Alex Wolk is the founder of Insite Advice. Follow him @InsiteAdvice. Recently, YEC spoke with Alex Wolk about his employee management and company culture experience. His best advice is below.
What interview question do you always ask potential hires and why?
If they are coming from another employer, I ask them how their previous co-workers would describe them. I find this often allows them to talk about their accomplishments in more of a third-person, natural style. It also gives insight into how much of a team player they are and what company culture they came from.
What makes your company culture unique?
Our goal is to have genuine fun at work. We have a bocce court in our backyard, pinball machines, arcade games and a full bar (think of it as an 80’s/90’s kids dream, minus the keg of course). We think that enjoying your job opens up your creativity and produces a stronger bond with clients. We want a team that looks forward to coming in on Mondays!
How can you make sure team outings or activities appeal as best they can to all employees?
We have an open discussion and majority rule vote for all team activities, so everyone from the intern to the founder gets an equal say.
What’s your best tip for keeping a personal touch to onboarding and training as you grow?
Always be a part of the initial training. I make time out of my day to show new hires they are special. I keep an open door policy at any time to ask questions.
What’s one quick, easy way any company at any stage can invest in their company culture?
I would take the whole team out to eat somewhere weekly. It’s amazing how much the team opens up and gets along outside of the work environment.
