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Why FloQast is one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles
FloQast was recently named as one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles! This twelfth annual survey and awards program was created by the Los Angeles Business Journal and Best Companies Group. It’s designed to identify, recognize and honor the best employers in Los Angeles, benefiting the county’s economy, workforce and businesses.
To find out what makes FloQast a great place to work, I sat down with Adey Tadesse-Heath, Director of Human Resources and asked her a few questions. Check out this short video or read the transcript below to learn how:
Adey Tadesse-Heath on what makes FloQast a great place to work:
Why do you think FloQast is one of the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles?
I believe we made this list again because of the environment that we have here. I think nothing is really forced. The company culture is built by our employees and defined by our employees. When we run these surveys, we really try to encourage folks to be as honest as they can.
There’s always things to improve on, but to know that we’re doing a good job already with the tools and what we’ve put in place so far has been really great.
The San Fernando Valley is not exactly known as a hotbed for startups. Do you think being located in Sherman Oaks makes a difference?
We’re in an interesting location. Sherman Oaks is not synonymous with startups, but I think the reverse commute is one thing that helps with recruiting.
Also, it’s an untapped market. We don’t have a lot of competition around us. I think it goes along with our culture — a little bit more relaxed environment rather than feeling like a stuffy corporate building.
What’s the deal with the fancy new HQ?
Finding this place was pretty incredible because it was just an empty warehouse, and now it’s this great, collaborative open space.
We contacted a broker who showed us a bunch of listings and this was by far the most raw space. It was just the ceiling and the floors and ours to build out custom, and it was really exciting to make the decision that we should make this our headquarters — our stamp in LA and where our home is.
A lot of people, when they walk in, they’re sold already on the product and whoever they’ve talked to on the phone, so when they get here, it’s just kind of that cherry on top of “Oh my God, I get to work in this really great space that’s open, it’s airy.”
You get to be super collaborative with your fellow employees. We’ve got lots of plants so it feels a little bit more organic and less stuffy. We have this great open patio space that you get to eat your lunch at or just take a break in the sun. It’s been fantastic.
A lot of people really want to come work here just because of the space.
What’s the culture like at FloQast?
The culture is open and laid back while still being professional and respectful. We’ve got a group of really great folks who are committed to doing the best that they can and that fuels that passion. It’s very infectious.
Other people want to be passionate and succeed as well, and those that are succeeding here are very open and kind people, which also is infectious because people want to copy the folks who are the most successful. If they’re nice, then they’re nice too.
People get to show up to work genuinely and be themselves while also doing the type of work that they really enjoy.
And the benefits?
FloQast’s benefits are pretty amazing. (I know I’m biased.) It’s also a huge help with recruiting. I think my favorite and the most standout one is the 100% paid employee healthcare for employees, their spouses, and dependents. You know that your entire family’s taken care of.
We also have life insurance. Short and long term disability. We offer a 401(k). We have lots of little perks like free lunches. We try and take care of our employees so that they can come to work and not have to worry about outside stuff, and really focus on the job.
What makes FloQast employees so passionate about what they do?
Everyone’s got their own story about why they’re passionate to work at FloQast. There are some folks who are ex-accountants, ex-auditors coming from the Big Four. Anything other than what they were doing is a relief. It’s fewer hours and they get to work on something that helps people who were in their shoes previously. They get to make their jobs easier and bring value to other accountants’ lives, which is really cool.
We’ve also got folks who are super passionate to build this product because this product is serving an untapped market. We’ve got folks here who are excited to continuously build on something that’s bringing value to accountants. There are a lot of people that fit into different categories, but I think that’s why folks are most passionate about being here.
What’s your favorite part about working here?
My favorite part about working with FloQast is the people. I truly love everyone that works here. They’re just such a fun bunch. Everyone is so passionate to be here that it just makes it a really fun environment to be in.
It’s that down to earth humbleness that I really like working with. I get to work with people who are heavy hitters in their own world and learn from them, and that brings value to me as an employee and as an individual, working with folks that are just incredible and bring so much knowledge and a fresh perspective. That means we can innovate and solve problems in a really unique way.
About the Award
To be considered for participation, companies had to fulfill the following eligibility requirements:
- Be a for-profit, not-for-profit business or government entity;
- Be a publicly or privately held business;
- Have a facility in Los Angeles;
- Have at least 15 employees in Los Angeles;
- Be in business a minimum of one year.
Companies from across the county entered the two-part survey process to determine the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics. This part of the process was worth approximately 25% of the total evaluation. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. This part of the process was worth approximately 75% of the total evaluation. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed the overall registration and survey process in Los Angeles, analyzed the data and determined the final rankings.
The actual rankings were revealed at a special event on August 15, 2018, and were published in the August 13, 2018, issue of the Los Angeles Business Journal.
For more information on the Best Places to Work in Los Angeles program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkLA.com.
