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The Value of Values

Feb 6, 2018 • 2 min

Turning Ideals Into Actions so Everyone Wins

For most companies, corporate values are nothing but a marketing tool. Featured on the website and in brochures. Once you are on the inside, you learn: It’s all BS. 

Imagine my surprise when I realized things are different at RELEX. I started working here in June 2014. It only took a few weeks to notice that the company’s values are routinely applied to everyday life. Our founders set shining examples, turning words into tangible standards: 

The customer is a friend: If your friend tries to tighten a screw with a paperclip, do you cheer them on or hand them your screwdriver? Sometimes suggesting a different approach is the best way to help people achieve their goals. 

We provide measurable value: You don’t take advantage of friends, so we make sure we actually add value to our customers’ businesses. 

The coworker is a friend: Friends don’t pull rank. They respect expertise. Our CEO is happy to answer any questions, listens closely, and is always open to fair reasoning, no matter who presents it. 

Put an end to stupid things! We all make mistakes. But it’s not the end of the world as long as we learn from them: We fix it, move on, and do better next time. 

Life is supposed to be fun: Most of our waking hours consist of work. So we should be able to enjoy it! Not taking ourselves too seriously (#uglyselfiefridays) helps a lot. And we can craft our roles to find our personal happy place. 

Because they are so actionable and omnipresent, everyone quickly embraces our values. This has a massive impact on our work life: A value-driven culture can largely rely on trust instead of control and red tape. It is simply liberating, fun, and empowering. 

It also allows us to witness the so-called Pygmalion Effect in practice: High expectations are rewarded with high performance. After all, we don’t want to disappoint our fellow RELEXians now, do we!

Everyone wins: We go the extra mile to help coworkers and customers alike. And we are rewarded with gratitude, support – and even more trust. Welcome to our circulus virtuosus.

Written by

Danja Karenko, Senior Communications Manager

Danja is part of the fabulous marketing team at RELEX. She holds a Master’s degree in Corporate Communications/PR and spends most of her working hours with a wild mix of tasks related to marketing, PR, and internal communications. Her favorite afterwork activities include making travel plans, cooking & dining with friends, and the occasional MMORPG, puzzle, or strategy game.

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