We’re excited to announce that we will be kicking off the new year as a Built In 2022 Best Place to Work in both Chicago and Seattle.
Built In’s Best Places to Work awards recognize employers that go above and beyond for their people with benefits, support, culture programs, initiatives and a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We are incredibly proud of the culture we’ve built across our geographies, and we’re thrilled to see it recognized on not just one, but four award lists for 2022.
This is the second year in a row that Walker Sands Chicago, our headquarters, has been included on Built In’s Best Midsize Companies to Work For list. As we’ve expanded geographically, our top priority has always been to maintain our company culture. That’s why we’re so excited to have also received three accolades in Seattle, including Seattle Best Places to Work, Seattle Best Midsize Companies to Work For and Seattle Best Benefits.
Since opening in 2018, Walker Sands’ Seattle office has increased revenue from Washington-based clients by more than 40% per year, grown headcount to 18 full-time employees and last year we moved into a new office space on 4th Avenue to accommodate our expanding team. The Seattle team has worked tirelessly to not only grow the agency’s client base, but to create a culture that lives up Walker Sands’ core values and provides a welcoming environment for new West Coast talent.
In addition to the achievements of our Seattle office, we’re proud of the agency culture we’ve built across all five of our offices. Our values of “Learn, Support, Do” inform everything we do and are supported by people-first policies that include flexible PTO, hybrid work environments and flexible schedules.
By tapping into the “Support” value, we have identified new ways for our people to maintain a sense of community, even during the pandemic. Just as importantly, we proactively listen to our people and solicit their feedback as a catalyst for organizational change. Through operationalized listening, we offer Walker Sandsians abundant opportunities to provide anonymous feedback and we routinely act on their insights. Our newest Employee Resource Group (ERG), Mental Health + Disability, originated from employee feedback, as did our Pregnancy Loss Policy that gives impacted employees a week of paid leave for pre-term losses.
Likewise, our commitment to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace is instrumental in providing an environment where people can bring their whole selves to the agency, while empowering them to do the best work of their careers. Our five active employee resource groups — People of Color at Walker Sands, Working Parents, Walker PRIDE, Walker Women and Mental Health + Disability — nurture connections across teams, combat feelings of isolation as we work remotely and offer professional development opportunities.
From our flexible work environment to our sustained commitment to honest and transparent DEI efforts, a people-first culture remains our top priority. Our agency is a place where team members can feel comfortable being their authentic selves — fueling their ability to achieve their career goals and enjoying it along the way. We are grateful for the talented people at Walker Sands and we have them to thank for making our agency a best place to work.
Interested in joining the Walker Sands team? Check out our open positions and apply here.
