Netflix, where would we be without it? It’s our go to network if we want to watch episode after episode of our favourite series. Netflix is the world’s leading internet television network, it has over 62 million members worldwide, allowing people to watch films, series and documentaries on a variety of devices, all of which are advert free! When the company was in it’s infancy they asked Patty McCord to step up and help outline the brands values, and her decisions in the values Netflix has have made an incredible impact on the product we’re all so obsessed with today.
Netflix was originally founded in 1997, starting out in an age which was still very much all about the big black box in the front room…the television. DVDS were growing to be more popular and so Netflix was born, however with the advance of the digital age Netflix began to struggle as people became less interested in DVDs. The brand did not give up and embraced the new digital age becoming an internet TV network.
Netflix is now a hugely successful and lucrative brand with very specific brand values and a well known down to earth reputation as a brand. This image is all down to Patty McCord, the woman behind the Netflix we know and love today. McCord was the Chief Talent Officer at the brand for 12 years and made Netflix the company it is today with her forward thinking, innovative approach to leadership and employment.
McCord, along with the help of the management team, is responsible for the creation of the Netflix Culture Deck a presentation documenting the culture of Netflix as a company, their values and approach to human resources. The presentation was released online in 2009 and has stacked up over 10 million views. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said it “may well be the most important document ever to come out of the Valley.” Why did this presentation have such an impact? Mccord’s innovative approach to HR broke the tradition of other companies and was simple, honest and to the point.
McCord thought outside of the box and wasn’t afraid to be different from the crowd. The presentation states that Netflix values are not cliché and stereotypical but their values are 9 behaviours and skills they value in their employees, such as curiosity and passion. The presentation covers 7 aspects of Netflix culture including, High performance and freedom and responsibility. Netflix strive to have only high performing employees stating “Great work place is stunning colleagues.”
One of their policies (or lack of policy) which stood out is they have no vacation policy or tracking of holiday, as they do not keep track of the days and hours they work they state why should they keep track of holiday?
Patty Mccord provided Netflix with a strong culture and brand identity with a structure in place that allows for the strongest and most talented workforce. She reinvented HR, inspiring the public and other companies to perhaps break away from tradition. The Netflix Culture Deck is available on Slideshare, have a read and see if you’re their next ideal employee!
Written by Kelsie Mcphail