BY ARLENE MARTIN-WILKINS Associate editor – news martina@jamaicaobserver.com
Thursday, October 09, 2014
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Online footwear retailer Zappos is doing more than selling shoes and clothes these days.
A major arm of online retail giant Amazon, Zappos.com is opening its doors to visitors in Downtown Las Vegas to get a taste of its unique workplace culture, characterised by a flat organisational structure where there are no managers or job titles.
Based in the former City Hall and a part of the Downtown revival project, Zappos creates an environment that allows what it terms ‘spontaneous interaction’ among its staff.
Zappos adopts a no-door policy and its senior ‘executives’ are allowed little more than a desk and chair in a dark room dubbed the Monkey Row. Expect to be welcomed to the human resource department with a ‘shake weight’ dance routine from staff. Yes, and there’s a coach to help staff with their personal and professional-goal setting.
Time-out spaces encourage employees to spend much time from their desks, probably working from one of the stations that offer free coffee, snacks and juices, or while resting in a hammock in another recreation area.
“Studies have shown that when you take naps throughout the day, it boosts your energy,” explains Carla Callison, one of the cultural guides.
Employees, who receive full insurance benefits and subsidised benefits for their dependents, can earn ‘Zollars’ for good performance. These ‘Zollars’ can be used to purchase Zappos-branded items from its in-house store.
Plaques with good news, like the first time Zappos hit US$28.6 million in sales in a single day, are mounted in the recognition alley for all to see.
And with all the focus on making its more than 1,000 employees happy, cultural ambassadors will readily tell you that Zappos is merely a customer service company that just happens to sell shoes. That basically sums up how agents in its call centres interact with customers.
“They work with no scripts, there’s no handle time. They truly interact with the customers as we believe once you learn something about somebody, it is easy to remember them,” Callison says.
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Zappos’ unique workplace culture a big draw for visitors to Downtown Vegas
