Great Place to Work

I sometimes wonder when I look at websites of various companies the way they showcase about their workplace by putting videos of some select few associate's testimonials, colorful photographs of smiling happy employees and unauditable facts, wondering if they all are real.
It so seems like people associated with those companies are living in utopia and not working there is actually supposed to make you feel deprived of happiness which you never had experienced.

With that, would like to ask few questions to all those who are reading this.
What makes a place great place to work?

Is it the culture of the company?
Is it the policies of the company?
The vision, mission of the company?
The quality of the people in the company?
The compensation structure of the company?
The brand value of the company, how it is perceived by others?

A lot of times I see companies go for external validation (GOD and the jury of the agency only know the reality) as they know if they look inwards they will never get the answer which they want. The more a company boasts about its external accreditation the more I doubt its veracity.

For me if a place is a great place to work, when there is some sense of belonging. Like the way we feel when we are at our homes. If someone says I don't have peace at home, then am sorry it is not the home I am meaning. Now thanks to wfh if someone is working in a bad company, even homes start losing its belonging. As you are constantly carrying the stress, which in pre-covid times was left at bay in office.

Now how does this belonging to company can come?
It comes with the people you are surrounded with, the people with who you spend your work time.
It comes if you feel your objectives are aligned with the company's objectives
It comes if the trust levels are high
It comes when company does what it says and says only what it really means.

Recently a friend and colleague of mine shared an anecdote on Linkedin. Its a story of Shivaji Maharaj how his soldiers went beyond lengths to achieve goals set by their leader and how Shivaji commands total dedication and trust.

A lot of people had reflected several thoughts on how it was achieved.

Basically it is about alignment of goals and empathy by the leader which builds a great team who are genuinely motivated and thus wherever they work even it is deepest of the mines or an oil rig far off in Antarctica makes it a great place to work.