IOWA CITY, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WorldBlu, a company specializing in developing freedom-centered, democratic workplace cultures, today announced it has certified 20 organizations as part of the 12th annual WorldBlu List of Freedom-Centered Workplaces published on “Freedom at Work” Day. Over the past 12 years, WorldBlu has certified 160 organizations impacting over one million employees worldwide with this highest honor.
Well-known brands to sustain certification include DaVita, Mindvalley, The WD-40 Company, and Zappos. New organizations to achieve certification include Autonom, Class Park, Ideas That Evoke, The Institute for Democratic Education, and The University of Iowa Tippie School of Business. Organizations from across the US, Canada, UK, Mexico, Israel, Netherlands, Malaysia, Haiti, New Zealand, and Romania made this year’s WorldBlu List from a diversity of industries including technology, automotive, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, retail, sports, education, and professional services.
“Freedom-centered workplace cultures approach seven times higher revenue growth compared to companies on the S&P 500 Index,” explains Traci Fenton, WorldBlu’s Founder and CEO. “Organizational democracy is a proven system for creating highly profitable, scalable, and innovative cultures.”
Examples of freedom and organizational democracy in the workplace include The WD-40 Company, which recently implemented full compensation transparency to employees throughout the Americas, allowing independent access to job descriptions, salary levels, and career structures; Widen, which gives power to their people by paying for each employee to work with a coach to develop purpose and vision statements for their life; and Azimut, which decentralizes decision-making so everyone is involved in strategic decisions, regardless of job title.
Organizations are eligible for certification after employees complete a rigorous assessment that evaluates their practice of organizational democracy at an individual, leadership, and systems and processes level. Organizations from all sectors that have been in operation for at least one year with 10 or more employees and $1 million in annual revenue, may apply.
All organizations on The WorldBlu List of Freedom-Centered Workplaces will be recognized this year at a gala awards ceremony at WorldBlu’s Freedom at Work Summit, happening Oct 22-23, in San Diego, CA.
About WorldBlu
Founded in 1997, WorldBlu
is a global academy and community of leaders and organizations committed
to freedom and democracy in the workplace.