People first at Fish! And the awards follow…
Ask anyone on the street what they think of 2020 so far. Guarantee they’ll spew a mixed bag of emotions. Yes, it has been rough to say the least and it seems like good news is harder to come by these days. But, at Fish, it’s in our DNA to celebrate the little things that keep us going throughout the day. And, sometimes, those little things amount to some really big things!
While this has been a rocky road of a year, 2020 has also brought some great news our way – at times when it’s needed more than ever. Kicking off the year, Fish was named one of PRWeek’s ‘Best Places to Work’ in the Small Agency category, shortly followed by South Florida Business Journal’s recognition in the 2020 ‘Best Small Businesses to Work for’ listing for the fifth year. Seeing a pattern here? We were just getting started.
This May, PRovoke Media (the old Holmes Report) recognized Fish in its 2020 ‘Best Agencies to Work for’ list, at #4 under the boutique category; accompanied by the very prestigious honor of being awarded one of 389 companies on Inc. Best Workplaces 2020 list, beating out 3,000+ nominations submitted! We have all the feels with two recognitions for our culture in one month and four total just this year so far!
While it is AMAZING to be recognized within the industry, these awards come as no surprise to us in the office. Especially now, us Fishies have come together to weather out the storm – even at a distance when working from home. In fact, Fish has remained adaptable in the toughest of times, offering extremely flexible PTO, an early start to summer Fridays, continued the tradition of happy hours via Zoom, sending employee care packages, and more. So, it is no wonder why we’re racking up these recognitions because, it isn’t about the awards for us (even though they are nice to look at ????), it’s about the people first. As you can see, the awards tend to follow.
Of course, our perks & policies make it an easy choice! In case you need a refresher, I’ve listed out some things that make Fish special below.
- Our office pups! Thanks to the dog-friendly office policy.
- A bonus birthday PTO day
- Work from home flexibility
- Relaxed dress code
- Extra PTO day if you have to travel for work on a weekend
- Weekly Friday happy hours with cheese and wine
- Off-site happy hours at the best bars and restaurants in our hometown of Fort Lauderdale
- Fish Fun Fund AKA quarterly allowances allocated to surprise Fishies with team-bonding/moral-boosting activities during the workday like pancake breakfasts, ornament decorating, Taco Tuesdays, in-office chair massages, etc.
- Monetary incentives – Winner of our Most Meaningful Media Award receives a $200 gift card and our quarterly Top Fish recognition awards a top performer with an extra paid time off day.
- Summer Fridays
- Annual holiday break from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day
- Annual Summer Fun Day – We make a big effort to get everyone together for two days every summer, to celebrate all we’ve accomplished as a team and to develop meaningful relationships with one another outside of a work environment.
- Fishmas Holiday Celebration – Similar to Summer Fun, all Fish employees gather in South Florida for two days of celebrations and out-of-office bonding.
- Health insurance benefits and generous 401K plan
- Unlimited refreshments, snacks and flavorful goodies for all employees
In addition to our perks, it all comes back to the people making Fish a special work environment. Overall, our team is really excited to get back into the routine of things as reopening allows our office to slowly transition back on-site. Aside from our endless snack bar, we miss our ‘water cooler talks’, wine & cheese happy hours, office mascots (the pups!), and simply seeing our fellow Fishies. On that note, I’ll leave you with a few anonymous sentimental quotes from the Fishies themselves, submitted in 2020 Inc. Magazine’s Best Place to Work survey.
“I get to surround myself with people who have become like my second family. This has positively impacted my work growth, as I have more than 20 people who are willing to help at any given moment.”
“We put a lot of effort into making our office more than just a place to come to work. We’ve cultivated something that is truly unique as we continue to embrace each individual’s strengths, skills, and even the quirks to better our agency as a whole.”
“One of the biggest values to me is working for an agency that values my time and opinions and, at Fish, I feel valued and trusted to do great work. The team places a big priority on making sure everyone is happy.”
“At Fish, people come first. Clients will come and go over the years but it’s important to believe in the agency you work for. What’s best is that we empower each other to perform the best we can.”
“When I tell my friends of the many perks we have at Fish, I’m met with disbelief and envy! Things like flex PTO days, remote working options, travel opportunities, dog-friendly office environment, etc.”
