Walk into our lobby early on the second Monday, and you’ll hear energetic applause rocketing up the stairway from the monthly all-staff meeting. One set of applause is a rhythmic cadence – one, two, three claps. Another starts with one clap – escalating to 15 claps in unison. This isn’t a random party. Each applause set recognizes a staff member’s anniversary years at Schmidt Associates. If you’ve worked for us for three years – you get three claps!

This is our culture of including, valuing, and recognizing each member of our team. It’s more than feel good. It leads to more creative, better, and productive projects and buildings for our clients.

This summer an Inside Indiana Business Television’s Culture Matters segment reviewed the productive and unique Schmidt Associates’ culture and environment. IIB noted our mentor and Sherpa on-boarding process leads to people working for us for a long time. It’s not unusual to hear more than 20 claps in the meetings.

Our “Sherpa” process connects a new staff member with an office guide to whom the new person can turn for the most basic questions: “How do you turn on the copier? How do I reset my password? How do I present this to the client? Where’s the best place to eat in the neighborhood? ” The new hire’s Sherpa is there for her or him, providing an easy and welcoming on-boarding process.

Culture is like the wind. It is invisible, says Harvard Business Review, yet its effect can be seen and felt. When it is blowing in your direction, it makes for smooth sailing. Our culture has a wonderful history of productive, lively, meaningful, and friendly smooth sailing.

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Want to know more about Schmidt Associates’ culture and what makes us different? Check back in for Part 2 of the series next week.

Want to be a part of our team? We are hiring for several positions – check them out on our careers page or our LinkedIn page to see if you could be a good fit.