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Benefit
#2
A healthy bottom
line is crucial to keeping a business alive. Fun contributes to
this bottom line, if it is integrated on a regular basis. It generates
a company “atmosphere” that results in increased profitability.
Three companies
that are known for their "un"corporate culture are Southwest Airlines,
Quad/Graphics, and Nucor Steel. Harry Quadracci, the owner of Quad/Graphics
takes his trust-the-employees culture so seriously that once a year
managers literally walk out of the plant for up to three days and
leave it in the hands of hourly workers. Nucor Steel executives
do not receive any traditional perks, only what is offered to every
other employee. All three companies went from Inc. Magazine 500
size to Fortune Magazine 500 size, even though they were competing
with some of the toughest businesses around. They are still thriving
today.8
Hal Rosenbluth,
CEO of Rosenbluth International, the nation's fourth largest travel-services
company with $2 billion in revenues, considers it "almost inhumane
if companies create a climate where people can't naturally have
fun . . . our role and responsibility as leaders and associates
is to create a place where people can enjoy themselves. I know our
company is doing well when I walk around and hear people laughing.
The enjoyment translates into performance.” He adds, “we hire nice
people because when nice people work together they're effective
and they have fun.9
Similarly, Ann
Machado, founder of Creative Staffing, an employment agency in Miami
has seen her average annual revenues soar from 20 percent to 42
percent. She offers incentives to employees like dinner at upscale
restaurants and all-expense paid trips. She didn’t realize how important
these fun incentives were to her employees until she replaced them
with more traditional benefits — disability insurance and a pension
plan. Revenues then only increased 9 percent. "We got too serious."
Machado revved up the rewards machine again. She kept the traditional
benefits and added on the oldies like giving high-achieving managers
$400 shopping sprees, by limo. Creative Staffing’s sales again increased
20 percent. Machado says, "This is a place where employees get charged
up. If you don't like to have fun, you won't fit in."10
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