More Than Just a Hashtag

One of the first things I noticed as I walked into the Clear Measure offices in Austin was #LoveClearMeasure boldly displayed on the wall of their lobby. It's not printed on a little poster. It's not inscribed on a small plaque collecting dust on a corner shelf. It's clear, large type, directly applied to the very light colored wall. This wasn't just a hashtag. This was a confident proclamation.

As I interviewed ten different employees about the company - developers, engineers, managers, geeks and non-geeks alike - I started to notice something rather quickly. The answers about the atmosphere and the people at Clear Measure were consistent and sure. And just walking into the open office area and witnessing the work in progress, even after being there for a few days, their answers during the interviews proved to be sincere.

First, the caliber of the hires is clearly top notch. These are incredibly smart people who feed and thrive off of each other. They collaborate. They ask each other for advice and they sincerely listen to each other. These are things I witnessed myself as an outsider in their offices. Second, the pace is fast. From the meetings with each other and clients, to the coding and other work, the intensity was always clear. Those are certainly attractive incentives for professionals who are interested in working in a challenging environment where they can grow and not fear making mistakes along the way (it's obvious they have each others' backs).

But hands-down what stood out the most in both the answers and the interaction I observed was the fact that these people see each other as family. They truly care about not only their work but about each other. They spend a lot of time with each other outside of work. And those clips you see of the employees playing at the foosball table? That really happens. But what you're not hearing are the real conversations going on during the games. They're updating each other on their families, discussing big decisions coming up in their lives, even engaging in deep philosophical (yet friendly) debates. All the while, it's obvious these are more than just "co-workers." They are friends who sincerely care about each other. And when the game is over, they smile, cheer for each other, and go back to their desks refreshed for more intense work.

And the fact that the foosball table is there and gets used, that the company has awesomely fun outings at least twice a year (and they fly in remote workers for them), that they make sure their employees do not get overworked, and that each employee I interviewed emphasized the core values and culture of Clear Measure, it all proved to me that the management truly cares about the happiness of their employees. Some companies have meetings with staff and HR, or bring in a consultant to "talk about" keeping employees happy. But Clear Measure is a company where the management doesn't simply talk about these things to check them off of a list. They take action, far above and beyond what most other companies would do, to make sure their employees are happy and loving their careers.

So I walked away from my week-long shoot in Austin knowing Clear Measure is without a doubt a place where I would love to work. It's a place where I would love to do business. It's a place I would love to just visit. And all of that is thanks to the people Jeffrey and Mark carefully hire. They hire smart people. They hire good people. And the employees are actually treated like people, not resources. Yes, that hashtag absolutely makes sense. The bold, giant type on the lobby wall couldn't be more perfect. #LoveClearMeasure

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