Mars Incorporated Goes All Out to Make Life Sweet for EmployeesORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR IN ACTION Unless you have been living on planet Mars, you prob-ably have at some point in your life consumed a prod-uct made by Mars Incorporated, including Milky Way, M&Ms, Snickers, Orbit gum, and Uncle Ben's Rice.
Or a dog you know might have eaten Pedigree or Whiskas. The Mars empire includes approximately $33 billion in annual sales, 72,000 employees, and 11 brands with annual revenues of $1 billion or more. The company's biggest seller is Pedigree dog food, followed by Snick-ers and M&Ms. Mars Incorporated is one of the three largest privately held businesses in the United States. More than one-third of the company's employees work domestically. A culture of pride runs through the company, with most employees referring to themselves as "Martians." Ninety-three percent of employees (referred to as as- sociates ) are proud to tell outsiders where they work.
Turnover is unusually low at 5 percent, excluding the sales force, and some families claim three generations of employees. Employees can readily recite the five principles of Mars: quality, responsibility, mutuality, efficiency, and freedom. As a reminder, these princi-ples are painted on the walls of the 400 offices and manufacturing sites in the 73 countries in which Mars operates.Since Mars was founded in 1911, company lead-ership has emphasized employee job satisfaction in numerous ways, both through management prac-tices and formal programs.
The company ranked 76th among FORTUNE's 100 Best Companies to Work For ® 2014. According to a survey, 85 percent of associates working in manufacturing plants say that the company is a great place to work. A major job satisfaction initiative is to pay Mars associates well, with salaries usually in the top 25 per-cent among competitors in a given geographic region. Many employees get bonuses between 10 percent and 100 percent of their salaries if their team has performed well financially, with higher-ranking employees getting the biggest bonuses.
In the candy-making divisions, employees are supplied with vending machines to eat all the candy they want free. In the pet-food divisions, employees are authorized to take their dog to work regularly. A company practice designed to enhance satisfac-tion and problem solving is an open-door policy that enables associates at all levels to interact and solve problems freely. Although the company maintains open spaces designed for an egalitarian workplace, the "open-door" refers to workers having equal access to other workers and managers. An associate com-mented about the policy, "It shows that management gets the same treatment as the lowest employees.
It really makes me feel like management is in the trenches with me instead of watching from a mountaintop."Leadership at Mars heavily emphasizes the health, safety, and well-being of associates as a way of keep-ing them satisfied, safe, and productive. The strategy for attaining health, safety, and well-being involves ini-tiatives such as maintaining high safety standards in factories and promoting healthy living among office- based associates.
All Mars sites are designed and op-erated to create a safe and positive working environ-ment. Equipment is maintained at highest standards and associates receive regular training and reminders about safety.The approach to wellness varies from country to country depending on cultural requirements and risks.
North American associates are motivated to improve their health particularly through improved communica-tion with executives and line managers. Company sites are assessed on the access they provide to physical exercise, assistance in stopping smoking, and stress management. The onsite wellness program, Health Tracks, runs competitions, provides health coaches, and offers access to preventative care examinations.
QUESTIONS
1. Which of the job satisfaction initiatives and company practices mentioned do you think would have the biggest impact on job satisfaction for professional-level workers?
2. At one Mars plant, some employees are known to eat 1½ pounds of free M&Ms a day. Should the company restrict this amount of consumption in order to be consistent with the company health and wellness initiative?
3. Is there anything mentioned in this sketch of Mars Incorporated that would tend to lower your job satisfaction? If your answer is yes, please explain.