The Culture Club

CAN OUR NUMBER ONE COMPANY MAINTAIN ITS EMPLOYEE-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE THROUGH THE PANDEMIC AND A GROWTH BOOM? WE THINK SO

- Peter Carbonara

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT TO THE TOP OF our list of Most Loved Workplaces? It's simple, but not easy: Build a company culture that actually puts people first. In the case of this year's winner, international music streaming behemoth Spotify, one key to doing that is starting with Swedish parts.

The company has offices all over the world and the largest is in New York City, but its headquarters and roots are in Stockholm. As it has grown, Spotify has kept big characteristically Swedish things like a relatively flat management structure, a “no prima donnas” employee policy, a corporate culture that emphasizes teamwork and openness as well as perks—some of which, though required by law in Sweden, are almost unheard of elsewhere. Like, for instance, six months of paid leave for all new parents, including men.

There's more. Much more.

This February the company adopted a "work from anywhere” policy under which employees are encouraged to live wherever they choose and connect digitally. This November, Spotify is giving all its employees the first week of the month off to recharge somewhat from the stresses of the pandemic, with all work emails, Zoom meetings, phone calls—actively discouraged. (Spotify will still be available to listeners, of course, and employees who need to work to keep the network running will get the following week off.).