Believe it or not, even employees at the Top 25 Best Companies to Work For get stressed every now and then. We asked a few of these companies how they manage the pressures of the corporate world.
Qualbe Marketing Group
We provide a nap room for employees that like to take a 15-minute power nap to reenergize and refocus. We also provide other quiet spaces to escape to in our library and breakroom, and recreation areas for employees that need a reprieve from ringing phones or to recharge after intensely focusing on a project.
-Julie Lee, office manager
Apex Capital Corp
At any moment you may walk into a Nerf gun battle or go to get a soft drink and find a competitive game of pool or darts going on. For those who like to be more physically active, there is always someone who will meet you to play pingpong. And if our employees want to interact in a more cerebral manner, just move to the quiet room with the chess set. [Employees can also] find some quiet time in the comfy chairs provided in what we affectionately refer to as the "blue" room - an area of the office specifically decorated and lit to provide a relaxing environment.
-Ann Dill, executive assistant
Fort Capital
Each employee has a weekly meeting with their leader to discuss any issues or stresses on their plate (Fort Capital leverages the "Level 10" format from the book Traction by Gino Wickman). Before the meeting is over, the employee and leader land on a solution with actionable to-do items to go out and solve the issue at hand. Honest and open communication ensures that any stress is managed without it snowballing into something greater.
-Abby Osvog, director of marketing
Fort Worth Country Day
At our annual employee benefits fair last month, the school paid for two chair massage therapists for our employees. We do this every year, and it is always a big hit! Our department is also planning an off-campus, escape-room, team-building activity, and the school buys our whole department lunch when one of us has a birthday.
-Laurie Valentine, human resources manager
Pacheco Koch
We have brought a chair massage provider into the office for staff, done group yoga on half-day Fridays and other activities such as a chili cook-off, crawfish boil, happy hour or pingpong tournament to unplug from work and have fun together. Staff is encouraged to partake in [activities] such as ice-cream days, scavenger hunts, theme dress days and other nonproject-related, company-organized activities to break up the daily stress.
-Brian O"Neill, principal
Muckleroy & Falls
We enjoy going to our construction sites and touring the facilities we have under construction with a large group of our staff on a monthly basis. This allows them to see the results on the projects that they are building … We have also had team-building events such as bowling, dodgeball, softball and fantasy football. We encourage birthday celebrations, as well as job award celebrations as a company. One of our employees told me she is always relieved of stress when she hears me laugh. Perhaps I need to do this more often!
-Harold Muckleroy, CEO
Worthington National Bank
Wine, lots of it.
-Greg Morse, CEO
By Amanda Smiley