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Awards

Best Places to Work: #15 – iPromo

Find out what makes this distributor a top promo industry workplace.

iPromo staff in front of large Christmas tree

iPromo logo

Company Size: Medium (26-100 employees)
Location: Chicago, IL
Work Model: Hybrid
Year Founded: 1999

Company Culture: iPromo (asi/229471) leadership and staff have forged bonds of mutual trust and respect – the essential ingredients of the firm’s winning culture. “There’s a continual feedback loop from our employees to the leadership team and back,” says Mike Burgess, senior human resources manager. “We’re fun, creative and always looking for interesting ways to go to market.”

The trust and respect elements inform perks/benefits that employees enjoy. Those include a flexible PTO plan that has no ceiling on how much time off can be taken. Volunteering for worthy causes is encouraged, with the company pledging matching charitable donations. In addition, “We celebrate when we win with fun gifts and parties,” says Burgess.

COVID Changes: “We’ve migrated away from requiring our employees to be 100% in-office during the pandemic to working remote, offering excellent training and providing clear performance expectations,” says Burgess.

iPromo offers WeWork or community office environments to employees who would like to work outside their homes. “We’ll lease an office if the employee goes in at least twice a week,” says Burgess. “We’ll also consider opening satellite offices for a group in close proximity if they’re open to a full-time in-office or hybrid approach.” Employees have certainly taken note, giving the company exceptionally high marks on the Best Places to Work survey for flexible work arrangements.

To help employees stay engaged, iPromo intensified its digital communications and recognitions of excellent work, while holding daily “huddles” and consistent 1:1 meetings. CEO Leo Friedman weekly sends personal thank-you notes to employees who did an especially good job that week. Virtual happy hours, monthly “state of the business” meetings and thoughtful gifts also help with employee satisfaction.

Parting Tip: Establish an internal referral program that encourages employees to recruit from their personal networks for open positions. “There’s no better practice or trust,” says Burgess, “than allowing your employees to pass the word along or repost your openings on social media.”