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Hiya nominated for GeekWire’s Workplace of the Year

Hiya is nominated for GeekWire’s Workplace of the Year award and our team would love your vote! Our team is honored to be recognized as one of the top employers in the Seattle startup community and I’d like to congratulate all of this year’s finalists for their hard work over the past year. I’d also like to invite everyone to visit GeekWire to vote for Hiya, along with companies across all 13 award categories. 

The Workplace of the Year award is a new GeekWire Awards category that looks at exceptional work environments and company culture in the Pacific Northwest. Winners are determined by feedback by more than 20 judges as well as community vote, which is currently underway and closes on April 30. Winners will be announced live at the virtual GeekWire Awards on May 20.

How did Hiya become a finalist for Workplace of the Year? Like most companies, Hiya took quick, decisive action to keep the team functioning during the challenging times of the past year. Here’s a quick look at some of the steps we took to support our team: 

  1. We ensured all employees had the right equipment and IT support for remote work, including headphones, webcams, standing desks, and other ergonomic equipment. 
  2. We worked with employees to ensure they had the flexibility to care for their families and health during this time. 
  3. We provided virtual team-building activities, like virtual escape rooms and free catered lunches.
  4. We implemented a mandatory day off on the last Friday of each month to encourage employees to take care of themselves and recharge. 
  5. We launched new committees committed to improving our workplace, including a Diversity and Inclusion committee and a Learning and Development committee

We were able to accomplish all of this while increasing our team by nearly 40% in 2020. All of this also contributed to Hiya being named the #1 Startup Employer in America in 2021 by Forbes, which evaluated 2,500 companies based on employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth. 

We’re looking forward to seeing the results and celebrating all of this year’s winners on May 20. And I’d encourage you to check out our current openings at hiya.com/careers.

Author Alex Algard