What I love about InkHouse and why you might like to work here, too

I was recently at an event where a company was asked what makes them special. They talked about how they have a slide – like what you might find in a playground – connecting two floors of their office.

Sounds like fun, except not if you’re in a skirt and heels.

But the comment got me thinking about what truly makes a difference in the workplace for employees.

While there’s nothing wrong with slides, ping pong tables, or even scooters (which we enjoy here at InkHouse)… there are other more important reasons why one chooses to work someplace and more importantly, why they choose to stay:

1. The leadership. I’m grateful that our founders are not only kind and generous, but also genuine, whip-smart, transparent and super creative. People always say that they feel a great vibe when they walk in the door at InkHouse. I remember feeling it, too – and still do. It comes from the top.

2. The flexibility. And I don’t just mean the yoga that Laura Maas teaches here on Thursdays. We work from home on Fridays. The whole office does, except for those who prefer to come in because it’s quieter. We rarely schedule calls or meetings on this day and most of us truly believe it is our most productive day, great for writing strategies, plans, e-books, bylines or simply having coffee or lunch – or drinks! -- with clients or the media.

3. The belief in wellness. We have Ergotron standing desks for all to use and when we dole out awards at our weekly staff meetings, employees can choose their very own standing desk as one of their prize options.

Also, the fresh organic fruit, among other offerings in the kitchen (yes, we eat cupcakes, too!), is much appreciated.

As are the massages.

And with our recent spate of pregnancies in the office, we now have a private nursing room.

4. The comradery. I just took a stroll around the office. I saw a couple of my colleagues break into a goofy dance (thank you, Sonos); another petting Freebie (pictured above), one of several adorable dogs who come to work with their owners; a group discussing their day over chocolate covered strawberries (a gift from a client); and another griping about forgetting her yoga pants for Laura’s class. Sounds unproductive, but we work on teams, and it helps to really like each other! Meanwhile, there was a pile of about 50 pounds of toiletries in my office that many had brought in to donate to Cradles to Crayons.

We volunteered there last week and noticed that they were short on soap and shampoo that they include in clothing donations to kids.

5. The opportunity. We just went through a spate of promotions. And a spate before that. And there might be another one coming. At InkHouse, because what we do is different from what traditional PR firms do, we like to grow our own. And that means that there are a lot of opportunities to learn new things and advance not just yourself, but your clients and the state of public relations.

So send us your resumes. We’d love to meet you.