What I like about the company I work for

I'm sad today, so an extra list about something nice is in order.

1. The CEO

He's approachable, down-to-earth, he'll answer the hard questions employees ask, and he's incredibly supportive of his employees. He's also not afraid to laugh at himself or get in the weeds to better understand things. He personally welcomes every new employee on their first day - either in person or over Slack.

2. The President

He's also approachable, a bit on the quieter side but knew my name from the first week and recalls details about many of the employees in our office. He expects a lot, but will also take the time to listen.

3. My boss & the boss's boss

Through some sort of bizarre luck we both had the same exact job at a prior place 5 years apart. We had never met but knew mutual acquaintances. We're often told we act like siblings, but he's honestly a great supervisor. He is a bit of a perfectionist, an insane workaholic, and wants things his exact way, which can be annoying at times, but he'll also listen to my side of things and when I was struggling we worked through it together. He also lets me call him out on stuff too.

And his boss, I call her the bossy boss or big boss, is a rockstar. She's one of those people who exudes cool, has a ton of EQ in addition to all of her other intelligence, and wants you to succeed. I love chatting with her.

4. KC

When I joined the company, I actually brought along another employee from my former gig with me. I had him apply to a job here too and we both landed our respective jobs. He was grossly mistreated by upper management at our former place of employment, and seeing him shine here is wonderful. It's hard work and challenging, but it's nice having someone along for the ride.

5. The Other People

From the C-Suite down, almost everyone here is amazing. We've got one total asshat that can go kick rocks but that's to be expected when working for a company. People are welcoming, hard-working, and love to share who they are. If you're more of an introvert (like me) totally cool, and those who are outgoing fit right in too.

6. The work itself

It's something new from what I've done previously. My skills are transferable and I have done well, but there's still so much to learn and a lot of room for growth. I have recognized some new areas of weakness to work through, and I'm supported in obtaining the skills needed. The work is interesting, the clients I work with are diverse, and every day is a bit different.

7. Our values

This is the first place I've worked where a company has truly put their values into practice. Their values align with mine (something that I personally look for when finding a job), and they are talked about and utilized often.

8. The Office

If you've worked in Fintech, especially the startup realm, you know a lot of the office perks: various games (video, ping pong, board), free beverages (cold brew on tap, various other coffee/espresso machines, sodas, beer, wine), lots of catered lunches from delicious places, endless snacks (organic fruit, chips, breakfast foods, cookies & candy, etc), and various other things. It's not why I come into the office, but it definitely makes being in the office more enjoyable.

9. The Other Perks

In the year I've started, I've gone to baseball games, awards events, been offered to attend various conferences and events, been offered concert tickets, treated out to quite a few dinners, gone out with colleagues for candlepin bowling (newsflash, I'm terrible at it), ice skating, a tiki boat, etc.. and it's all been fun. Like genuinely fun. There's no pressure to attend or not attend. There's no mark for or against you if you take part/don't take part. It's just another way the company likes to appreciate their employees.

10. The Benefits & Pay

I'm paid appropriately, my hard work is rewarded with an easy to understand and attainable compensation structure. My health insurance and other benefits aren't cost prohibitive, and they review their offerings pretty often to see what else they can provide or adjust. For example, I'm getting one on one language lessons covered completely by the company. They're totally cool if you want to work in one of their other global offices or work elsewhere/travel. There's a belief that happy and supported employees are productive employees. I get it.