Company culture is rapidly becoming a focus for many executives. Most working adults spend the majority of their week at work, and workplace culture can make or break the experience.
But what goes into creating a company culture that encourages quality work and healthy employee relationships? We sat down with Director of Marketing Kristyn Lechwar to find out how Printing Solutions does it.
Q: What is Printing Solutions’ company culture like?
Kristyn Lechwar: We always strive to have fun in the office. We have a basketball court, ping pong tables, and a relaxing place to lie down to take a break. Google’s atmosphere inspires us.
We encourage disruption in a positive light and taking break when needed.
Trying to force creativity at a time when you are not inspired is very unhealthy. When you walk into our space, we always have music, snacks, and occasionally need to send out a funny YouTube video to everyone.
BONUS: Q: How does Printing Solutions maintain such an upbeat company culture?
KL: We make sure to maintain our culture by starting off the morning with a few fun exercises to get the team’s energy high. Every single morning, we hold stand-up meetings where each department goes around and explains their wins from the previous day as well as one big goal for the day. That goal gets written up on the whiteboard, and once complete, we make sure to cross it off and congratulate the department on the completed task.
Once the stand up meeting is over, we make sure to play a competitive game or activity — anything from free throw shots on the court, to fun games like Hot Potato, and improvisation exercises. While we have these meetings, we have music playing to inspire our moods.
Q: A big part of the company culture is the people on the team. How does Printing Solutions maintain its work culture even with new hires?
KL: Printing Solutions believes in a strong foundation. We make sure that everyone on the team is in a good place. We have such a fun environment that it is easy to spot someone who is not in the best mood.
What makes us different from other companies is that we are more than just a few people who are at work. We are a strong team who has to work together to be successful. We understand that if we fall apart, the entire business falls apart. For a lot of us, this business is a part of our family and passions. We refuse to settle and we always make sure each and every person on the team knows how important he or she is. We make sure to have constant team evaluations and reviews.
The key is allowing the space to be safe. If there are issues or problems, everyone knows we have a space where these issues can be resolved.
Q: Creating a culture also has a lot to do with the company’s core values. How do Printing Solutions’ core values play into its atmosphere?
KL: Our core values — We refuse to settle, We invite fun and adventure, and We invest in honest relationships — are something that ring true to us. We run our entire operation based on them.
“We refuse to settle” ties in with the idea of being the best we can be. We always want to push ourselves and make sure we don’t just accept a result or outcome due to laziness or fear of conflict. We’re fighters, and we know that settling for the minimum is not an option.
“We invite fun and adventure” is something anyone can see as soon as they talk with us or step into our space. We hired based on personalities, and those personalities must be fun and adventurous. Being able to work with clients who encourage us to be fun and adventurous allows for big results.
“We invest in honest relationships” says it all. We make sure we put our best foot forward. Being real and honest with our customers is the key to success. We love investing our time into learning about our customers as well as having genuine conversations with them — even if it’s not print-related.
Struggling to create the ideal company culture? Printing Solutions is happy to help with your business and printing needs. Give us a call at 480-596-6300 to get started.