Malouf recognized as a top workplace

What makes a great workplace? The answers can vary: paid time off, company culture, benefits and perks, employee satisfaction and more. Over the last three years Inc. Magazine has set out to find which companies across America have the best workplaces. In its latest rankings, the magazine interviewed thousands of applicants and singled out just under 300 winning companies. One of those companies that has been singled out for having a great workplace is Cache Valley-based bedding company Malouf.

“I think it’s confirmation of what we’re trying to do, the experience and the feeling we’re trying to create in the workplace,” says Malouf CEO Sam Malouf. “I think it’s inspirational to us to continue what we’re doing and try and make the workplace more enjoyable for people.”

Surveys were conducted and evaluated several months ago by the research team at Quantum Workplace. Earlier this month Malouf was informed that his company made the list.

“It’s obviously really good for recognition for the company, among the employee base we have now, and obviously a huge value for people looking to potentially work here, getting a reading on what it’s like and what people think about it. The whole world, everyone in business, deals a lot with feedback and ratings and reviews. It’s great when people will give honest feedback whether it’s critical or more confirmational. This brings more truth to the claims and brings more talent to work for our company.”

The bedding company, based in Nibley, has a facility with perks similar to what might be seen in Silicon Valley or the Silicon Slopes in Utah County: workout facility on premises, basketball court, in-house chef and multiple company celebrations. Malouf says they offer those perks not just for employee retention (because the employee climate isn’t as competitive as in those other locales), but because they want to make the workplace environment the best that it can be.

“We believe that leads to all sorts of enhanced performance, ownership, improved accountability, more passion in what people do,” Malouf continues. “The rest is a byproduct of that. People will stick around longer; more people will want to work there.

“I think people will have higher work satisfaction. It’s less about roping people into a lot of perks that they rely on or depend on. It’s more about making that day, as cheesy as it sounds, the most positive work experience they can have.”

Malouf’s managerial style and the way he has established a company culture has also been recognized by Glassdoor.com, an online job and career recruiting site. Based on employee approval, Sam Malouf received the Glassdoor Employees’ Choice Award, recognizing him as a top 25 CEO for small and medium businesses, ranking 23rd overall. He appreciates the recognition, and says it stems from a basic belief he has had that has guided him from the company’s early beginnings.

“I think people…want to be cared about and want to matter,” he explains. “They want to be treated like people and not, rhetorically, like a number or a means to greater profit for something they don’t see. I think a lot of those things humanize the workplace and humanize employees.”

The company has seen significant growth over the last few years, purchasing manufacturing and distribution centers in North Carolina and Ohio. The company also recently announced they will be trying to strengthen their footprint internationally.

“We feel like the next stop on that path is Latin America, starting with Mexico,” Malouf explains. “That’s a new focus, specifically with Latin America. We have people who deal with different parts of the world, from Asia, to the Caribbean, to some parts of Europe and obviously Latin America, too. That will be a concerted focus to be exporting more.”

 

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