Costco Cares About its Employees and it Shows

One of my favorite places to shop is Costco Wholesale. The store nearest to my home opened nearly 30 years ago. What impresses me most about the place is that some of the employees who were working there the day this store opened are still there! Furthermore, they’re still smiling, greeting you with enthusiasm and are still happy to be there. So, I did some checking to find out why and here’s what I found: Costco pays incredibly well and the benefits for employees are great. In addition, Costco promotes from within—70% of its managers started behind the register. Costco also operates with a culture of caring rather than a culture of fear—employees are not afraid of their managers or their CEO. On top of this, the store is closed on New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas so their employees can enjoy these holidays like the rest of us. As one Costco employee recently told me, “There’s nobody here who will complain about their job because there’s nothing to complain about.” So, what’s the payoff for all this caring? Costco is ranked number 15 on the Fortune list of The World’s Most Admired Companies. All this makes you wonder why more businesses don’t operate this way.