WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK AWARD

That Insomniac Games is not an ordinary workplace is evident just by a quick look around the offices in Burbank. There are no cubicles. The ceiling is high and the lights are low, with shades drawn down tightly over the windows. The design was purposely done to stimulate the creativity and collaboration necessary in developing the virtual worlds of video games that Insomniac does so well for Sony gaming consoles. Having a workplace designed where small groups of employees can have close contact with each other is necessary for game development, said Insomniac founder and chief executive Ted Price. “We tend to have people from different disciplines working together on various challenges in the games,” Price said. Insomniac has been a past recipient of awards for being a best place to work from both the Business Journal and other employment organizations. It is not hard to see why with an average salary for staffers at $50,000 (and more than $100,000 for management), a well-stocked kitchen, access to an exercise room, and perks such as a company paid cruise in the Bahamas. But Price said the money the company pays is probably one of the least important aspects to being a good place to work. He and Human Resources Director Carrie Dieterle credit the company’s culture of open communication for why its employees stick around. The employees can speak their mind and influence the development of the games. “It makes them more passionate about what they do,” Dieterle said. Insomniac is one of a few remaining independent game development companies. It made its name with the “Ratchet and Clank” series and “Resistance: Fall of Man” first-person shooter games. The personal imprint that Price puts on the workplace is treating people the way he wants to be treated. There are also a core set of beliefs the company follows of staying innovative, being efficient by hitting deadlines, remaining independent, and the open communication that keeps staff aware of what management is dealing with and their input into that decision-making process. It is part of the culture at Insomniac that when an employee does identify a problem that they also offer solutions as well, Price said. While these core beliefs are the mark of a seriously-run business, Insomniac management does not lose sight that they also have a fun place to work. Work areas are decorated to reflect the interests of the staff, with wooden dinosaurs and figurines from popular television shows and movies decorating bookshelves. Out of work activities are encouraged through tickets to movies and concerts. As deadlines near to complete a game, breathing room is given through massage therapists, smoothie days, and ice cream socials. And there is the giant wrench, a peer recognition award that gets passed around every couple of weeks from employee to employee in recognition for helping make each other’s work lives better.