In early September, I moved from sunny San Diego, California to Ann Arbor, Michigan. After three years of work experience, I determined that working for an organization that shared my values of sustainability, social responsibility, flexibility and fun was essential to my career happiness (especially since lunch breaks with an ocean view were no longer an option).

As a sustainability and marketing enthusiast, when I discovered that Pure Visibility (PV) was hiring, I was intrigued. The more I researched PV – scouring their website, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and news articles – the more excited I became.

You see, PV is doing more than just a few things right when it comes to employee engagement, happiness, and fulfillment. A quick poll of my fellow PVers revealed that they are here because they love working for a collaborative, values-driven, fun and creative woman-owned business.

Here are a few tips any company can glean from Pure Visibility’s success.

Articulate your values loud and clear:

A whopping 67 percent of the workforce and 78 percent of students consider having an employer that shares their values as being “very important” or “essential” to their ideal job.

You can’t attract these potential employees if you aren’t sharing your values with them. Explicitly stating and defining your values on your website and other channels like social media could be the difference between a potential employee getting excited about your company or quickly moving on to a more inspiring employer’s website.

How PV does it:

Pure Visibility highlights our Core Values on an easy to find, dedicated page on our website. I might have never applied to PV if they didn’t showcase this emphasis on fun, sustainability and social responsibility.

Prove it! (Live and demonstrate your values):

Potential employees aren’t just going to take your word for it. Once you have determined and articulated your values, you need to show that you “walk the talk.” You need to back up your words with action; an eloquently worded boilerplate is simply not enough. Current employees will also be pleased that you are delivering on your promises.

How PV does it:

PV proves our commitment to sustainability through the actions below (and we make it known by sharing them frequently on our website and social media).

Participating in and promoting sustainable commuting:
- Employees are supplied with “Go! Passes” (Ann Arbor bus passes) and are encouraged to utilize them, even for personal use on the weekends! PV also supports telecommuting and biking and participates in Ann Arbor’s “Get Downtown” commuter challenge each year.
Supporting the local community:
- Our office is in the historic, renovated Kerrytown® Market & Shops, with easy access to unique shopping, dining and mass transit. With a 10 percent discount to all building tenants, shopping local is a win-win.
- We never miss the Ann Arbor Farmers Market on Wednesdays, which (lucky for us!) takes place right below our building. We are on a first-name basis with the Roos Roast coffee crew.
Reducing, Reusing, Recycling:
- Reusable dishware and utensils are abundant in the office.
- We use very little paper – I’ve only printed ONE piece of paper since I started here!
- PV has the most extensive recycling system I’ve ever seen at an office, with SIX different bins separating different kinds of plastics, glass and paper.
- We recycle and re-sell old electronics instead of dumping them in the trash.

Keep your employees healthy and happy:

Efforts to improve health and happiness within the office not only make your current employees more fulfilled and productive, but potential employees will take notice as well.

TINYpulse’s 2013 Employee Engagement Survey found that the top factors contributing to employee happiness are transparency, team play and collaboration. Other studies emphasize the importance of natural lighting and plants in the office. Advertise efforts like these and you might just have an excess of potential employees knocking on your door.

How PV does it:

PV was awarded with the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility in 2013 for the following efforts.

In the office:
- No cubicles! With an open layout and no individual offices, we are constantly collaborating and interacting with coworkers. This creates a less hierarchical structure and keeps all employees feeling involved and valued in decision-making.
- Let there be light! Less walls and large and plentiful windows allow for plenty of natural light. This triple threat keeps employees awake, plants thriving and saves on energy costs!
- Freedom to work your way: Employees are able to work while sitting, lounging on a couch, or burning calories at one of our standing desks (my personal favorite).
- “Stand-up” meetings: We have a daily standing meeting (literally) where we quickly update coworkers on priorities. It gets the blood moving, the creative ideas brewing, and ensures everyone is on the same page.
Outside of the office:
- Flexibility: PV allows flexibility in work hours, location and vacation. A few PV employees even work entirely from home. The rest of us often work in the locally owned Sweetwaters coffee shop on the first floor of our building.

Implementing all of these ideas may not be possible or relevant for your company. But no matter your situation, expressing and living up to your company’s core values is essential to recruiting and engaging passionate and productive employees. Throwing a few plants into the mix doesn’t hurt, either.

As Meredith, our social media strategist, sees it: “If you are going to spend the majority of your life working, why waste it doing something you aren’t 100 percent thrilled with?”