Success Comes With

Company Culture

Welcome to Zappos Insights!

If you watched the video on our home page, our CEO, Tony Hsieh, shared a bit about why Zappos Insights was created. Zappos Insights is a team within Zappos.com who love teaching other companies about how to improve their culture, attract and keep great people, deliver exceptional customer service and grow their business. Culture is totally our jam here at Zappos and Zappos Insights.

You might know a bit about Tony's story, that he started his first company in college and ultimately wound up selling it. But what a lot of people don’t know, is that he sold it because he wasn’t happy going to work there anymore, because it didn’t align with his values, and it wasn’t fun anymore for him. In short, a set of core values by which his company operated had not been identified and therefore, the culture of the organization shifted to something he didn't like.

At Zappos, we've been talking about the importance of company culture since 2004. Tony wrote about it in his book “Delivering Happiness.” And through our history, what we've learned is that company culture IS what makes the difference between success and failure. It's what helped us grow our business, our profit, deliver exceptional customer service, retain our talent, and have fun along the way.

We know that if you identify your company’s core values, hire by them, onboard team members by them, and truly live them, then you can get out of the way, and your team will do the best job for you and your customers.

People frequently ask us what the ROI of culture is. I think Tony has the best reply to this: “Just because you can’t measure the ROI of something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. What’s the ROI on hugging your mom?”

I salute you for caring about your company's culture, your people, and your customers. And I invite you to explore the ways Zappos Insights can help you in your journey to being the best company you can be.

-Christa Foley
Culture Advisor & Director of Insights

Culture Impacts Results

$300

Billion

Unhappy employees cost American business over $300 billion each year.

Source
20%

Productivity Boost

Gallup suggests a 20% boost in productivity and profitability for companies with high engagement, but only 30% of American workers and 13% of global workers are engaged in their job.

Source
Tony Hsieh

CEO

"A company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin. The brand is just a lagging indicator of the culture."

Your Culture is Your Brand

Having a strong, defined culture not only strengthens your brand, but can increase financial performance and make your business more resillient & sustainable.

Culture Impacts Sustainability

88%

Companies Gone

88% of the companies from 1955 have either gone bankrupt, merged, or still exist but have fallen from the top Fortune 500 companies.

Source
13.9%

Turnover

A Columbia University study shows that the likelihood of job turnover at an organization with high company culture is a mere 13.9 percent, whereas the probability of job turnover in low company cultures is 48.4 percent.

Source
Tony Hsieh

CEO

"If you get the culture right, most of the other stuff, like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand or business, will just be a natural byproduct."

Happy Employees, Happy Customers

Create values that represent your organization. Hire by them and immerse new employees in the values. Then, empower your people to do what is right for the customer. That's our formula for success.

Culture Impacts Happiness

51%

Not Engaged

51% of the U.S. Workforce is not engaged in their work.

Source
49%

Biggest Influence

49% of employees say culture influences their employee experience more than the physical environment (22%) or the technology they use to do their jobs (29%).

Source

3-Day Culture Camp

Define Your Culture

Creating a strong company culture can improve employee engagement, increase productivity, promote brand loyalty, and enhance financial performance. If you are a business leader looking to strengthen your company culture, the 3-Day Culture Camp is for you.

 

School of WOW

WOW Your Customers

Looking to bring your customer service to the next level? Learn from Zappos experts at a full-day workshop that shares the lessons of our WOW service philosophy and how creating a culture of service can help your organization meet it's goals.

 

Book a Zappos

Keynote Speaker

If you are looking for experts to speak at your company event or conference, we have the people for you! Our speakers cover topics ranging from company culture, people, customer service and more.

 

Experience the Culture

Zappos Tours

Interested in seeing how a non-traditional office can reflect your company culture? Or just interested in seeing our fun and weird space? Next time you're in Vegas, please join us on a 90-minute guided tour! Though you won't see any slot machines, you may just see an interactive Zappos history wall, ball pit, and a giant fish tank nap room.

 

Culture is

Happiness

Great culture leads to employee happiness. The same way a toxic culture leads to unhappiness. Happy employees means higher engagement, profitability, and low turnover.

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Culture is

People

Our culture would not be what is it today without the people, past and present. We are all protectors and cultivators of the Zappos Culture; it's what makes it unique and something that changes every day.

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Culture is

Being Yourself

I love that I get to be me all day. The culture encourages you to be the same person you are at work as you are at home. I don't have to pretend to be something I'm not, which makes Zappos a comfortable place to be.

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Culture is

Unique

Every company has a unique culture that's all their own. Just like every person has their own personality, every company has their own culture. Building a culture is a special process that can't be taken lightly. It's the responsibility of every employee to represent and foster culture.

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Culture is

Fun

Work can be fun! We have 2 annual parties at Zappos. Our Vendor Party where we invite all of our brands to thank them and celebrate our partnership. And, our employee holiday party. Past epic party themes have ranged from Mardi Gras and old-school hip-hop to a Hawaiian luau at a waterpark. Each has had its own twists and tricks to surprise and delight partygoers. This year, we invited our vendors to run away with us to the “Untamed Circus."

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Culture is

Perpetual

Your culture doesn't stay the same, it will continue to evolve. Having a defined set of values will serve as your guide to continue your culture's growth and evolution in a positive direction.

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Culture is

Not Always Measured

A strong culture means lower employee burnout and therefore, lower turnover. It leads to higher employee engagement and higher profitability. But really, companies should focus on their culture because it matters. Because it's just the right thing to do. To quote Tony Hsieh, "Just because you can’t measure the ROI of something doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. What’s the ROI on hugging your mom?"

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Culture is

Work-Life Integration

Companies and employees worry about work-life separation or work-life balance. But why? Wouldn't you rather be a company where your employees easily combine their full self into everything they do? Wouldn't you rather work for a company whose focus on culture allows your job to integrate with your life? It shouldn't be a struggle to find a balance between life and work where you are truly fulfilled and happy.

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Culture is

Partnerships

Your vendors have the same objective as you: to sell their product, be successful in their work, and maybe have some fun while doing it. Something unique that Zappos does is allow brand representatives access to all the same sales and inventory information on their products that Zappos has. By working as a team, by partnering, you are setting the stage for success!

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Culture is

Real

Your company has a culture. You may not have "planned" it. You may not like it. Or maybe you love it. But it's there. It is real. You can choose to be thoughtful about your company culture. You can set values and identify the behaviors that you want to be the core of your culture. That part is fairly easy. The hard part, is committing to the values once they are set. Living them.

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Culture is

Core Values

Values are more than just words, they're a way of life. They are the foundation of your company culture. We know that companies with a strong culture and a higher purpose perform better in the long run. As we continue to grow, we strive to ensure that our culture remains alive and well.

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Culture is

Your Brand

A company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin. The brand is just a lagging indicator of the culture.

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