Cool cities need cool places to work, but it goes beyond cool for custom software development firm
Atomic Object. "Our goal is to have the best place for software professionals to work in west Michigan," states Mary O'Neill, Atomic Object's business manager.
Creating a culture to reach that goal not only pays off in increased creativity and customer satisfaction, but it also led to Atomic Object being awarded the
2010 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.
According to O'Neill, it was a rigorous application process, as she had to qualify and quantify many of their existing policies that are then benchmarked against national norms as established by the Families and Work Institute.
O'Neill cites several examples of their firm's commitment to workplace flexibility. First off, "it's about respect for employees life/work balance." Specific policies include utilizing flexibility in starting and stopping hours, the ability to work from home, assistance in purchasing laptops and generous benefits including parental leave for both mothers and fathers.
Besides helping in recruiting and retaining top talent for Atomic Object, O'Neill is also pragmatic in their approach. "Our workplace flexibility has also proven to best serve our customers," says O'Neill.
The Alfred P. Sloan Award recognizes businesses of all sizes in Michigan and across the country. According to a spokesperson from the
Families and Work Institute, as a recipient of this award, Atomic Object now ranks in the top 20% of employers nationally in terms of workplace flexibility.
Source: Mary O'Neill, Atomic Object
Writer: John Rumery
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.