Best Companies to Work For 2015: ReadyTalk

Playfulness is a key value

Lisa Ryckman //October 30, 2015//

Best Companies to Work For 2015: ReadyTalk

Playfulness is a key value

Lisa Ryckman //October 30, 2015//

ReadyTalk

www.readytalk.com

Location: Denver

Rank: 4 in the medium company category

The culture: Playfulness is a key value. According to the ModernThink evaluation: “ReadyTalk believes it’s essential for our employees to maintain a good balance between work and play. We communicate this idea to our employees by encouraging them to take short breaks throughout the day.”

Perks: Activities around the office include the occasional Nerf Dart flying across the room, Scrabble boards, Hula Hoops, Jenga, ping-pong and portable putting greens. The “Nerd Lounge” is equipped with a Nintendo Wii — with Guitar Hero — and an X-box 360. Other incentives: in-office beer kegs, weekly yoga classes and massages, a mentorship program, reimbursement for professional association membership fees, paid networking events, seminars, and other training and education events, $5,000 annual tuition assistance.

Giving back: Employees receive 20 hours of paid volunteer time per year, and the company matches employee donations dollar-for-dollar up to $500 annually. During 2014, employees donated $13,656, which was matched by ReadyTalk. Over the past several years, ReadyTalk has volunteered for 11 build days with Habitat for Humanity.

The inside scoop: From an employee: “Leaving ReadyTalk was a really interesting experience because from the moment I left, I missed it. It was like one of those breakups where you don’t want to part ways, but you have to due to circumstances, like going away to college. Moving to Hawaii was a dream (or so we thought). My family and I decided that we were going to move back to Colorado this winter and I was fortunate enough to be offered my job back with ReadyTalk. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate my work environment when I left, but I have a whole other level of appreciation for this company now that I am back. I have immense gratitude for the leadership team, the people, and the work culture that I now describe as magic.”