PATAGONIA: LOOKING THROUGH A HR PERSPECTIVE

Founded in 1973, by Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia, Inc. is an outdoor clothing company, based out of Ventura, California. It initial started by making tools for Alpine climbers. Over time it grew to become one of the most predominant retailer for selling merchandise for skiing, surfing, fishing, trail running, snowboarding, paddling, as well as its original focus of climbing.

Looking Through the Lens of Human Resource There are many variations of human resources among the many companies. There are some that stick out from the rest. These companies stray from the normal practices of human resource. Patagonia, Inc. is one who exemplifies unique practices. Patagonia begins its trailblazing by its environmental impacts.
Most companies focus all of their energy to management, marketing, and other business related processes, rather than their environmental impacts. Patagonia sets the bar by looking further. They personally see to it the entire life cycle of their products have the least possible impacts. The company’s mission statement, “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis,” explains the personal accountability of each employee (Our Reason for Being, n.d.). In addition to the mission statement, they pursue greater quality in everything that they do; they believe that relationships build on integrity and respect; they serve as a catalyst for personal and corporate action; last but certainly not least, their success depends in developing innovative ways of doing things. All of this adds up to a significant method of retention and appeal for prospective employees.
Patagonia’s human resource mindset is based on hiring people who follow the very same values that they instill as well as Patagonia product users. In one of Yvon’s books, he stated that he “could not imagine any company that wants to make the best product of its kind being staffed by people who do not care passionately about the product,” (Chouinard, 2006). This mindset directly results in the company making some of their best products as well as keeping very happy and content employees, with little turnover. If the employees work as if they were playing, and view themselves as the ideal customer, Patagonia is quite cautious whom they hire. When they do hire, each new employee is handled with the utmost care, understanding and respect.
Patagonia prefers to hire new employees by word of mouth. They are generally family or friends of current employees. If they are not hiring from recommendation, they will hire internally. This pursuit is based on the notion if an employee has a passion for what they do, it will be successful for both parties. It is harder to train/teach a businessman how to ski and hike, rather that teach a climber how to run a business. Periodically, Patagonia will hire new employees solely based on their knowledge.
Of its 950 employees in the US, all receive the same package of benefits and perks, whether they work in the corporate offices or on the loading docks. There are no executive-only plans. For those who have taken the training, Patagonia will pay bail if they are arrested during actions such as forming a human chain or tree sitting. In 2001, the company posted bail for two employees who were arrested during their environmental internships. For employees who want to practice environmentalism closer to home and do not want a police record, Patagonia began offering reimbursement up to $2,000 for the purchase of a hybrid electric vehicle. Their other major commitment is to families. They are an organization that tries to create a family-friendly atmosphere and help employees balance work and life. Maintaining the work-life balance is the secret to Patagonia’s success. During the first days of the company, the office would routinely halt if a wave came up, or there was a fresh blanket of snow on the mountain. Each employee is encouraged to play. They are trusted to be able to balance. As long as they can finish their work, its all fair game. There are very few companies that allow this form of behavior, let alone promote it.
Most of Patagonia’s staff is female. As a result, they are forced to revamp how they accommodate their female dominant workforce. They came up with a policy to assist in the leave of absence due to a pregnancy. They receive without resistance sixty days of paid maternity/paternity leave. New parents, both male and female, receive up to eight weeks of paid leave to care for newborns and adopted children if they have worked for the company for two or more years. Once the employee returns from their leave, the next stressor is childcare. Patagonia has an answer for that as well. They offer onsite childcare at a very low cost to the employee. This allows the employee to not only need to worry, but they can go visit their child whenever they want. If child is not applicable, an employee can take up to four months leave total, combining the eight weeks paid leave, any unused vacation time, disability benefits, and unpaid time for whatever they need it for. Every new father, who qualifies for this benefit, will almost always take full advantage.
At Patagonia they feel that the social setting of each office is very important. They have an open environment. Not one employee has a private office. When needed, employees wear headphones to signal that they can't be disturbed. Guests are obvious because they're the only ones in traditional business attire. To boost employee morale, which often can lead to success, the company encourages celebrations. In Reno, a group known as the “Fun Patrol” organizes parties throughout the year. An outlet store in Salt Lake City closed for an entire day. Instead of selling merchandise, the staff brought paddleboards, and kayaks to the local lake for what they called a "field day”. This is as normal company tradition.
Far from slacking off, the family-owned company has doubled in size and tripled in profits since 2007. They All of its employees around the globe are more loyal than the family dog. Turnover is minimal. The company is expanding into new global markets. Now some in intensely competitive corporate America, who once dismissed Patagonia and other outdoor companies’ attention to work-life details, are beginning to take notice.
Conclusion
Patagonia’s initial vision is to create a company code that not only instills hope. They strive to be the focus of a environmental revolution amongst our society of partial environmentalists. We need a new method of handling our frail environment. With the views of Patagonia, we must first restore, rather than damage, the environment, and social health of families. In turn each employee will be more efficient and effective. If each employee benefits, the company will benefit ten fold. It might be they they know about what the true requirements are, what they really mean. Each executive of Patagonia knows how the word “sustainable” affects the company and its surroundings. Patagonia clearly stands out as a trail breaking, trendsetting company, in all company aspects, especially human resources.

This proactive approach, driven by integrity and passion, maintains their business model in corporate America. They devote their lives to the purpose of the environment and the company fixing it.

“At Patagonia, making a profit is not the goal because the Zen master would say profits happen 'when you do everything else right'.”
- Yvon Chouinard, Let My People Go Surfing

References
Chouinard, Y. (2006). Let my people go surfing: The education of a reluctant businessman. Penguin.
Louder than words. (1998). Ventura, Calif.: The Company.
Our Reason for Being. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=2047
Company Info: Jobs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2014, from http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=95929
Patagonia Fills Payroll With People Who Are Passionate. (n.d.). Retrieved December 11, 2014, from http://www.workforce.com/articles/patagonia-fills-payroll-with-people-who-are-passionate
Patagonia Interview Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2014, from http://www.glassdoor.com/Interview/Patagonia-Interview-Questions-E5474.htm
Business 101 - Chapter Eleven. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQelqPqiGLo