GroundFloor Media (GFM) has a very open environment in both its office layout and culture. One can regularly hear employees (including the leadership team) calling to one another across the office or see them jumping up and running over to chat with a colleague. Plenty of open spaces, half walls and open doors (again, including those of upper management) encourage conversation. There are also several community tables in the office to encourage dialogue and collaboration.
GFM team members have direct lines of communication with their leadership team. Partners Laura Love and Ramonna Robinson treat team members more like friends than employees. In addition to being generally available via phone, text or chats in the office, they regularly schedule check-in “meetings” with team members over coffee, pedicures, yoga and walks around the block.
While Laura and Ramonna are always open to input from the team, they regularly have an outside research consultant complete a confidential review of the agency’s health and work styles, gathering feedback from each employee and creating an action plan to respond directly to concerns shared by the staff.
GFM exceeds industry standards by offering a comprehensive rewards and benefits program for employees that offers an additional 22 percent of their individual total annual compensation. GFM employees are considered full-time—even when working as few as 20 hours per week.
GFM’s culture is based on celebrating accomplishments, encouraging camaraderie and having fun. The agency has been named a Best Place to Work by Outside Magazine the past three years in a row and was also recognized this year as the Best Boutique Agency to Work For by The Holmes Report.