WHY WE'RE A BEST PLACE TO WORK

My partners and I have long maintained that if you don't purposefully develop the culture you want, one will invariably develop on its own, and its not likely to be the one you want. First and foremost, we have created firmwide institutional openness and transparency that creates a safe environment to share ideas, provide peer input and accountability, and, yes, fix the occasional screw up. Every quarter we do a team activity. We work incredibly hard to build and maintain our culture.

WHY WE'RE A BEST PLACE TO WORK

You can have all the work perks you want, but your culture doesn't mean anything until it costs you money. This year, we've turned down an opportunity for a high seven-figure account that would change the finances of the agency but knew that it wouldn't be the best cultural fit. We've also spent money to send our entire team to a conference in Nashville about "liminal space," as the company is going through a strategic inflection point.

Our people-first philosophy creates a culture of inclusion and growth. When the pandemic hit, our C-suite took a pay reduction to fulfill our goal not to lay off or furlough a single employee, and we added two mandatory monthly mental health days to our unlimited PTO policy. We grant our leaders entrepreneurial autonomy to treat their departments as if they were their own companies. At the same time, leaders manage their teams as co-pilots, rather than drill sergeants, to enable our employees to take ownership and offer innovative ideas.

Our mission and culture at Tonic has always been “work with impact.” We are dedicated to taking on initiatives important to our employees and the sustainability of our world. Our community outreach includes donations to causes and local businesses we love, the donation of tablets to hospitals so loved ones can stay in touch, and planting one tree for every billable hour worked. Benefits, perks, and shout-outs for going above and beyond are key in motivating team members, but there is also power in recognizing the need for time away from work.