What makes a best place to work?
by Jennifer Curley | December 13, 2022
Simply – a place you care about, and that cares about you back.
Curley Company was just named a 2022 Best Place to Work by PRWeek and I am beyond thrilled. I have been working to create a best place to work since I started this agency 20 years ago. It has been a long-time goal to receive this honor because the winner is determined solely by a survey of employees. Today we are celebrating at Curley – basking in the public recognition of our policies, culture, and team.
Creating a best place to work is intentional and requires a true partnership between members of the team and agency leadership. Here are some of our highlights:
Values & Culture
The enormity of someone choosing to put their career in my hands is something I never take for granted. At a basic level, they are counting on me to run the business well and pay their salary so they can pay their bills and support their families. But even more important, they are counting on me to create an inclusive workplace where they can thrive, do their best work, and bring their best selves to the table.
When you walk into the Curley office you see our values. We put our company values on the office wall to keep them front and center. They are a constant reminder for us, letting everyone know what they can expect from us, what we expect from each other, and how we will show up. I am a big believer in “do what you say you will do” as a guiding leadership principle, and there is no better way to tell people what you will do than by writing it on the wall for everyone to see.
One of the things I am most proud of this year is our work with the Almond Group on DEI. As a team we created a vision statement that says “At Curley Company, we hold ourselves accountable to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for every team member at every level, so that every person, voice, perspective, and contribution is heard and valued. We commit to working with integrity, transparency, and empathy to disrupt traditional standards of work culture that have reinforced systemic barriers and prevented opportunity.” It’s an ongoing mission, but today’s recognition shows how much we’ve achieved.
Benefits & Policies
We have three team members taking parental leave over the next several months – one mom and two dads. Even though we love seeing all of these babies and growing families, parental leave presents challenges for any small business. But we have made it a priority for Curley and the entire team has jumped in to ensure we don’t miss a beat for our clients and that as a team, we have each other’s backs.
It is incredibly important that our benefits and polices reflect our values and meet the team where they are today. So not only are we are supporting our parents, we are ensuring flexibility for the entire team, including unlimited PTO; providing customized professional development for each team member through Curley College; prioritizing mental health and well-being with our wellness credits; and of course I am incredibly proud of our pay equity, which we began in 2020.
Our People
Our people are the heart and soul of Curley and the best way for me to introduce you to the Curley team is through our Win Board. We have a board in the office where members of the team in effect “shout out” to each other to share success. They take pride in their work, love to take a victory lap and relish the wins of their colleagues. While each team member brings their unique and best self to Curley, they are overall a group of smart, down-to-earth individuals who are driven by curiosity and who derive immense satisfaction from solving problems and delivering “wins” to our clients.
I started Curley Company to create a place where I wanted to work, a place that I cared about and that cared about me back. We have that at Curley – it’s a partnership between leadership – who sets the vision, leads by example, and dedicates resources to support culture focused priorities – and the team, who invests their time, talent, and career at Curley, showing up as their full selves and embracing the values we collectively prioritize. That is what makes us a best place to work — and today it is official!
