Best Places to Work.

 

I crack up to the point of nearly wrecking my car every time I hear a Bud Light Real Men of Genius ad. We all know one of those guys, and we seem to have an affinity to side with the underdog.

All due respect to our local publications, but I get a little miffed every year when the Call for Entries hits my email for Best Places to Work because every time, I start to feel like the underdog – like a real man of genius. I’m sure the recognition is well deserved by those mega-corporations that spend an enormous amount in providing employees excellent healthcare coverage, membership to the gym, on-site daycare, and catered lunch in a cafeteria every day.

But what about the little guy – the small-to-medium-sized company that in no way benefits from economies of scale? Does qualifying for Best Places to Work come down to a headcount of 200+ employees? I say no. Coming from a firm the size of a couple of football teams, I can guarantee those dinosaur companies envy our creative agility and irreverent ability to push the Human Resource envelope every, single day.

When it comes down to it, isn’t it the human capital that makes a place of employment the Best Places to Work? Absolutely! So step aside, you austere nine-to-fivers. I hereby designate The Inside Lane Blog as the new place to nominate your Real Men of Genius Best Places to Work. Consider this your Call for Entry.

Here’s why I nominate E.B. Lane:

Location, Location, Location.
Where else in the Valley can you walk merely one parking lot away for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Including my year stint in downtown Tokyo, I have never witnessed such brilliant, efficient use of space. In one building of shared walls and ceilings you have a caffeine-infused Starbucks connected to the chic new Sidebar. I realize caffeine and adult beverages may not qualify for the nutrition pyramid, but Sidebar always offers an excellent pre-dinner cocktail. Bottom line, 7^th Ave and McDowell deserves a Trapper-Keeper medal of honor for providing so much in such a small space.

Holiday. Let’s Celebrate.
Madonna called it. If nothing else qualifies a place for Best Places to Work, it’s a company that knows how to celebrate. Shamelessly, this can be the single most important criterion to those who work at an agency. I make no excuses. We work hard; we play harder.  Birthdays and Halloween definitely are two agency favorites. I would challenge any employee at a big corporation to name the last birthday their entire office space was given the pinch-tight seal of Reynold’s Wrap. Or tell me when they were greeted to the colors of a Disneyland carousel with thousands of pastel sticky notes, including the phone, printer and every pencil in the place. I would gladly step up to any company that claims to lock down planning sessions for Halloween costumes a month in advance.

All in the Family.
I grew up on a good, healthy dose of All in the Family, where the premise of this radical 70s sitcom shone an uncomfortable light on America’s intolerance, bigotry, and racial and gender prejudices.  Because this television social movement had a huge impact on my upbringing, I can only guess it was also part of the fabric woven into the lives of the many of my colleagues. From the top down, the culture at E.B. Lane does not tolerate disrespect; prejudices of race, gender or lifestyle; the spread of petty rumors; or those who attempt to step on others in an effort to rise to the top. Built on the foundation set by Ed and Diane Lane, ours is a great place to work, because we’re rewarded for hard work, teamwork, and those who work with a single goal in mind – the good of the cause.

So there you have it – the first official nomination. We would love to hear what makes your place the best. And who knows? With a little creativity, irreverence and Bud Light, we just may come up with a real genius of an award! Here’s to you!