basic benefits and the importance of supporting their lives outside of the workplace, leadership listened. For instance, we not only offer paid maternity and paternity leave, but added adoption and surrogacy assistance to the mix - not to mention free childcare for employees that earn less than $95,000 a year.
And look, if your employees are ready to give you their all, doesn’t it just make sense to give them your all – and more! – in return? We think so! Which is why we have a Senior Leadership Team that believes in transparency, zero hierarchy, executive availability and accessibility. We encourage open and honest communication internally in companywide discussions, and externally in places like Facebook and Twitter. They even encourage employees to email them directly – anytime! – with any questions or concerns. We also believe our Frontline comes first – they’re the closest to the customer! – which is why our senior leaders regularly pay visits to Customer Care Centers and retail stores to show gratitude and gather feedback.
This may not be how other companies work, but T-Mobile is unapologetically the Un-carrier. We do things different. We shake things up. And that landed us on the 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Huzzah! No doubt, we're feeling some serious love for our employees, and some serious employee love in return. Hey, it is Valentine's Day, after all!