Joyful Energy

Maintaining a small-company vibe people want to be part of

Upon entering an Alku office, one is greeted with a lively buzz. Between employees on the phone and chatting with one another, teams collaborating on projects and celebrations of success, the joyful energy is unmistakable. Although the company has quickly grown to over 500 employees since its founding in 2008, the consulting services firm puts effort every day into making sure the needs of its employees and clients are met. It is no wonder that Alku has been on SIA’s Best Staffing Firms to Work For list every year since 2014. The passion to “Have Fun Working Hard” is embodied in everyone who is a part of Alku.

As more employees return to the office and some continue to work from home, company leadership persists in finding ways to keep engagement alive. Chief Operating Officer Jon Kujala is proud to lead a company that cultivates an environment that employees want to be a part of. “We continue to look for … opportunities to keep that engagement and culture alive despite the fact that we have a lot more people who are working remotely,” he says. Even with the option to work from home, many Alku employees continue to go into the office, including Client Services Manager Hannah Marsh, who says, “Working in a remote world, I’m here almost every day.”

Maintaining Connections

As the world continues to reopen, Alku is taking advantage of reuniting and introducing coworkers with one another through various conferences and activities such as Lunch and Learn, an occasional companywide meeting to keep everyone up to date on policies and shine light on individual employees. In the summer of 2022, The Alku Bash came together as the first companywide, in-person event since the start of the pandemic, bringing employees together to celebrate their accomplishments and highlighting their drive to be stronger than ever. Alku Women Empowered (AWE) also hosted its second annual — but first in-person — conference, attended by 180 women from across the organization. With a theme of Building Your Story, these incredible women were reminded of the impact they have on the company and how important it is to continue learning and developing their talents.

Along with in-person conferences and celebrations, Alku provides regular opportunities to build relationships with coworkers through many employee resource groups (ERGs). For example, in addition to AWE, there is State of Mind, a place where coworkers can talk about world events and mental health; the Parents Group, where new parents can discuss topics and help one another; the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, which strives to uphold a space of acceptance and celebrate differences, advocate for one another and embrace individuality; and the Green Team, where employees find ways Alku can be better for the environment. In addition, the Alku Foundation was founded to give back to the community through mentorship programs, and the Tree Planting Program rewards employee success by donating money to plant trees when milestones are obtained.

Hiring Great People

Alku finds much of its talent through referrals, which help the company hire great people so they can foster success and continue growing the company. “Our No. 1 goal has always been to hire great people and develop their careers,” Kujala shares proudly.

With the Futures program, new employees can be paired up with a mentor to learn more about leadership positions, providing tools and resources needed to lead their own teams. They are given a roadmap that gives step-by-step details of what needs to be done to achieve goals, promoting employee retention within the company. Employees are excited to share the job they love with their friends. Amidst her final weeks in college as a communications major, Marsh recalls that a classmate of hers spoke fondly about their internship and helped her submit a résumé for an interview. When she viewed the company’s website, she was delighted to discover when she hovered over the leadership headshots, it revealed a secondary photo that was more playful and laid back. “I want to have fun at work! I want to do that!” she recalls thinking to herself. Upon arrival, she found that every individual was very openly

passionate about their job and the people they work with. Marsh officially joined the Alku team in June 2019 and has never looked back. With the support of her coworkers and leadership, she worked tirelessly to achieve her goal of managing and supporting her own team. She says warmly, “My favorite part of the day, job, anything, is seeing my team succeed.”

Much like Marsh, Tim Lysaught, recruiting director for healthcare IT, was invited to Alku by referral after a short career in sales and customer service. He was one of the first employees after the Charlotte, North Carolina, office opened in 2016, which gave him opportunities for growth and allowed him to kickstart a new career in a smaller, more intimate environment. “It feels like a family,” Lysaught shares. “We’re a large company, but it still has a small-company feel.” Leadership at Alku makes sure of that by consistently checking in on employees, holding companywide meetings regularly and providing employees every tool needed to advance their careers. Lysaught is proud to be a part of a company that has helped him achieve his career goals, and he is excited that he can now help his teams achieve their own goals by providing them with the tools and feedback they need to succeed. As Alku’s first recruiter, Kujala has spent the last 13 years helping to build a company that embodies its trademarked mantra: Have Fun Working Hard. In those 13 years, Alku has grown quickly and immensely, continuing to deliver top-quality services while also focusing on building its employees’ careers at an astonishing rate. The environment that Kujala has helped to cultivate is one of unity, success and teamwork. To put it simply in the words of Marsh, “Alku isn’t a company — Alku is its people, and its people are Alku.”