IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zumasys, a leading provider of cloud computing solutions for business-critical applications, announced today that it has been ranked #1 on the 2014 Best Places to Work in Orange County list, a project of the Orange County Business Journal and Best Companies Group. This is Zumasys’ third consecutive appearance in the top five companies on the list and its first time at #1.
This recognition comes nearly five years after Zumasys recommitted itself to building a thriving company culture during the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009. Instead of cutting back spending on employee goodwill during that time, Zumasys made a conscious decision to do the opposite, upping investments and committing to spend 1% of its revenue on employee programs.
“Four years ago, we had our worst financial year in the history of the company,” explains Zumasys President Paul Giobbi. “And at our lowest low, we refocused on our people with programs like the International Travel Incentive, giving one lucky employee per quarter a week of paid time off and $4,000 to travel anywhere in the world outside of North America.”
Zumasys also expanded its community service efforts by launching Happyness Is a Choice, a program that develops close partnerships between employees and nonprofit organizations, such as the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and Operation Smile. Through Happyness Is a Choice, Zumasys gives away an additional 1% of its revenue to nonprofit organizations nominated and selected by its employees.
In the latest evolution of the program, Zumasys has pledged to match all employee donations and to give 10% of those funds directly to individuals in need within the company’s network of family and friends. The new program is already having a dramatic impact on Zumasys employees, helping them to find a greater purpose in their work.
“When my best friend’s sister was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, I wished I could do more to help,” says Zumasys’ Marketing Lead Yvette Castro. “Zumasys sent her a beautiful bouquet of flowers after one of her surgeries and wrote her parents a check to help offset the cost of her treatment. It’s empowering to know Zumasys is there to help me do more to spread happiness in my community.”
“It’s a huge sense of relief to work for a company that truly invests in its employees and their futures,” adds Zumasys Office Administrator Kate Goetting. “It gives you the confidence to focus on your work knowing that you’re supported 100%. Through the Happyness Is a Choice program, Zumasys was generous enough to donate not only to nonprofit charities that I nominated, but also to a personal friend of mine that was sick and struggling financially. It’s hard to put into words how much that means to me personally.”
In 2013, Zumasys partnered with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County to raise more than $63,000 to feed hungry families in Orange County. This year, Zumasys has partnered with Operation Smile, an international medical charity that performs safe and effective cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children in need. Through its Happyness Is a Choice campaign with Operation Smile, Zumasys hopes to raise $75,000—enough to fund cleft palate surgeries for more than 312 children.
“One percent on employees and 1% on nonprofits is a lot of money that could be added to our bottom line, but it has more than paid for itself with zero employee turnover, over 40% growth of our cloud platform, and great recognition in our community from publications like OCBJ,” says Giobbi. “If you want to be the best of the best—and we do—culture is something you have to think about every day. You can’t take your eyes off it for a second.”
Additional resources
- For more information about the Zumasys Happyness Is a Choice program, visit www.zumasys.com/about/charities.
- For more information on the survey process for the Best Places to Work in Orange County program, visit www.BestPlacestoWorkOC.com.
- Follow Zumasys on Twitter: www.twitter.com/zumasys
- Connect with Zumasys on Facebook: www.facebook.com/zumasys
About Zumasys
Zumasys helps companies of every size transition their infrastructure and applications to the cloud. With Zumasys cloud services, customers can easily access the latest software and hardware technologies over the Web, allowing them to focus on growing their core business instead of managing their IT infrastructures. Zumasys delivers personalized service, integrated disaster recovery and the confidence companies need to outsource the hosting of all their applications, including legacy MultiValue systems.
For more information, visit www.zumasys.com.
