Hiya named top startup employer in America by Forbes

Forbes recently released its annual list of the top startup employers in America and I’m so proud that Hiya took the No. 1 spot! We beat out 2,500 companies analyzed by Forbes and Statista, including many of the top startups across the country. This award is great recognition for Team Hiya and all of the hard work from our employees to make Hiya a great place to work. 

What makes Hiya a top employer

What are some of the things we’ve done to make Hiya a top employer? Here’s a snapshot at what we do to create a great workplace: 

• Our values: In everything we do, our values guide us, which include Serve, Own It, Lead, Do and Improve. But we go a step further and also have clear anti-values that shape what we’re all about, including things like Office Politics and Settling for the B Team. 
• Our benefits: We offer benefits that protect the health and wellbeing of our employees and their families, and help everyone find a balance between their needs at work and home. One of our benefits is a self-managed vacation package, which has historically worked well for Hiya employees. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, we noticed employees were not taking enough time off, likely because there was nowhere to go on vacation. To solve this problem and ensure employees took time to rest and recharge, we instituted a new policy where the last Friday of every month is a holiday, forcing all employees to take the day to care for themselves. 
• Having fun: Despite being remote for the past year, Hiyans have found new ways to connect with their peers and have fun. We’ve hosted a virtual escape room where teams competed against each other — it was very competitive! We regularly host team and company-wide lunches where employees can order a free lunch and spend time chatting with each other. And we’ve also had teams donate to local charities in lieu of holiday parties to help those in need during these unprecedented times. 

What our employees say about Hiya

So, what do our employees have to say about working at Hiya? Hear from them yourself: 

"Hiya is a hidden gem in the Seattle startup community. The company is successful and profitable, has a huge market opportunity, is full of smart, ambitious people, and also has created an engaging, fun, and fair culture."

"It's great to work at a place that is really helping millions of people everyday. The work continues to be interesting and has a good balance of evolving technical excellence in support of a better user experience."

"All employees are empowered to own meaningful work and leadership trusts everyone to lead and own projects and there's a lot of autonomy."

"Bureaucracy is kept to a minimum and the focus is on outcomes rather than outputs. No politics, either."

"Hiya has an engaging environment that really allows you to learn quickly and grow in your career. Not only do I feel like I've grown immensely during my time here, but I also feel extremely valued. Every piece of work you put in, directly impacts the overall product and success of the company. And that kind of impact is unparalleled."

I’m very much looking forward to what’s next for this team, and one thing we can all count on is that we will succeed together. If you’re interested in joining us, check out hiya.com/careers for the latest job openings.