WorldBlu - Freedom at Work

1-800-GOT-JUNK?

Vancouver, Canada  1800gotjunk.com
Industry: Specialized Customer Services  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

Our organization is a firm believer in a democratic workplace—the first thing you see when you walk into our office is a quote plastered across the wall stating, "It's all about the people." It's more than just lip service—we believe that the right people are the driving force behind any success, and creating a democratic workplace attracts those types of people, and ensures that they stay. —Brian Scudamore, CEO

3i Infotech

Mumbai, India  3i-infotech.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

Clichéd though it may sound, the IT industry is people oriented and knowledge driven. Democratic principles like openness, transparency, team spirit and collaboration are paramount to take the organizational performance to the next level. Hence democratic principles become the backbone for our operations. Following a democratic approach in the work place is one of the most appropriate ways of our organization functioning. —V. Srinivasan, CE0

AIESEC International

Rotterdam, Netherlands  aiesec.org
Industry: Leadership  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

We have the principle and behaviours of driving global growth through local expertise. As better the members/associates are on the ground, as better the organisation manages its operations. That system allows people to say their perspective, vote and respect the outcome. That allows us to have accelerated growth and faster reaction to trends and situations. —Hugo Pereira, President

American Support

Chapel Hill, NC  americansupport.com
Industry: Fixed Line Communications  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

American Support is a 100 percent virtual, customer service workplace with team members spread across the United States. Through organizational democracy, we are inspired to engage in meaningful two-way conversations on a wide range of topics. With democratic principles as our compass, we set our sights on accountability, connectivity and alignment—with our employees, with our clients and with our clients' customers. —Matt Zemon, CEO

Axiom News

Ontario, Canada  AxiomNews.ca
Industry: Media  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

We believe democracy in the workplace builds high-participation, high-trust interactions into the DNA of an organization's social ecology. For this to really fly it is necessary to believe that an organization is at the very least the sum of the strengths, aspirations, and inclinations of everyone involved. It is even more exciting to believe that an organization exceeds the sum of those parts. —Peter Pula, CEO

BetterWorld Telecom

Reston, VA  betterworldtelecom.com
Industry: Fixed Line Communications  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Democratic workplaces attract better employees, provide better service and are more sustainable than traditional organizations. As a company committed externally to people, planet and profit, it is the only internal focus that supports our vision—anything else would be hypocritical. —Matthew Bauer, President

Beyond Borders

Washington DC  beyondborders.net
Industry: Justice in Haiti  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Simply put, democracy just works better. Empowering everyone on our staff to compete in the arena of ideas brings out the best in our organization by encouraging innovation, creativity and accountability. The practice of democracy in the workplace is a reflection of our founding organizational values and it affords our organization a measure of authentic and integrity as we promote democracy in Haiti through the empowerment of ordinary citizens to hold their government and each other accountable. —David Diggs, CEO

Brainpark

Alamo, CA  brainpark.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Because I believe that when people are free they bring their best. When people bring their best then a company can be its best. When a company is best everyone wins. —Mark Dowds, CEO

Bucket Brigade

Milwaukee, WI  bucketb.com
Industry: Social Technologies  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Democracy fosters the best ideas, engages the team in buying into ideas by co-creating them, and makes decision-making happen where it matters most. We believe that democracy is the best way to create a flexible and enriching work environment that inspires people to work towards a vision they all agree with. —James Carlson, CEO

BUMP Network

La Jolla, CA  bump.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

We live in a world that is moving increasingly in the direction of transparency and accountability. Everyone ultimately discovers everything—so the first step for a democratic organization is an open book communication policy. The second step is to provide a democratic environment that fosters creativity and ingenuity. People want to create and participate in projects they feel involved in and can take ownership of. A democratic workplace fosters involvement and inspires and motivates. —Mitch Thrower, CEO

Chaordix

Alberta, Canada  chaordix.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

The core of our business, crowdsourcing, is a democratic process in itself where organizations engage diverse and passionate crowds via the web. Crowd members submit, discuss and often refine and rank submissions to discover the most-likely-to-succeed solutions. WorldBLU's 10 principles of Organizational Democracy reflect the very core of how we operate internally and how we service our clients. —Shelley Kuipers

Chroma Technology Corp

Bellows Falls, VT  chroma.com
Industry: Biotechnology  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Workplace democracy is the logical extension of employee-ownership. Chroma Technology Corp. has been employee-owned since we started in 1991. Employee-ownership has two functions; in spreads the wealth that ownership creates and it encourages employees to take individual responsibility and actively participate in decision making. This allows us to function with minimalist management. As we practice workplace democracy, minimalist management is one of our goals. —Paul Millman, CEO

DaVita

Denver, CO  davita.com
Industry: Healthcare  Type: Public
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

DaVita is honored to once again be recognized as the only healthcare and FORTUNE 500 company on WorldBlu's List of Most Democratic Workplaces. At DaVita, we are proud to be a community first and a company second. We feel this award is a direct reflection of our commitment to engaging teammates in a two-way dialogue about our company's objectives and their role in helping to shape the future of kidney care for all dialysis patients. —Kent Thiry, CEO

Dialog

Austin, TX  DialogGrp.com
Industry: Marketing  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

Somehow business lost their way and forgot that customers are not their most valuable asset; their employees are. For great employees create great companies and that in term draws loyal customers. Dialog chooses to practice democracy in the workplace because it is the only model that truly capitalizes on our richest investment—our employees. It allows each person to fully contribute to the business and to take ownership for its success. I know of no other model that fully values people for both what they know and who they are. And turns that into one of the most powerful assets for the company. —Bob Gutermuth, CEO

DreamHost

Brea, CA  dreamhost.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

At DreamHost, we understand that the future of business is less about pomp and more about participation—less about titles and more about meaning! Working in a democratic environment makes employees feel more connected to the work that they do because they feel like they can take ownership of their individual tasks.They know if they have a better way to do something, they can do it instead of mindlessly doing something the way someone thinks it should be done. The result is empowered employees that are prepared to tackle all sorts of challenges. —Brett Dunst, CEO

Explore Communications

Denver, CO  explorehq.com
Industry: Media  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Future Considerations

London, UK  futureconsiderations.com
Industry: Consulting  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

We know that our collective intelligence is required to be able to adapt and make the best decisions possible in the context in which we operate our global business today. We believe that each person holds a perspective that is valuable and we are smart (and always learning!) about how and when to consult widely and when to use delegated authority to make decisions. We all fundamentally trust our ability to come to the right decision when we come with the intention of company first. —Mark Young, Managing Director

Glassdoor

Sausalito, CA  glassdoor.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Glassdoor.com's mission is to bring greater transparency to the workplace so individuals can make more informed decisions about one of the most important areas of our lives—our careers. We are guided by the principle that everyone should have free and equal access to career and the workplace information whether its salary data, reports on what others like and don't like about their job, or insights into the interview process. This mission and guiding principle is something that we can all benefit from—whether you are an employee of Glassdoor or any other company. —Robert Hohman, CEO

Great Harvest Bread Company

Dillon, MT  greatharvest.com
Industry: Food Products  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

At Great Harvest we believe an organization is only as good as the sum of its parts. Great Harvest is made up of smart, capable individuals whose ideas are crucial to our long-term success. Listening and aggregating ideas is non-linear and time consuming, but well worth it. Nothing we do is "mechanical," right down to daily milling whole grains and handcrafting bread. It requires more time and attention, but the end product is amazing. We're into our third decade in business and truly believe the democratic principles we follow have kept Great Harvest relevant and agile. —Mike Ferretti, CEO

Greenleaf Book Group

Austin, TX  greenleafbookgroup.com
Industry: Publishing  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Practicing organizational democracy empowers employees in these areas and helps them to be more productive, take a greater sense of pride and ownership in the daily operations of the business, and deliver top service to customers. We believe that client satisfaction is highest when we put our employees first and empower them to be change agents. —Clint Greenleaf, CEO

Groupon

Chicago, IL  groupon.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

At Groupon, we operate using the same democratic values that our Founding Fathers did when they gave the right to vote to every man, woman, and child. —Andrew Mason, Founder + CEO

Guayaki Yerba Mate

Sebastopol, CA  guayaki.com
Industry: Food Products  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Haiti Partners

Port au Prince, Haiti  haitipartners.org
Industry: Education and Community  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

We practice democracy in the workplace because we'd be hypocrites if we didn't. Our mission is to help Haitians change Haiti through education for students, teachers and leaders. We focus our educational efforts on changing this top-down dictatorial approach to one that empowers children and adults to discover their potential and to collaborate effectively. We strive to model the same democratic practices that we promote with students, teachers and leaders. —John Engle, Co-Founder

HCL Technologies

Noida, India  hcltech.com
Industry: Computer Services  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

HCL recognizes that its greatest asset is its employees—the 79,000 "HCLites" deliver value and directly interface with HCL's customers every day. The job of the CEO is to enable, enthuse and encourage employees and to transfer the onus of change at HCL from executive management to the employees. Creating a democratic workplace within HCL has enabled the company to achieve this goal. —Vineet Nayar, CEO

Hulu

Los Angeles, CA  hulu.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

At Hulu, we believe our professional calling is to deliver quality. And not simply run-of-the-mill, five-star quality — nothing less than brain-spray awesome will do, down to the finest detail. We are in the business of building and innovating, so our internal focus is to deliver an environment that ideally serves this business of building and innovating. We see it as all of our jobs to make it as easy as possible for builders to build and for innovators to innovate. In this, we serve each other. —Jason Kilar, CEO

I Love Rewards

Toronto, Canada  iloverewards.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

People are the most valuable resource any company has, and treating them as such is fundamental to business success. Democracy in the workplace is about recognizing employees for their contributions, providing the right tools and trusting that they will deliver, and developing mutual relationships that benefit the individual and the organization. I Love Rewards practices transparent, two-way communication that empowers employees to play a larger role within the organization and have a voice in shaping our future, which continues to generate innovation, excellence, and growth. —Razor Suleman, CEO

Innovation Partners International

Washington DC  InnovationPartners.com
Industry: Specialized Customer Services  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Organizational democracy is based on freedom, instead of fear and control. It's a purposeful way of designing organizations to amplify the possibilities of human potential—and the organization as a whole. At the core of organizational democracy is allowing people to self-govern and to determine their destiny. Just as democracy inspires citizens to engage and build great nations, so does it inspire individuals and teams to engage and build flourishing workplaces. IPI firmly believes this and is a leader in living it. —Ada Jo Mann, CEO

Integritive

Asheville, NC  integritive.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

For me, it wasn't really a choice or decision to practice democracy in the workplace; I didn't see that there was any other way to do it. I started the company to create a job for myself where I would be happy, and hoped that one day I could grow the business to create more jobs where more people would be happy as well. It wasn't until recently that I realized we were unique in that way. We like to say, "How we do anything is how we do everything" and we truly mean it. We're all in this together, and we are a team; not just a boss with employees. —John Miles, CEO

LEARN

Laval, Canada  learnquebec.ca
Industry: Education  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Being a democratic organization for LEARN is critical since it operates in the educational milieu where bureaucratic hierarchies still dominate and where a different and more efficient organizational model would be most needed and valued. —Michael Canuel, CEO

Menlo Innovations

Ann Arbor, MI  menloinnovations.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

A central theme at Menlo Innovations is the business value of joy. A joyful team is more engaged, more productive, more creative and produces higher quality. These things happen because the team wants them to happen, not because the team is told they need to happen. The traditional corporate hierarchy seldom fosters the kind of imagination and invention expected by our customers. Transparent, trusted, peer-to-peer relationships unlock the human potential needed to make this happen. This has enabled us to be a company that sees what everyone else has seen, but thinks what no one else has thought. —Richard Sheridan, CEO

Messiah Village

Mechanicsburg, PA  messiahvillage.org
Industry: Care  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

We are about creating a community that allows people to experience aging in ways that are purposeful. The workplace culture must reinforce and support the experience we wish older adults to experience in our community. Our wish to practice democracy in the workplace also grows out of the religious heritage of the organization and is a prime way that we believe we can accomplish our mission and vision. —Emerson Lesher, President

Mind Valley

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  mindvalley.com
Industry: Publishing  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

J-O-B is a dirty word. Work—we believe—needs to be fun, educational and something that makes you so excited that you jump out of bed each morning. We believe "Happiness" is the new "Productivity". The practice of workplace democracy helps create this happiness. —Vishen Lakhiani, CEO

Mojo Interactive

Orlando, FL  mojointeractive.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

A democratic organization drives a more intrinsic motivated workforce, which increases efficiency, drives productivity, and makes for a happier, balanced team. Both in values and key business metrics, practicing collaborative democracy in the workplace gives us our mojo.—Glen Lubbert, Chief Imaginaut + CEO

Namaste Solar

Boulder, CO  namastesolar.com
Industry: Solar Energy  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

Namasté Solar implements conscientious and democratic business practices because we recognize the interconnectedness of all stakeholders and all individuals—and have experienced firsthand how this fundamental integrity can translate into financial viability, consumer loyalty, and community recognition and support. —Blake Jones, CEO

Nearsoft

San Jose, CA  nearsoft.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

At Nearsoft, we chose to practice workplace democracy for several reasons. From the start, we wanted to create an environment where people were treated as adults. We are a professional software product development organization and need to attract and retain the best talent. It is very difficult to do that in a traditional command-and-control structure. Besides, the people who work for Nearsoft are really, really smart, so why not leverage this readily-available brain trust? —Matt Perez, CEO

New Belgium Brewing Company

Fort Collins, CO  newbelgium.com
Industry: Brewers  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2010, 2011

As an employee-owned company, New Belgium Brewing practices open book management and encourages ownership thinking. Long ago we opened the books to our co-workers and encouraged them to engage in the process. We conduct ongoing trainings as to how to read the financials in an effort to teach people the business of running the business. When people feel knowledgeable about the process and that their views are respected and heard, then you have created a community where good ideas and talent can flourish without restraint. That's democracy in the workplace to us. —Kim Jordan, CEO

NixonMcInnes

Brighton, UK  nixonmcinnes.com
Industry: Social Technologies  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Democracy to us is plain common sense. For our business to succeed we need extremely talented, motivated and engaged employees and the best way to achieve this is to set them free and give them as much control as possible. Once you create this kind of environment it becomes a big draw for talent, and a reason for great people to stay, when the alternative is to work in a closed hierarchy. Democracy also helps us to make better decisions since everyone has access to information and can provide their input. —Will McInnes, Co-Founder and CEO

Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

New York, NY  orpheusnyc.org
Industry: Arts  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

As a musician-led orchestra of thirty-five members that performs without a conductor, Orpheus is about empowering individuals. Functioning without a visible figurehead, Orpheus continually works to foster the communication and infrastructure necessary for individuals to be both effective leaders and effective team players, rotating seamlessly between those roles through a carefully integrated system of delegation. Although this system calls for greater personal accountability, greater engagement, and greater trust among the individuals in the organization, when the lights go down in the concert hall,each musician on stagetruly owns theartistic product, having made a meaningful, significant contribution throughout the preparation process. —Ayden Adler, CEO

Podio

Copenhagen, Denmark  podio.com
Industry: Software  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Democracy in the workplace is a natural by-product of our philosophy behind Podio. We believe that individuals—irrespective of title or status—should control their work-tools rather than be controlled by them, because they are the ones doing the work and therefore the ones who know best how the work can be done more effectively. We designed Podio as a tool that promotes this philosophy, and by doing that we also promote democracy in the workplace which goes hand in hand with our wish to empower individuals to work their own way. —Jon Froda, Founder

Productivity Associates

San Diego, CA  gotopai.com
Industry: Computer Associates  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

PAI believes that the strength of our organization lies within our people. PAI is about high-involvement. That means that we want every PAI employee to think, act and feel like an owner of the organization. The only way to accomplish this is by trusting and empowering every employee and involving them in decisions that impact the company and their lives. —Ken McLoughlin, CEO

Rabbit

London, UK  therabbitagency.com
Industry: Social Technologies  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Fairness is at the root of the Rabbit way of doing business from the democratic way in which we employ people, to the way in which we interact with clients. Although Rabbit is a year old, it has been essential to us from day one that we treat people in the way we wish to be treated: in a fair and friendly way. We like to think Rabbit is different to other agencies, because we believe that an open, transparent environment plays to the best attributes of human nature. —Dirk Singer, CEO

Rypple

Toronto, Canada  rypple.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

Statsit

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  statsit.com
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2009, 2010, 2011

sweetriot

New York, NY  sweetriot.com
Industry: Food Products  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

Companies are just people at the end of the day. In fact, at sweetriot we call them thumbprints. Each thumbprint is unique and has its own unique strengths to bring to the organization. Thus, if you under empower and under inform your thumbprints, you under optimize your company. A democratic model brings everyone into the fold and keeps the focus on moving your organization forward, together. —Sarah Endline, CEO

TakingITGlobal

Toronto, Canada  takingitglobal.org
Industry: Internet  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

As a youth-led organization driven by the collaborative power of internet technologies, we strongly believe in democracy. Our online community is a vibrant network of socially engaged youth leaders who embody the WorldBlu principles in their daily lives and through their actions to address global issues. It is thus imperative that TakingITGlobal practices democracy as a fundamental guiding principle. Democracy is a vital precondition for us to achieve our vision, where youth everywhere are actively engaged and connected in shaping a more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world. —Jennifer Corriero, CEO

The Link School

Buena Vista, Co  thelinkschool.org
Industry: Education  Type: Not for Profit
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

Students are much more invested in their own education when they know that, rather than school being done to them, they have a genuine voice in shaping their own experience. Students then take responsibility for their academic program and community and ensure that it is helping them be prepared for life. —Bobby Lewis, Director

Total Debt Freedom

Markham, Canada  totaldebtfreedom.ca
Industry: Specialized Customer Services  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

TotalDebtFreedom.ca practices democracy in our workplace to promote a strong office culture. When employees are engaged and involved in business decisions they are taking ownership for the companies direction and successes. —Richard Cooper, CEO

Tracer

Milwaukee, WI  tracercorp.com
Industry: Aerospace  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

We felt it was important to engage the collective knowledge/expertise base within the organization. By focusing on competence and not hierarchy we have found great flexibility and renewed energy in dealing with complex business challenges. —Bill Morales, CEO

Valtech

Copenhagen, Denmark  valtech.dk
Industry: Internet  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

At Valtech we believe in combining trust with knowledge and training and to let all members of our organisation challenge and develop themselves in roles and responsibilities of their choice. Choice & Trust is a powerful combination to unleash energy and initiative and prone to spark innovation critical to a digital agency's competitive edge. —Carsten Jensen, Managing Director

WD-40 Company

San Diego, CA  wd40.com
Industry: Non-durable Household Products  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

It's all about the people—respecting that people make the difference is a core value at WD-40 Company & we place a great deal of value in creating an environment that helps people be there best. In our last employee opinion survey the #1 response from our tribe globally, with 98.7% positive was—at WD-40 Company I am treated with respect and dignity. Our dream is the create positive lasting memories, solving problems, in the factories and homes of the world. —Garry Ridge, CEO

The Happy at Work Project

Frederiksberg, Denmark  positivesharing.com
Industry: Consulting  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2011

Democratic workplaces are happier, and happy workplaces are more efficient, productive, innovative and successful. In short, happy companies make more money. —Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer

Zappos.com

Las Vegas, NV  zappos.com
Industry: Retail  Type: Private
Years on the WorldBlu List: 2010, 2011

We firmly believe that happy employees make for a better business. We believe democracy is important to keeping our employees happy, engaged, and passionate about what they do everyday. We are a service company that just happens to sell shoes, clothing, handbags, etc. In order to be about the best customer service you have to start by providing that to your employees. Democracy is one way we go about making our environment a great place to work. —Tony Hsieh, CEO