Lightheartedness Wins the Day

September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. The 24
employees of Spokane-based CashLinq Group know that. They also know that
January 25 is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. These quixotic holidays are all
celebrated at the offices of CashLinq, a company that provides credit and debit
card services, check processing and other merchant services to nonprofits,
churches and charitable entities. And the humorous vibe isnt limited to a
couple of days a year. Case in point: Every new CashLinq employee is issued a
Nerf gun upon hiring. (Spontaneous Nerf gun battles are likely to break out at
any time.)

CashLinqs workplace atmosphere may be slightly mischievous,
but its mission is anything but silly. The company also specializes in keeping
its employees happyand CashLinqs employees are some of the happiest in the
state.

Theyre kept smiling by quarterly family events outside the
office. These outings range from baseball games to catered summer picnics to
holiday dinners and tastings at Spokane-area wineries. The staffs morale is
boosted by the managements consistent recognition of landmark datesbirthdays,
engagements and anniversaries. And CashLinqs workers are fulfilled by the true
open-door atmosphere in the office. The entire team attends a weekly standup
meeting to discuss any and all employee questions.

The company gives back to its community as well. An in-house
Giving Committee arranges twice-yearly fundraising events, and each employee is
awarded 16 paid hours of community service every year.

The icing on the cake, of course, is the
ping-pong table that the CEO presented to the office last yearalong with
personalized, engraved paddles for every employee.

Next: Another second-place winner

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