An Inside Look at Working at Apple

 

Jordan Price, a mobile designer at Apple, recently quit his job—a job many would dream of having. Well, perhaps not. In a blog post about why he quit, Price makes Apple seem like a pretty horrible work environment.

 

Among some of the faults of his recent job, Price lists some that are hardly a shock. Due to a long commute from his home in San Francisco and long work hours, he was not able to spend time with his daughter. It was an unfortunate consequence of taking what he thought was his dream job, but one he knew to expect. Instead of days spent with his daughter on the playground equipment, he was stuck at work.

 

Another downside was the number of meetings that were constantly being scheduled, despite their negative effect on the workers’ productivity. He understood the necessity, due to the high-demand of Apple products and the need to uphold communication within a company of such a size. There was also the month it took for him to obtain all the necessary passwords and usernames to access the company’s server, but even this was but a minor flaw compared to some of the other things in store for him.

 

One thing Price did not expect was a horrible boss. A boss who would masquerade insults as humorous quips. A boss who would demand that Price devote his time to completing simple, unimportant tasks that he didn’t want to do himself, all while standing over his shoulder to make sure it was done.  

 

And so Price left Apple.

 

Not only did Price leave Apple, but he did so in a fashion that highlights a side of the company that the public hasn’t seen before. To make sure this doesn’t happen to your company, focus on these tips to treating employees well:

 

• Reward great work. Employees rely on feedback from their managers. Strive to make sure all the feedback they are receiving isn’t critical. It’s hard to feel motivated about your work when it’s constantly being criticized. Highlight efforts and successes when giving feedback to employees.
• Offer simple perks. Some of the best places to work offer simple perks to employees. Perks can range from a coffee bar at the office to a complete stock of snacks to monthly lunches for the team. Employees feel valued when they are offered extras for simply doing their job.
• Encourage continued learning. This tip is a win-win for both employers and employees. Every manager wants their team members to stay up-to-date on the latest advances and techniques in their industry. Additionally, every employee wants to have a leg up on the competition. The solution is offering incentives and opportunities for continued learning. Host a meet-up in your field; create a company library system with relevant books and purchase online courses for the entire team to utilize.
• Provide a line of open communication. Providing an open line of communication is essential to the success of any business.  Additionally, employee feedback can be extremely valuable. Offer a forum where employees can suggest process improvements and identify problem areas within the company.

 

Employees should be given the respect they deserve, receiving rewards for good work and compliments when appropriate rather than an endless list of insults and criticisms. Strive to provide employees with a successful working environment rather than a wormy corporate structure.