What makes a good to great employer?

[GordonJ]

Your thoughts on the matter are apprciated.

The thread below about the emyth...and James Anthony's application of it (Cliff Notes version: Jim has a business that he lets others run and has put processes and systems in place...this is a growing and profitable business and one that affords Jim the compensation of spending time with his son and doing what he wants without having to show up every day to make sure his employees are working or not)

Some think good employees are hard to find. Some (like ME) think good employers are harder to find...for every Jim out there, there must be 10 really crappy bosses that do show up every day and pass out grief.

So what do you think makes a good employer? If I didn't have two hands that were all thumbs and had the skills, then working for a Jim would be a pleasure...and I'll bet he has LOYAL employees too.

In the last decade I've worked with 1000's of people at my little part-time jobs. Truthfully, I think most people can be good employees. Are they? Certainly NOT. But a lot of that is due to how they are treated too.

The worst of my employers? RADIO SHACK by far. In fact, if they are around in two to three years I'll be amazed. Total hostile enviroment to work in and they are JERK loaded from the top down. Is that an opinion?

Well the CEO quit because he LIED on his resume...his replacement, a SuperStar at McDonalds lasted a few months until she experienced it for herself and ran away like a bride on her 4th groom. I doubt she even puts Radio Shack on her resume. I

OK. That's the bad. The good? Gordon Food Service. Family owned and operated. Good work environment with OPPORTUNITY, which is my hallmark for a good employer.

The sell green beans. Their managers know this. Their regional managers know this. The owners know this. It isn't life and death stuff. It is FUN stuff. It is green beans sort of stuff.

They train you, allow you to learn as fast as you want, promote from within and don't put a ceiling on your improvement.

In between the good and the bad have been the UGLY...and the average and not so memorable ones.

So I think that OPPORTUNITY without hostility is one thing that makes a good to great employer?

Your thoughts?

Gordon Alexander