K2 You'd think commuting by ferry across picturesque Puget Sound to a job you love and don't have to dress up for would be enough to make any employee happy. And it is.
Most of the employees at K2 Corp., a leading designer and manufacturer of skis, snowboards, and inline skates, are there because they're enthusiasts. The ferryboat commute to rural Vashon Island is the icing on the cake, as are the bike trails, skate track, and "half-pipe" skate park the company provides.
As Rob Moynan, director of human resources, describes it, "This company has an active, individualistic, creative culture that's often been described as irreverent. We love what we do for work because it's what we do for play. This is not what you expect in corporate America."
Yet management at K2 Corp. doesn't let it go at that. Every year it hosts the K2 Associate Appreciation Ski and Snowboard Days at the nearby Crystal Mountain ski resort. The company buys ski-lift tickets, provides meals, and pays for lessons for all associates and their families.
"We also encourage our departments to take their people out to do things like out to dinner or to play video games," Moynan says. "You can't measure the teambuilding and communication aspects of doing that--but they're significant."