One of the keys to a happy customer is a happy employee, and one of the keys to a happy employee is an awesome work environment. As part of DMC’s administrative team, one of my many duties is to help ensure these conditions. In many ways, DMC administrative work is like customer service for our own employees. Aside from making sure everything is running smoothly from paychecks to printer ink, our job is to make our employees happy and to keep our work environment fun.
One way we do this is by maintaining DMC's vibrant company culture. For example, a welcome party is thrown for every new employee where the entire company is invited to an event of the new employee’s choice. Cirque de Soleil, improv at iO, and whirly ball are some welcome parties we’ve recently held. DMC’s monthly activity fund is another way we encourage and support socializing. Chicago Restaurant Week, kayaking trips, Second City shows, and many happy hours are a few events which have utilized the activity fund.
Many of our employees also take advantage of DMC’s offer to pay the registration fee for local athletic events such as the Shamrock Shuffle and the Hustle Up the Hancock. Every few months, we hold All Day Company Meetings away from the office where we can discuss company goals in a fun, new atmosphere such as a treetop canopy in Wisconsin. We also have various holiday parties and happy hours held on our roof deck which has great views of the Chicago skyline. Additionally, our beautiful, state-of-the-art office has a casual atmosphere allowing people to feel comfortable and is always fully stocked with snacks and beverages.
It has to be mentioned that the job of DMC’s admin team is made easier by the fact that we work with amazing people. Our number one core value is to hire smart people. Once hired, every DMC employee takes a Strengths Finder test which encourages people to uncover and develop their talents rather than focus on fixing their shortcomings. We even hold “FedEx” days where employees work on projects they are personally inspired by that might improve the company in some way. Every DMC team member is extremely productive simply because we love what we do and we are GREAT at doing it. When asked “What do you like best about working at DMC?” our office manager Deborah said, “The people - they are truly the smartest individuals I have ever worked with. Everyone is at the top of their game.”
Besides the fact that DMC has an excellent admin team and the company is composed of very intelligent engineers, we are able to work effectively because we recognize the importance of communication. Every employee actively collaborates and shares their specialized skill sets with other employees at DMC. In order to further ensure internal communication, we hold daily huddles, weekly project status lunches and monthly company meetings. We also strive to thoroughly communicate and share information with our customers, vendors and other partners. We’ve found that one of the best ways to build relationships with our clients is to invite them to events outside of the office such as boat outings and go-carting where we can get to know them on an individual level. We want our clients to work with us because they want to, not because they are trapped due to lack of knowledge, information, or source code. We are happy to help our customers succeed because we are happy employees.
Learn more about DMC's company culture.