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A Fun Work Atmosphere Leads to Happy Customers

When I started Molding Box, I was in my early 20s and was not yet jaded by the effects of long-term business. I wanted to create an environment that made me feel happy and allowed me to laugh. Face it: if you can’t laugh at least once during the day, then you will die very quickly. I made it a goal to translate this attitude to my team, and the results, so far, speak for themselves.

Team Members Aren’t Just Faces in a Crowd

The term “employee” is not a part of the vocabulary at Molding Box. You’ll never hear us use it because we don’t have employees; we have team members. This initial change creates real value for a person and differentiates him from just another number in the payroll system. If you truly work as a team and rely on each other, then you start to care for each other on a more intimate level. We drill the team approach into everyone’s heads from day one to create an understanding that each individual’s future success is dependent upon his or her team members’ expectations, goals, and outcomes. My livelihood rests in the hands of the person working next to me and vice versa. Those who embrace this concept grow to love their team and are loyal fans and players for life.

Shatter the Stereotypes of Warehouse Work

In a warehouse atmosphere, it’s easy for the work to seem monotonous, and team members can easily lose focus on the task at hand. We shatter the warehouse stereotype with loud music, a loose dress code, and friendly conversations. Just because the work in shipping might be repetitive doesn’t mean your daily routines have to be dull. At Molding Box, we infiltrate the manual labor mentality, allowing people to joke around (within reason), which keeps a smile on people’s faces. Creating this kind of laidback atmosphere makes our team members actually want to come to work. The culture of a positive work environment is an invaluable investment for any company.

Work Hard, Play Hard(er)

Staying true to our colors is one way we keep a positive culture, and this is reflected in the quality of work that we give our clients. The executive staff is relatively young at 35 years old and younger. We work very hard and party even harder, but only once we have finished the work and our clients are happy with it. We’re not afraid of having fun. Our office is decorated with our interests in beer, Real Salt Lake soccer, race cars, and superheroes. This atmosphere allows us to work hard for our clients because we are comfortable. We have a mantra we love to use: “We don’t need your business, we want it.” And once we have that business, we make sure our clients are cared for properly before we get to play.

This kind of attitude in a warehouse environment can only work if you trust your team, and they show you the same level of respect. The most vital part in creating our work environment was to make sure people felt involved in the success of the business; we incorporated them like part of a family. Our highs and lows are shared equally, which really drives people to work for each other. My team members work hard for me, and I show them appreciation with a fun atmosphere inside the workplace, and by protecting them outside the office as well. I pay 100% of each team member’s health insurance to make him or her feel safe at work and at home.

The Right Balance Yields Results

It’s all about balance between work and play, and the results simply prove that we have found that Zen atmosphere in our workplace. I don’t buy into the idea that if you “give an inch, they’ll take a mile.” I do what makes me feel happy, comfortable, and successful as the boss. My employees reciprocate my generosity with their hard work and diligence. This relationship ultimately leads to the most important people’s happiness – our clients’. When the clients are happy, we’re happy; then, and only then, we indulge.

Creating an environment that makes you – and your team members – happy is essential. Good work is done by people who are content with their work atmosphere and have strong relationships with their teammates. The more you share this “all for one, and one for all” attitude, the more productive your team will be – and that’s a win-win for the whole team.

Jordan Guernsey is the CEO of Molding Box, an innovative company that provides order distribution, shipping, print services, and CD/DVD duplication. Jordan started Molding Box in his mother’s basement and has grown the company into an Inc. 500 list member.

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