Family-owned business Starkey has been improving lives through developing and manufacturing hearing aids since the '60s. Starkey is focused on improving the overall health for its customers, as well as creating a company culture centered on the health and wellness of its employees.
Diving Into the Values at Starkey
Authenticity. That's Starkey's secret. The employees are so passionate about improving people's hearing because that factor alone can affect their entire health. That passion is seen at every level. Starkey Founder Bill Austen has dedicated his life to helping people all over the world. He practices what he preaches and Starkey employees notice.
You'll quickly see a theme running through Starkey: Health and wellness play a huge role in the company's culture. From promoting mental health awareness to an on-campus gym, Starkey goes the extra mile to ensure its employees' health is in good shape .
Zippia caught up with Lynn Melling, Starkey Communications Manager, to find out more about what makes Starkey so great.
Not Your Grandmother's Hearing Aid
Innovative Listeners
One of the best things about Starkey is that it's open to new, innovative ideas. No one will roll their eyes at you for having a crazy idea. That's how they ended up on Times
Top 100 Inventions of 2019 list.
In 2017, Achin Bhowmik, Chief Technology Officer & Executive Vice President of Engineering, started taking the company in a new direction, which led to the development of a new hearing aid.
"We're moving away from your grandma's hearing aid," said Melling. "By using AI and senors, our new product is almost like a fitbit."
With this culture of being open to new ideas, employees were able to come up with this new piece of equipment that tracks steps, brain waves and translates languages.
Healthy Work Culture
Providing Health Resources
At Starkey, employees have the resources to stay healthy. Not only is there a gym on campus, but employees also have access to a wellness center. The center is a valuable resource for employees as it provides:
And get this... It's free for employees to use.
Employees also enjoy having a health and wellness coaching team that provides guidance on planning workouts and meals. The team even coaches Starfit, which is a two-week bootcamp. More than 500 employees have gone through the program and about 10,000 pounds have been lost.
Starkey also focuses on other promotions, such as Mental Health Awareness month. "They really take that seriously," said Melling.
A Warm and Inviting Place to Work
The people you work with are some of the kindest around.
Since people at Starkey are devoted to helping people, it comes as no surprise that they're warm and inviting.
"It's really wonderful. People here are so nice. It really is the best place I've ever worked," said Melling. "It feels very much like a family at Starkey. Everyone is so supportive of one another. There's just this great vibe that not a lot of other companies have."
Since a lot of the employees have a family, there's a good work/life balance. Employees are expected to work hard, and many even work longer hours to complete projects. But at the end of the day, your family is still the most important thing.
"If you need to take care of your kid and leave early, nobody bats an eye," Nelling said. "It's part of the culture here that family comes first. I feel supported in that. I feel I have the freedom to be a mom in addition to working here."
