#35 in the Green Goldfish Project – Patagonia
Taken from a post called, “Finding Success by Putting Company Culture First” by Diana Ransom:
Patagonia
Patagonia Inc., based in Ventura, Calif., attracts outdoorsy types with its athletic clothing brand and laser-like focus on work-life balance. Time away from the office isn’t just tolerated here, it’s required, says Rob BonDurant, Patagonia’s vice president of marketing and de facto culture guide.
Patagonia’s 1,300 employees enjoy what the company calls “Let My People Go Surfing” time — a period during any work day where employees can head outdoors to get their creative juices flowing. Of course, they can’t abandon their duties or ditch a meeting, but popping out for an impromptu climb or bike ride is encouraged.
Patagonia’s flex-time policies — which originated from Yvon Chouinard, an outdoor enthusiast who founded the company in 1974 — are good for employee morale and invaluable to the company, which projects $400 million in revenue in 2011, up from $333 million last year.
“The time we spend outside the office helps us manage the storytelling process around our products,” says Bon Durant, a 10-year Patagonia veteran and an avid mountain climber. “We’re designing ski and surfing apparel, we need to be traveling and trying things out.”
Today’s Lagniappe (a little something extra thrown in for good measure) – Here’s a Q&A with Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard courtesy of the Scheinfeld Center:
The Green Goldfish Project is a quest to find 1,001 examples of marketing lagniappe for employees. A green goldfish is the little signature extras given to employees. They help differentiate a company, increase employee retention and drive positive word of mouth.
