Weighing out the pros and cons, our team’s position was split down the middle, in terms of whether or not we would like to work for Harbor Institute. Some of us feel it is a particularly attractive company due to the comprehensive and well-packaged workplace they offer, including excellent benefits, flexible work schedule, stability of working in a low-turnover environment, and the simple, flat organizational structure of their company. As “The Case of the Part-Time Partner” illustrates, companies are adapting their work environments to suite employees with families; here at Harbor, we believe their healthcare and childcare amenities will attract such individuals who fit this family-friendly work culture. At the same time, these employees are able to perform exceptionally at their job knowing that their loved ones and are well-cared for, and that they will not need to work long hours away from home, to pursue their career at Harbor.

Moreover, the corporate culture values contributions from all team members, and not any one star employee. Harbor employees and managers are taught to have trust and respect for one another, since each person is an integral part of the organization, and not just a small contributor reporting “upwards” through different levels of management. In fact, performance management is not measured with yearly appraisals, but instead as on-going, individual processes determined by the managers and employees. This unorthodox approach allows each employee the ability to set their own goals and pursue projects in areas of interest, which overall, results in better work output and constant engagement with process improvement. For some of us, having the pressures of annual performance appraisals listed off our chests was more than enough incentive to join the Harbor family; we felt that Harbor management therefore trusts their employees to do their