The right fit at Zappos (Priya de Langen. 05 Jan 2012)
Not many companies can boast that they get tour visits to their offices, but Zappos Family of Companies can. The US online shoe retailer receives as many as 2,000 curious visitors per month at its warehouse and offices and rumour has it that some of these onlookers include celebrities and record producers. Founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn, the Zappos Family has come a long way from its humble beginnings to becoming a well-known name among American consumers. It all began with Swinmurn unsuccessfully trying to find a pair of shoes for himself, even online. The desire to find the right pair eventually led him to start an online shoe business, Zappos.com. By 2009, the organisation had grown and joined global online retailer, Amazon.com Inc. and last year the organisation was restructured into 10 companies under the Zappos Family of Companies unit. Zappos Family is fast gaining a reputation not only for having great customer service but particularly for being a good employer.
Fitting into Zappos’ shoes
Earning a reputation as a good employer is no mean feat and the organisation’s quirky and open culture has helped to achieve this. This culture took some time to develop but it has now become a part of everyday work practices for all Zappos Family employees. Hollie Delaney, director of HR at Zappos.com. says that the organisation needed to define itself and the people who would work for it, and this definition came in the form of the 10 core values (see sidebox). “Our 10 core values are our foundation and our guide in making decisions,” she explains. Some of these values may seem a tad silly to people outside the organisation – they include “Create Fun and A Little Weirdness” and “Deliver WOW Through Service” – but the organisation has proven that such values work for its employees.
The values came about not