Last week we found out we were awarded one of the Best Places to Work in San Antonio. This is the third year in a row we have received this recognition. While most of these types of awards are pay to play, this one is done through surveying current employees, which makes it so much more rewarding to be honored, as it is our employees speaking.
Since we opened our San Antonio office in May 2019, it has been a thrilling three years going from one (me) employee to over 35. Winning the award in 2020, 2021, and now 2022 is not a reflection of me, but rather each and every employee. The culture and bond that has been formed in those years shines through. Watching teams collaborate, whether on Slack or in-person, is fun and when we get together to play games or build bridges and towers, it becomes more than just a job.
Many CEOs refer to their company as a family. I don’t believe in saying that we are a ‘family’, because we aren’t. We are a bunch of people working on the same mission and goals. The reason I don’t like the term family is because you don’t pick your family, but you pick your employer. The goal for me is that people want to work for Searchspring and not because they had no choice. But because it is their top choice.
We can offer cool benefits, like our most recently announced Start Fresh which allows new hires to defer their physical start date by two weeks and take a break in between jobs. But these benefits are to support employees. The real power comes from having values and living those values. Whether it is our Open by Default or our Fail Fast and Publicly, the goal is to make an environment where people thrive, and when they thrive and are happy, you get this recognition.
However, you can’t get honored and then sit back admiring it. Our employees are busting their asses every day. We are busier than ever and teams are stretched thin. We must always be looking ahead and striving to be better, which might mean we need to be different.
Looking for a new job? Come join us. The ride isn’t easy, but it sure is fun!
