Company Culture: In the uncertain first days of the pandemic, when Image Source (asi/230121) sent everyone home to work remotely, management relied on the company’s prime supports – communication, transparency and honesty – as guideposts in their next steps. The company, the only industry distributor to appear on every Best Places to Work list, continues to host virtual meetings and they’re generous with recognition. When the team hits sales goals, they take an incentive trip, most recently to a nearby lake resort.

Management recently hosted in-person Halloween and holiday parties (the Grinch made an appearance at the latter) and has members of the company Culture Club visit desks to offer different sweet and savory treats. The company is also very committed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (including an in-house DE&I Council), and employees readily volunteer together.

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Appearances on Best Places to Work

“We’ve had fundraisers, like a fun run, and we recently purchased and donated Girl Scout cookies to the Ronald McDonald House,” says Tom Goos, president and co-owner. “We give people their birthday off, and we have half-day Fridays when we hit our monthly goal. We had Dog Fridays before COVID, when people could bring in their dogs. We have a great benefits package and generous time off.”

COVID Changes: Currently, a quarter of Image Source’s team comes into the office each day on a voluntary basis. Before COVID, the company offered one day a week from home, so moving to remote wasn’t too difficult, says Goos. “The plan is to be more hybrid than we were before COVID,” he says, “and we have to be flexible since hiring is so competitive.”

Goos says hiring has been “very difficult” – they used to receive about 100 applications for a given opening, narrow it down to 10 people and then bring in three or four for interviews. These days, they receive 10, pick one or two from the list and determine if one of the two should receive the offer. “We have a lot of youth here, which is good for us and the industry,” says Goos, who’s on the Dean’s Advisory Board at the University of Washington Bothell School of Business.

Parting Tip: During an uncertain time, meet people where they are, says Goos. While managers encourage the use of webcams during video meetings, they recognize that not everyone is comfortable with it. “We want to let people be themselves,” says Goos. “We also send engagement kits to their homes – our holiday kit included warm slippers for extra comfort during remote work.”