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Q&A with Liquid EVP, Bret Ludlow: What It Means to Be A Best Place To Work

For the second year in a row, Liquid has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania.

This designation is based on detailed survey responses from every Liquid team member that are then ranked against all other Pennsylvania companies participating. Because of that, it's a true representation of what the Liquid team thinks about Liquid as a place to work, which is what makes it so exciting.

To help celebrate this accomplishment, we asked Liquid’s Executive Vice President, Bret Ludlow, a few questions to gain some perspective on what this means for Liquid.

 

Question: What does earning the title of one of the “Best Places to Work in PA” for another year mean to you and Liquid?

Bret: It’s a great thing for everyone.

First of all, it’s all based on everyone here anonymously expressing their true feelings across many extremely important categories. It shows that we truly have something special here at Liquid.

Second, it demonstrates to potential team members, interns, and clients that we value and prioritize our team members. Liquid is a great company to not only work for but also do business with, and this positively impacts the quality of work we do every day.

And finally, it’s great to see how we compare to others across the state as well as to ourselves when looking back at previous years. We leverage the data we receive to continue to improve.

 

Question: That’s very interesting. Tell us more about some of the insights you get from survey results.  

Bret: We love being acknowledged as a best place to work. But equally as important to us is the data and information we get back as a result. This information gets reviewed in depth by our leadership team and we use it to continue with things people are very happy with and to find ways to improve wherever we can.

There’s always room to improve as a business. While we scored high across all categories, if we noticed trends from one year to another, or that a question or category fell a few points below others, we discussed and look to take action.

For example, in the past we’ve focused on strengthening certain parts of our benefits package based on some great comments we received. This year, one data point that especially stood out to us was the fact that 100% of our team believes that “the leaders of this organization care about their well-being”. We truly do and it meant a lot to know that the team feels supported.  

 

Question: It’s exciting to have made this list for a second year in a row in this hybrid work environment. As a hybrid company, what are some of the ways Liquid keeps the company culture thriving?

Bret: There are many things that contribute to this but one that stands out to me is that we make connecting with each other on a professional or a personal level a priority. You can’t work as a high-performing team if you don’t truly know one another. Here are a few examples:

  • Our ‘culture club’ plans some great social activities (company-wide in-person and remote events, community give backs, health challenges and more)
  • Our ‘cake days’ celebrate service anniversaries, birthdays, and new team members with a special focus on kudos handed out for great work done throughout the month. Oh, and delicious cake.
  • Whether it’s an internal huddle or a client meeting, you will very rarely see a Liquid team member with their camera off. With a large portion of communication coming from body language, it’s hugely important to connect on that level. Plus, it’s nice to see the occasional kitten walk across the screen.
  • Since we transitioned to working this way in early 2020, we continue to find new ways to stay connected, even if some of the original tenants still hold true.

 

Question: What 3 words best describes the Liquid team?

Bret: Talented. Hard-working. Unique.

Pretty self-explanatory there but this Liquid team is incredible.

The way everyone collaborates and complements each other so well, pushes the envelope, and works incredibly hard to produce results is inspiring.

And we have fun while doing it.

There isn’t a day that goes by where someone doesn’t make me laugh out loud in a meeting or in a Slack channel. When you work with Liquid you get a bunch of experts bringing their best every day while bringing their unique personalities to the table along with it. That’s a recipe for success.

 

Question: Any final thoughts?

Bret: Yes! Two big thank yous:

First – to the entire Liquid team. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and for making Liquid a place that we can all be proud of.

Second – to our amazing clients. Thank you for your ongoing partnership and the trust and belief in this incredibly talented team. You can’t enjoy where you work without enjoying the work you do every day. It’s challenging, it’s rewarding, and it’s fun and we could not do it without you!