Listening And Learning

Haworth takes pride in being a family company—the kind of family where members, designers, dealers, and clients are closely knit and highly valued. So we reached out to Haworth’s incredible network of people to hear what they had to say about the future of the workplace.

- Avinash Rajagopal

G.W. Haworth, the founder of Haworth, was the first person in his family to go to college. But he might never have been able to graduate from Western Michigan University in 1937 had it not been for his employer at the time, a grocer in Benton Harbor, who allowed G.W. to keep his job over the weekends to help pay for school. “Later in life when he became successful, we believe that his investment in scholarships was in direct connection to that grocer,” says Matthew Haworth, his grandson and chairman of the company.

Linking corporate practices with family values is a proud tradition at Haworth, but the organization’s culture is nothing like the paternalistic stereotype of a family company. “We have the rigor of a private company,” Matthew says. “We are not a family company because the family sits on the board.” In keeping with this ethos, Haworth calls its employees “members.” “It’s a very intentional nomenclature that is intended to have people hear from the organization that they are different from employees elsewhere,” explains Ann Harten, VP of global human resources.

Harten oversees several international programs that help members grow in their careers, and take Haworth to new heights with them. In addition, G.W.’s legacy of investment in young people continues today: “This year we’re going to have 75 interns,” she proudly says. “We get well over 1,000 applicants from all over the country. Why? Because you’re not just coming to Haworth to learn the craft of your focus within your university. You are here to be further developed as a person.”