alliantgroup was recently named the 19th best place to work among large Houston area businesses by Houston Business Journal, making it the highest ranked financial and tax consulting services firm across all categories.
The 15th annual Best Places to Work Awards honored Houston’s most forward-thinking businesses, acknowledging the extraordinary companies that “recognize happy employees are a good return on investment.”
HBJ compiled data from a city-wide evaluation in which employees across Houston are surveyed about their companies in areas such as goals and leadership, communication and support, advancement opportunity and skill development, recognition and compensation, tolerance and flexibility, and embracing innovation and ideas.
What Makes it the Best?
Competition for top talent is intensifying, and companies have to work harder to attract the right talent. Some recruiters have found that the new secret sauce to talent acquisition in 2015 is simple: turn the conventional corporate standard on its head, and provide an amazing work culture that truly inspires employees to perform at their very best
Companies are luring in talent with a pampered work culture that top qualified candidates have come to expect from the type of companies they deem worth working for.
Promises of upward mobility and competitive salary, while appreciated, aren’t enough to attract premium talent anymore. The niceties of health insurance and paid time off that were once deal-makers are now no-brainers. Employers are tweaking their corporate images and offering creative incentives to attract the next generation of talent.
And it’s not about money.
According the Houston Business Journal, “Today’s new hires want more out of a job than just a paycheck. They want experience, interaction and just to have fun.”
Not Your Parent’s Office
Many of the Houston-based companies that are featured on HBJ’s Best Places to Work list are bucking tradition with unconventional work cultures that promote strong mind and body wellness, spark creativity and innovation, and allow employees to keep work and fun intertwined.
And it’s worth the payoff. Healthier and happier employees are more productive. Engaged and motivated employees will use their discretionary effort to help the company achieve its goals.
The following seven office luxuries, according to an HBJ article about what employees want, serve as fantastic recruiting and retention tools, and helped 100 Houston-area businesses, including alliantgroup, earn spots on the 2015 Best Places to Work list: fitness, ergonomics, work hard/play hard, collaborative workspace, tech and gadgets, happy hours, and munchies. alliantgroup checks off every category, most notably:
Fitness – alliantgroup offers the ultimate health and wellness program that places a huge emphasis on a strong-mind/strong-body culture. Spearheaded by a full-time, licensed dietitian, employees are exposed to a wide range of wellness education resources, and look forward to regular health lectures and a wellness newsletter. Weekly evening fitness classes include yoga, mixed martial arts, barre and bootcamp, in addition to well-attended cycling and running clubs.
Work hard/Play hard – The employees at alliantgroup take their fun as seriously as they take their work. With stressful tax deadlines and long hours during peak seasons, alliantgroup makes it a point to sprinkle in some fun wherever it can. During any given work day, employees can be heard challenging each other to ping pong breaks. It’s not unusual see teams rehearsing for a lip-sync battle, dressing up for a costume contest, or basking in the glory of a fantasy football victory.
Collaborative workspace – Cubicle farms are out, and open offices are in, according to HBJ. alliantgroup got that memo when it moved into a brand new office space in 2014 at 3009 Post Oak Blvd. Cubes were traded for an open-office floor plan that boasts glass-enclosed workspaces that provide the best of both worlds: a collaborative environment with just enough personal space to retreat for some quiet time. The transparent open floor plan fosters creativity and camaraderie, with healthy doses of daylight and a modern aesthetic, to boot.
Munchies – Nobody goes home hungry at alliantgroup, where there is such thing as a free lunch. Daily catered meals from local Houston-area eateries are the norm, as are afternoon snacks, working dinners, and all the coffee, soda and Red Bull you could possibly drink.
Work for the Best
