 Choose Nice Companies
by Winn Claybaugh
author of Be Nice (Or Else!) And What's In It For You
When it comes to spending money, you have plenty of options. Some people love to purchase and wear designer labels and quality goods, while others love to search for great bargains at a thrift store. Some people like to splurge for front-row tickets to a Broadway play, and others enjoy seeing the hottest movies at their neighborhood theater. Yes, you can make decisions with your head about how and where to spend your money, but you can also start making decisions with your gut. How do you feel about that company? What’s behind their product or service? In your desire to start a BE NICE revolution, you can choose to spend your money in ways that support companies, organizations, and individuals who believe in the importance of being nice.
I like to know something about a company’s culture and who owns it. Are they good to their employees? Do they provide a fair, safe, harmonious work environment? Is their product environmentally friendly? Are they honest and filled with integrity? Do they give back to their communities?
To tell you the truth, I hope that people research my company that way. I want them to know the inner workings of who we are and what we stand for, and that we do more than just provide a product or service. I want them to get inside and ask my people if I’m a nice guy, if they love their job, if they adore their co-workers. We work hard to create and practice what I’ve shared in this book, so I want people to investigate and tell us how we’re doing.
In addition to being proactive in asking about a company’s behind-the-scenes activities, an easy way to research a company, its products, and its philosophy is through the Internet. Visit a company’s Web site and read its mission statements and philosophies. Every company is designed to make a profit, so look beyond that. Do they mention how they treat their people, or how they provide support for those less fortunate? Are they environmentally aware? What about their hiring practices—are they truly nondiscriminatory? Are all of these areas reflected in their mission statement and overall vision?
I look for nice companies to use as mentors and role models for my own company, and so that I can “reward” them by choosing to spend money there. I checked out a couple of companies online because I heard, either through friends who worked there or through press about them, that they were nice companies. My motive in mentioning these companies is not as an endorsement of their product or service, because frankly that’s not my role. I merely want to point out that there are companies doing nice things for their employees, their customers, or their communities, and we can all learn from them, find companies who do similar things, and choose to spend our money with them in support of the nice things they do.
I’m sure that if I were to name specific companies, there’d be one or one thousand people who’d want to dispute my perceived endorsement. Since I don’t want the message to be lost by challenging people to weigh in as to whether or not they believe a company to be nice, I’ll simply describe the attributes that I admire most.
I researched one company that not only pledges 1 percent of its annual sales to environmental protection and restoration, but it also offers its employees five days of paid annual leave to volunteer at their children’s schools. In addition, employees can maintain their benefits and salary for up to two months while they work for a nonprofit organization.
I was very impressed with another company whose Web site describes its commitment to doing good business while being part of the global and local community. That company also offers paid leave to employees who work with nonprofits and provides service to schools, community centers, parks, and youth programs.
I know of several companies that provide daycare centers, not for their customers but for their staff, so parents don’t have to be far from their children. For the single parent who can’t afford daycare, and can’t afford to work half days, this is a huge benefit that perceivably has nothing to do with creating a better product for the company.
As you begin looking further into the companies whose products and services you currently use, or those you don’t use, I’m sure you’ll discover, as I did, that doing this kind of research is quite educational and fun. I found it fascinating to know that the company who makes some of the clothes I purchase is actually very active in its community and that its philosophies are similar to my own. In a very real sense, my discovery of this company’s responsible approach to doing business made me feel good about myself for purchasing its product.
Winn Claybaugh is the author of Be Nice (Or Else!) and “one of the best motivational speakers in the country,” according to CNN’s Larry King. A business owner for over 28 years with over 15,000 people in his organization, Winn is the co-owner of hair care giant Paul Mitchell’s school division. Winn has helped thousands of businesses build their brands and create successful working cultures. His clients include Southwest Airlines, the Irvine Company, Vidal Sassoon, Entertainment Tonight, Mattel, For Rent magazine, Structure/Limited/Express, and others. Winn is a frequent guest on national radio and a regular contributor to online publications. Visit www.BeNiceOrElse.com to sign up for his free monthly Be Nice (Or Else!) newsletter.
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