No. 2 Small Company
2-Time Winner
Special Award: Best Communication
One universal lesson from the pandemic is the importance of communication. West Monroe had that down pat before the crisis hit.
The Dallas office of the national business and technology consulting firm won our special award for Best Communication.
That hearty thumbs-up for keeping its 74 D-FW workers well-informed helped propel West Monroe into our No. 2 spot among our small companies and moved the two-time winner up from its 10th place showing last year.
“Any changes in our local offices or firmwide come with an explanation,” said one employee. “There is a conversation around the decision instead of simply forcing employees to accept it and move on.”
As the pandemic took hold, the company increased its one-on-one discussions to see how everyone was doing and whether additional support was needed individually and collectively, said Adam Gersting, senior partner and Dallas office lead.
"We have remained physically distanced, but as individuals and team members, we have become closer through shared experiences, online team-building and connecting and looking out for one another even more.
“Our engagement with the Dallas community business, civic and charitable organizations continues, as support is needed more than ever. I am very proud of this.”
While many companies had to shift abruptly to a work-from-home world, West Monroe already allowed flexible arrangements, such as regular telecommuting, alternative schedules and part-time schedules.
Every worker gets to think like an owner — because they are, thanks to West Monroe’s employee stock ownership program.
Of all the statements, employees gave West Monroe their highest scores to: New ideas are encouraged at this company.
In normal times, employees enjoy the company’s BYOB dinner club, adventure club, brewing club, volunteer time and happy hours that build a true sense of family, Gersting said.
“Since our founding, we have strived for an atypical consulting environment — one with a flat hierarchy that allows employees of all levels to take on active roles in company leadership, professional development, collaboration and fun,” he said.
“My team members continue to press forward — together, honoring our values — in these very challenging times,” he said. “We remain true to being a people-first organization and have retained all our people despite the health and economic climate.”
One favorite program allows staffers to be the company’s CXO of an activity, set of activities or a cause. The “X” is a fill-in-the-blank C-level job, Gersting said. This gives staffers the chance to share something important to them and to help shape the office culture.
The company was able to keep this program going by using online collaboration technologies.
It also continued its “Fun Friday” events, including virtual trivia and games, movie nights, scavenger hunts around the house and a Zoom Oktoberfest.
“These are great times to connect informally, socialize and maintain our culture while physically separated,” he said.
But virtual only goes so far.
“I look forward to being able to get together with my colleagues, team members and clients for lunch — real face-to-face interactions with people I have not seen in person for months,” Gersting said.
Among the reasons employees said they loved their jobs:
“I get to work on the leading edge of emerging technologies and concepts to deliver great work to clients who enjoy working with us.”
“I have the perfect balance of a collaborative spirit with a push for autonomy. Our Dallas office culture is warm, welcoming and inclusive. The team culture and spirit is better than any other company I’ve experienced.”
“Not only do I get to grow in my technical/functional skills, but I get to do so while doing meaningful work, developing relationships with colleagues who are truly great people and having fun!”
