What gives your employees the perception that their company is a "great company?"

People want to work at great companies. Like most rational people, I believed this to be true long before we were named by the Memphis Business Journal as one of the Best Places to Work in Memphis in 2017. However, I was surprised by the immediate impact that this recognition brought to our company.  From the day the article was published, we noticed a significant increase in not only the number of resumes that we were receiving, but also the quality of these candidates. (This was particularly shocking as we actually had no open positions posted.) The trend was noticeable enough that I decided to dig a little deeper to determine what gives employees the perception that their company is a “great company.” (The MBJ BPTW awards are determined by surveys completed by each company’s employees. The employees that rank their own companies the highest are recognized.)  What I found was somewhat surprising. The key in cultivating employees that believe they work for a great company is in constantly “re-recruiting” them. Recognize them for their achievements. Praise them often for doing good and meaningful work. Know your employees’ goals and guide them on a path to achieve personal and professional success. And when possible, provide them with appropriate benefits that indicate that you value them such as 401(k)s and health insurance, etc. Having an employee base that loves where they work and knows the company values them is contagious and creates a truly great place to work.