Best Company Culture Examples: Key Insights from Top Workplaces

Companies with strong and positive workplace cultures stand out for their ability to attract and retain top talent. A positive company culture also enhances employee engagement, fosters a better experience for stakeholders, and drives long-term success.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the best company culture examples, highlighting how strong cultures can create a thriving, innovative, and healthy work environment, promoting growth, collaboration, and exceptional outcomes.

1. Zappos: Happy employees and satisfied customers

Zappos’ culture is central to its identity and success.

Zappos’ culture is defined by its unwavering commitment to customer service and employee satisfaction. Underlying this are ten core values, including a “WOW” value proposition to deliver outstanding experiences to all stakeholders.

Zappos promotes a supportive, inclusive, and fun work environment where employees feel empowered to be authentic.

Zappos’ culture shapes its people strategy from the moment new employees join the company. New hires undergo an interview dedicated solely to company culture alongside other evaluations. They also meet existing employees to gauge their cultural fit and how well they might work together.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Zappos’ recruitment and onboarding process is its “offer” policy, under which new hires receive a financial incentive (e.g., $3,000) to quit after onboarding. This ensures that those who stay are genuinely committed to the company’s values.

Zappos’ employee-centric approach treats its people like family, offering plenty of personal and professional growth opportunities. These include development opportunities like training, workshops, mentoring programs, and social activities like happy hours, talent shows, and costume contests. Such activities help build strong relationships and keep Zappos’ employees happy and engaged.

2. Salesforce: Trust, equality, and the Ohana culture

Salesforce is known for its community culture, inspired by the Hawaiian concept of “Ohana.” Salesforce’s Ohana approach emphasizes strong, family-like bonds among its employees, encouraging supportive relationships that help them thrive personally and professionally.

Salesforce prioritizes collaboration, inclusivity, and individual wellbeing. Five core values drive its culture:

1. Trust: Strong bonds across employees, customers, partners, and communities built on transparency, honesty, and reliability
2. Customer success: Dedication to exceptional customer outcomes based on understanding needs, providing exceptional service, and delivering maximum value from Salesforce’s products
3. Innovation: Encouraging creativity through employee empowerment to develop cutting-edge, competitive customer solutions
4. Equality: Promoting diversity, inclusion, and an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered
5. Sustainability: Actively supporting environmental and community wellbeing initiatives

A standout feature of Salesforce’s culture is its 1-1-1 philanthropic model, whereby it donates 1% of its product, equity, and employee time to charitable causes. This approach positions Salesforce as a mission-driven organization that benefits the community and fosters a culture of giving back.

Salesforce’s culture has earned it the accolade of being a certified “great place to work,” with 82% of its employees considering it a great workplace in mid-2024. This compares with only 57% for typical US-based companies.

3. Google: Openness, innovation, and collaboration

Google is consistently recognized for its outstanding company culture, built on openness, collaboration, and innovation.

Google promotes a culture that encourages its people to take risks, experiment, and think creatively. The company’s famous “20% time” policy allows employees to dedicate a portion of their work hours to side projects, fostering innovation and personal growth.

Google’s people enjoy a vibrant campus environment designed to foster engagement and collaboration. With nap pods, free meals, onsite fitness centers, scooters for getting around the office, ping pong tables, and recreational facilities, Google’s campus facilities support wellbeing and allow its people to thrive personally and professionally.

Google’s culture also emphasizes inclusivity and belonging, promoting diversity, connection, and empowerment through initiatives like representative hiring, supporting employees with different levels of ability, promoting “Self-ID” voluntary disclosures about personal attributes or preferences, and providing expanded healthcare programs for parents.

Google’s culture has earned it numerous accolades, being highly rated on platforms like Glassdoor. In 2024, it won Comparably’s “Best Global Culture” award, among other titles.

Google’s culture underpins its success as one of the world’s leading technology companies, built on innovation, inclusivity, and employee empowerment.

4. Patagonia: Purpose-driven culture and environmental activism

Patagonia is widely recognized for its company culture rooted in environmental advocacy and a mission-driven approach. The company’s core values are centered on the outdoors, the environment, and sustainability, and it invites its people to champion and live these values every day.

Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, is so passionate about environmental causes that he donated the company to a non-profit for climate action in 2022. All profits now go towards tackling climate change.

Patagonia’s commitment to purpose over profit makes its culture unique and highly appealing to employees who share these values. This commitment has resulted in some of the lowest employee turnover rates in the world.

In keeping with its environmental focus, Patagonia strongly supports employee activism. Employees are encouraged to take paid time off to engage in environmental volunteerism.

Patagonia prioritizes work-life balance by offering flexible schedules that allow employees to balance their personal and professional lives, enjoy outdoor activities, and even head out to surf when conditions are good at Patagonia’s headquarters.

Patagonia’s culture has earned widespread recognition, including high ratings on Glassdoor and being named one of the top 100 Most Loved Workplaces by Newsweek in 2023.

5. Hubspot: Transparency, autonomy, and growth

Hubspot’s culture is anchored in its “Culture Code,” a living document that outlines its values and emphasizes transparency, autonomy, and continuous learning.

Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot’s founder and CTO, describes the Culture Code as more than a “code of conduct,” it’s like software code, integral to the company’s foundation and guiding its growth and behavior.

Hubspot’s Culture Code is constantly evolving, adapting to the needs of employees while being supportive and inclusive. Its most recent iteration highlights the following tenets:

1. Solve for the customer: Do the right thing for customers, even when it’s difficult
2. Work to be remarkably transparent: Company information is shared freely with every employee having access to the same data
3. Favor autonomy and accountability: Rely on trust and judgment to leverage autonomy and do great work
4. Believe in amazing peers: The best people don’t merely fit Hubspot’s culture, they further it
5. Lean towards long-term impact: Mistakes are ok, provided we learn from them

The Culture Code outlines five traits that make Hubspot employees unique, known as “Hubspotters”:

1. Humility: Be self-aware and respectful
2. Empathy: Understand others’ perspectives and act with compassion and respect
3. Adaptability: Have innate curiosity and constantly evolve
4. Be remarkable: Different, resourceful, and effective
5. Transparency: Be open and honest with others and yourself

A feature of Hubspot’s culture is its balance between flexibility and accountability. Employees are given a high degree of autonomy to manage their time and work while effectively balancing their personal and professional lives. There’s a strong emphasis on trust and creating an environment where people feel empowered to make decisions and take ownership of their projects.

Hubspot’s commitment to transparency, growth, and employee wellbeing make it one of the best examples of a thriving, adaptable, company culture.

6. Netflix: Performance, responsibility, and transparency

Netflix has a distinctive culture, captured in its renowned culture deck, that emphasizes high performance, considered hiring, and retaining top talent. Its culture is built on the principles of freedom and responsibility.

Netflix encourages a high degree of autonomy, trusting its people to make decisions while expecting accountability for their actions. This drives innovation and agility while fostering a culture where individuals take ownership of their work and results.

Netflix’s culture is built on four core principles:

1. The dream team: People who are great at what they do and even better at working together
2. People over process: Employees, equipped with information and freedom, make better decisions than relying on rigid processes
3. Uncomfortably exciting: Encourage bold and ambitious action, even when it’s uncomfortable
4. Great and always better: Cultivate self-awareness to recognize areas for improvement and have the resilience and discipline to achieve excellence

Netflix believes that by creating a culture that fosters openness and high expectations, employees will naturally drive results and make the best decisions for the company. This emphasis on performance is central to Netflix’s success, explains Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix:

Netflix has been widely recognized for its innovative approach to company culture and was voted one of the top 100 Most Loved Workplaces by Newsweek in 2023.

7. Spotify: Innovation, agility, and collaboration

Spotify is celebrated for its agile and adaptive company culture that empowers teams to innovate and collaborate effectively.

Central to Spotify’s culture is its “Band Manifesto”, which reflects its belief that great work happens when employees are given the freedom and support to express their creativity. The Manifesto encourages employees to work together like a band, each member playing a unique role but contributing to a harmonious outcome.

Spotify’s Manifesto lists five values that act as guiding principles for decision-making, team dynamics, and company objectives:

1. Innovation: Move fast and take big risks
2. Sincerity: Lead with transparency and engage with open minds
3. Passion: Care about the company’s mission, energize and inspire others
4. Collaboration: Share ideas and best practices with equal opportunities to participate
5. Playfulness: Connect, celebrate successes, and enjoy “jam” sessions

Spotify’s culture is reinforced through its organizational structure, which uses “squads, tribes, chapters, and guilds” to maintain agility. This setup allows small teams (squads) to operate autonomously. At the same time, broader alignment with company objectives is maintained through tribes and chapters. This promotes flexibility and enables teams to adapt quickly to change, driving innovation.

Spotify places a strong emphasis on open communication, trust, and transparency. Employees are encouraged to provide feedback and share ideas freely, fostering a collaborative environment where everyone’s voice is heard.

Work-life balance is also a priority, with flexible working conditions that allow employees to balance their personal and professional lives, promoting productivity and wellbeing.

8. Shopify: Entrepreneurial spirit, autonomy, and “managed chaos”

Shopify fosters a culture of innovation and continuous learning. The company encourages an entrepreneurial spirit by which employees are encouraged to think like business owners, take calculated risks, and pursue projects that drive growth.

Shopify promotes a sense of ownership and autonomy that empowers employees to be bold in their decision-making, as highlighted by Craig Miller, former Shopify CMO: “If you go with conventional wisdom, you’ll get conventional results.”

A unique aspect of Shopify’s culture is its emphasis on fit over skills, prioritizing individuals who align with the company’s values and culture over those with technical abilities or confident attitudes. This approach creates a strong community of employees who share Shopify’s vision for innovation and growth. Dayna Winters, social media manager at Shopify, shares this sentiment:

One of the ways Shopify supports innovation is through “Chaos Monkey” meetings. In these sessions, leaders challenge assumptions and encourage teams to think differently, prompting them to rethink conventional solutions and embrace fresh approaches. This fosters creativity, suggests Kaz Nejatian, COO at Shopify:

Shopify also emphasizes honest feedback as a way to push employees toward continuous improvement, explains Toby Lütke, Shopify’s CEO:

9. Deel: Inclusivity, flexibility, and global connection

Call it a shameless plug, but we strongly feel like Deel is worth including, too. As a global payroll and compliance solutions leader, Deel is known for its culture of inclusion and flexibility for its globally distributed workforce.

With a fully distributed team spanning several countries, Deel fosters a strong sense of connection despite geographical and time zone differences. It also offers generous vacation days off and celebrates diversity by welcoming employees from a wide range of backgrounds.

Deel’s culture is captured by six core values, guiding its approach as a global remote company:

1. Genuine care: Deeply value customers and understand the impact of work done for them
2. Deel speed: Move fast and build to last
3. Default optimism: Stay positive and maintain balanced perspectives
4. Thoughtful frugality: Get more done with less and be careful with resources
5. Exceed expectations: Take ownership and always overachieve
6. Together everywhere: Sit anywhere and connect everywhere

Deel leverages tools like Slack and Google Workspace to facilitate regular virtual interactions and build relationships among its people, ensuring all workers feel connected, engaged, and valued. Using the Connections plugin, Deel organizes frequent water cooler catch-ups and interest-group meetings for its people to connect over shared passions, whether work-related or not.

A key aspect of Deel’s culture is its commitment to transparency and trust, crucial for a fully remote workforce to thrive. Employees have detailed access to company goals, decisions, and changes, so they feel included and valued.

Deel’s employees also have the flexibility to manage their work-life balance with ample opportunities for professional growth. Deel promotes continuous learning through development programs, workshops, and mentorship, encouraging personal and career advancement.

A key to establishing and maintaining a strong team culture at Deel is having shared values, goals, and a universal sense of belonging, reinforced through quarterly OKRs and regular “All hands” meetings.

The company celebrates milestones and achievements publicly and frequently, with tangible awards and recognition from Deel’s senior leadership. Meaningful perks go beyond standard benefits, including travel opportunities to visit colleagues in different countries, deepening relationships, and collaboration.

Deel’s culture drives exceptional outcomes for its clients, explains Alex Bouaziz, Deel’s co-founder and CEO, combining care, attention to detail, and speed of execution:

Deel’s inclusive environment and innovative work practices have earned the company recognition on platforms like Glassdoor, where employees frequently highlight its supportive culture, flexible working conditions, sense of connection, and growth opportunities.

Key learnings from leading examples of company cultures

The nine examples of outstanding company cultures provide valuable insights into how organizations foster innovation, engagement, and growth to build strong environments that drive success.

Here are five key insights into what drives a strong organizational culture:

1. Empowerment through autonomy

Companies like Netflix and Spotify emphasize autonomy. Netflix’s focus on freedom and responsibility encourages employees to make decisions while being accountable for their results, driving innovation and performance.

2. Commitment to customer experience

Zappos and Salesforce stand out for their commitment to customer experiences. Zappos’ core values center on delivering “WOW” through service, creating a culture where employees feel empowered to provide exceptional customer outcomes. Salesforce ensures its products and services are optimized to deliver maximum value to customers.

3. Embracing inclusivity

Companies like Salesforce and Deel highlight the importance of inclusivity. Saleforce’s “Ohana” culture fosters a family-like bond, ensuring everyone feels valued, while Deel’s remote-first approach ensures team members are connected across different locations and time zones.

4. Flexibility and work-life balance

Patagonia and Google excel at promoting a work-life balance. Patagonia’s flexible schedules allow employees to pursue their passions, while Google’s campus facilities promote wellbeing and productivity.

5. Transparency and continuous feedback

Transparency and feedback are key cultural drivers at Hubspot, Netflix, and Shopify. These companies encourage open communication and regular feedback to foster continuous learning and performance improvement.

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