In my latest article on The
Guardian Sustainable Business portal, I discuss how irreverent
Method's offbeat
approach towards employee recruitment and retainment has helped the
company transform the cleaning products industry. With its insistence that prospective employees demonstrate that they commit to keeping the company "weird," the company's culture of happiness also offers several lessons to companies that wish to stay competitive.
In 2000 Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry confronted a stodgy industry that had convinced consumers that the key to cleanliness was using unsightly bottles full of toxins. But Method's bright and gorgeous bottles of surface cleaners and
dish soap have pushed other companies to become more "green." Twelve years later, the company has surpassed $100 million in sales, thanks due to its employees. The flat organizational structure, including the requirement that employees man the reception desk at least once a month, helps imbed a culture of innovation that motivates Method's people to push themselves to the limit. An annual "prom" and Monday morning huddles also inspire employees to know that their opinions and voices are heard. Despite the recent merger announcement with the Belgian green cleaning products Ecover, watch for the company's unique and forward thinking culture to thrive--at least that is what Eric Ryan hoped for when I spoke with him earlier this month.
Read the full article here.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
In my latest article on The Guardian Sustainable Business portal, I discuss how irreverent Method's offbeat approach towards employee recruitment and retainment has helped the company transform the cleaning products industry. With its insistence that prospective employees demonstrate that they commit to keeping the company "weird," the company's culture of happiness also offers several lessons to companies that wish to stay competitive.
In 2000 Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry confronted a stodgy industry that had convinced consumers that the key to cleanliness was using unsightly bottles full of toxins. But Method's bright and gorgeous bottles of surface cleaners and dish soap have pushed other companies to become more "green." Twelve years later, the company has surpassed $100 million in sales, thanks due to its employees. The flat organizational structure, including the requirement that employees man the reception desk at least once a month, helps imbed a culture of innovation that motivates Method's people to push themselves to the limit. An annual "prom" and Monday morning huddles also inspire employees to know that their opinions and voices are heard. Despite the recent merger announcement with the Belgian green cleaning products Ecover, watch for the company's unique and forward thinking culture to thrive--at least that is what Eric Ryan hoped for when I spoke with him earlier this month.
Read the full article here.
