Great Place to Work? Best Workplaces? Five-a-side football has nothing to do with it!

Best Workplaces: in the beginning, there was table football

One day, someone in marketing had the bright idea of bringing a table football game into the office. And that was that. From then on, there was no stopping us.

Office five-a-side. Dogs in the office. A psychologist in the office – but psychologist sounds a bit heavy, so let’s call them a happiness officer instead. A physiotherapist in the office – but physiotherapy makes people think of display screen assessments and health and safety training, so let’s just call them a masseur.

Someone was even caught playing with Lego. They justified it by saying it was a workshop. Or maybe a hackathon? During working hours?

Then again, does it still make sense to talk about working hours at all? Smart working. Not just smart: work wherever you like, whenever you like.

In recent years, the viral dynamics of social media algorithms have turned the world of work upside down. We moved from Personnel Administration to Human Resources. Then a more widespread awareness took hold: people are not resources. And so the conversation shifted to People & Culture.

The former Mega Director – God help us – Doctor Engineer Knight Commander Whatever-his-title, has turned into a sort of holiday resort entertainer with a master’s degree in positive psychology.

Anyone working in a business that can sustain itself, satisfy its customers, and pay salaries on the 10th of the month (oh, and social contributions on the 16th of the following month) knows perfectly well that this is not how it works.

What lies behind a certification

Creare un ambiente di lavoro eccellente, uno tra i “Best Workplaces” – non significa aprire un parco divertimenti. Tutt’altro. Creating an excellent workplace – one of the “Best Workplaces”- does not mean building an amusement park. Quite the opposite.

It means treating people as professional adults. Honouring commitments. Learning to talk about mistakes and embracing them for what they are—perhaps the only real way to improve.
It means ending every meeting with five words: who-does-what-by-when. And also “how”—as in, how did we communicate with each other?
It means creating an environment driven more by context than by hierarchy. A psychologically safe place, where anyone can raise their hand and say “I disagree” or “I don’t understand” without fear of being sidelined.
It means raising the level of ideas, not the volume of voices.

Shared performance trends, transparent numbers—even when they are not as strong as we would like. The market is competitive, competitors are relentless, margins are tight. In procurement tenders, there are no silver medals—the gap between the winner and everyone else is often just a few centimetres.

The paradox?

Being a Great Place to Work also means letting someone go when skills and values are no longer aligned. It’s not pleasant. It’s painful for those who hear it—and, believe me, for those who have to say it too.

So, how do you become one of the Best Workplaces?

By putting we before I. Listening more, speaking less. Accepting that some information is simply not ours to know. Giving up the subtle pleasure of complaining about a colleague by the coffee machine – or having the courage to go to the coffee machine with that colleague and clear things up directly.

It means choosing words carefully. Avoiding jokes when they are out of place. Because, even if there is a table football game, it is still an office.

It also means celebrating together. Not being afraid to show emotion. Saying it out loud when you are happy, when you feel good.

It means bringing in pastries and remembering that someone may be gluten intolerant. Asking “How are you?” one more time when someone seems a little low. Accepting that there is no real trust without vulnerability.

It means saying “Good morning” in the morning – and saying it to guests too. Picking up a piece of paper from the floor. Replacing the toilet roll when it has run out.

It means recognising that behind every striker who scores, there is a team that built the move. Paying people fairly, according to transparent and shared criteria.

It is difficult. It is demanding. At times, it is frustrating. HR – or People, or whatever on earth you want to call it – can only do so much. It is a team effort.

There is one piece of good news: the things that matter most in making a workplace truly excellent do not require a budget. They require passion, courage and integrity.

Spoiler: yes, we have a table football game too – but we much prefer Mario Kart tournaments.