Top workplaces, large: 1. The Venetian | The Palazzo

Culture trumps strategy and that has helped elevate The Venetian | The Palazzo to the top workplace in Las Vegas among the largest companies.

“If you don’t have the culture, you can’t implement the strategy,” says John Caparella, president of The Venetian and The Palazzo, and Sands Expo and Convention Center. “Team-member satisfaction is what drives a passion to serve and do even more to take care of customers.”

Caparella says it’s about keeping in touch and listening to team members, and that includes quarterly meetings where he talks with every shift to let employees know what’s happening with the company.

The company uses a loyalty program for employees not unlike the concept it uses with guests. It offers team members discounts at restaurants, movies and other attractions, and the list will keep growing, Caparella says.

“It’s important because team members need to know what’s going on and their voices heard,” Caparella says. “You have to connect the dots of the importance to success. You have to understand what’s important and what’s responsible. You applaud them for their great work, and you talk about the marketplace and what’s happening. If they aren’t engaged, they don’t feel respected and feel invested.”

Caparella says good pay and benefits are important to having a top workplace, but the work environment is key. Employees are encouraged to have fun. He says there’s even an arcade room in the team-member dining room.

Employees get tickets to new shows, and there are plans to refine the loyalty program and make it better, Caparella says.

The organization takes a lot of pride in the recognition awards bestow, such as the top workplace distinction, he says.

“It’s an internal measure, and team members take a lot of pride knowing they have a great place to work,” Caparella says. “It validates how they feel.”

Caparella says he has worked with different-sized companies, and it’s even more important for large companies to remember the Golden Rule. Any decisions that the company makes has to be based on how it affects not only the bottom line and customers, but employees, Caparella says.

“Sometimes it’s forgotten in larger organizations,” he says. “People want to be treated well, and they will treat others well. We believe team members come first.”

Employees who took the survey echo that. They talk about being treated fairly and getting good pay and benefits. It’s also a great work environment where they’re empowered in their work, they say.

“I feel completely secure with my employment here,” one employee says. “I love meeting new people from all over the world and my position allows me to do that. I have met great people here. As I’ve spent more and more years with The Venetian | Palazzo, team members have become family and not simply co-workers. This is a very close-knit, sincere place to work. I’m completely happy here.”

Others spoke about the challenges of the work and how rewarding it is, and that they have a chance to advance within the company.

“I feel alive when I’m at work,” one employee says. “Sometimes on my day off I think about coming in.”

“I feel like a team member,” another says. “I feel like I make a difference and I’m needed. It’s a great feeling when you are at work.

“I love our benefits that are given to us — the meals and perks. We just have so much given to us for working here and being part of the team.”