After learning about Zappos in class, I pondered over what made a company a great place to work. Zappos ranked 11th under FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2012, but I was unsure about the criteria–how the Great Place to Work Institution collect the data to make this list? Did they send people in to observe how happy everyone was with their vats of popcorn and model car races?

Coincidentally, a couple days later, I received the answer to my questions. I was asked to fill out a survey by the Great Place to Work Institution on my workplace–Starbucks. They had chosen me randomly, and I had to complete an eight page survey on various aspects of the company, from workplace equality, to benefits, to my satisfaction regarding my pay.

This survey really augmented my understanding of what made a company a “great place to work”. For example, I hadn’t realized how the level of respect I was given affected my productivity, or how small things like recognition or praise affected my mood, therefore improved my customer service. The survey shed light on how the cooperate culture of a workplace seeps from its employees to its target market. This just further emphasizes the importance of a strong, positive cooperate culture–it’s a very infectious aspect of the company.