Ruby is a Top 3 Medium-Sized Business to Work for the 3rd Year in a Row!

By Whitney Martin | 03.04.2013 |

Ruby Happenings

“’Coming to work is like being hugged by 100 wonderful people all at once!’ said one employee…Asked how the company could improve, workers are hard pressed. ‘Water slides!’ suggests one.” There could only be one company with survey responses like these.

The crowd began to erupt into applause and peels of delight. “Ruby Receptionists is the #3 best medium-sized company to work for in Oregon!”

Ruby Receptionists is the #3 Best Medium-Sized Company to Work for in Oregon for 2013

Founder & CEO Jill Nelson led 80 overjoyed Rubys to rush the stage to collect our Oregon Business “Best Company to Work for in Oregon” award. Our fourth consecutive year on the list, and our third time in the top three in the medium business category, we couldn’t be happier! The list was generated from over 13,000 employee surveys, supplemented by a benefits report from each company, and not only are we #3 this year, Ruby ranked #1 in the category of Benefits and Compensation!

We may not have waterslides, but we did add new benefits like our “Five at Five” paid sabbatical. Ruby also grew significantly in the past year, earning the coveted Portland Business Journal Lighthouse Award for five straight years on the “Fastest Growing Companies” list, and it’s because of our unique company culture that Ruby is thriving!

We’d like to thank our fantastic clients and vendors – we love working with you, and getting to connect with you every day makes Ruby a great place to come to work!

Ruby Named #3 on the “100 Best Companies to Work For” List!

By Sarah Sackett | 03.02.2012 |

Last night, a group of 50 of our virtual receptionists and staff took the Oregon Convention Center by storm to celebrate at the Oregon Business magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon” awards dinner. It was Ruby’s third year to make the list and as always, we brought our Ruby enthusiasm to the party!

: 50 excited Rubys stormed the stage with excitment to accept the award!

We are so proud to tell you that our virtual receptionist service was named the #3 best medium-sized company to work for in the state of Oregon!

Our team is beaming with pride after our win!

This award is one that we really hold near and dear to our hearts, because it is in large part based on a survey of our employees. It really means the world to us to know that we are achieving the mission of our Core Values and creating a happy work environment for our team. We are honored to learn we were #2 in the categories of Management and Communications and Decision-Making and Trust. It’s definitely a testament to the fabulous managers and leadership here at Ruby, and we are lucky to have them on our team!

We are always striving to be better for our employees. We stepped up our game this year with some awesome new benefits. We added a six-week paid maternity and paternity leave, our “Five at Five” paid sabbatical program, increased the amount of paid time off for our staff (by a whole extra week!), and expanded our wellness program. So, what’s next for the Ruby team? The sky is the limit!

Ruby Makes Oregon Business’ 2012 List of “Best Companies to Work For!”

By Katie Wilson | 12.28.2011 |

We’re thrilled that we’ve made Oregon Business magazine’s list of “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon” for 2102! Since one of our Core Values is Fostering Happiness and the ranking is dependent on employee surveys, this is a particularly meaningful award for us.

This is our third year to have made the list, and last year we were overjoyed to be named the #2 “Best Company to Work For” in the medium-sized business category. In fact, almost forty Rubys attended, and we gave a raucous roar when our name was announced; our virtual receptionists may have soft, friendly voices when answering phones but we also know how to cheer with the best of them!

100 Best Companies to Work For 2011 We were also named #1 in Performance Management, #2 in Career Development and Training, and #3 in Benefits and Compensation among medium-sized businesses. Our Star Service & Receptionist Cultivators are extremely committed to their receptionist teams (appropriately named the “Riveting,” “Radiant,” and most recently the “Gems”), and it felt great to recognize all their hard work.

Feel free to check out our Facebook album for pictures from last year’s awards dinner. We can’t wait to attend Oregon Business’s annual event in March and find out where we rank for 2012!

Ruby Takes #2 Spot at the “100 Best Companies to Work For” Awards!

By Katie Wilson | 03.04.2011 |

“You want to know how to get a crowd going? Say one word: Ruby.”

That’s how Oregon Business Editor in Chief, Robin Doussard, kicked off her presentation last night night amidst cheers… and this was even before we learned where we ranked! The whole group from Ruby_® Receptionists was absolutely thrilled when they announced that Ruby is the #2 medium-sized “Best Company to Work For in Oregon!”

Almost forty of Ruby’s virtual receptionists and support staff attended Oregon Business magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon” event last night, and I’m sure we made quite an impression. We brought our usual Ruby enthusiasm to the whole night: enjoying our coworkers’ company after a break from answering phones, making new friends with the other nominees, and listening to some wonderful speeches, including inspiring remarks from local grocery chain New Seasons Market’s President Lisa Sedlar.

In 2010 we earned the #19 spot in the Small Companies division of the list and were extremely happy to have made it on the list on our first try. After experiencing some phenomenal growth over the last few years, we were excited to take the plunge in the Medium Companies category (described as 35-99 employees). Aside from being ranked second among other medium-sized businesses, we were proud to learn that this year we also ranked #1 in Performance Management, #2 in Career Development and Training, and #3 in Benefits and Compensation in the medium category. This is definitely a tribute to the hard work our Receptionist Services department does every day; checking in personally with each virtual receptionist and providing on-going training through “Ruby University.”

What makes the “100 Best Companies to Work For” award particularly meaningful to us, is that it’s based on survey responses from our staff. We were especially touched to see the video interviews from Staff Manager Ang Gray and virtual receptionist Sara-Lee. Check out their thoughts as well as those of employees from a number of other top companies on what makes a great place to work:

We’d also like to give some shout outs to a few of our fellow “Best”-ers: Congrats EO friends Michael Leland of Mortgage Trust and Jim Smith at McKenzie Books! Both nabbed spots on the list, and it was great to have the opportunity to spend a little more time with them. Congratulations as well to Emerick Construction for making the list! It was great to meet you! And who could forget Stumptown Coffee Roasters? We’ve been asked a few times what is in the water up here in Portland to make us so darn friendly, and, you guessed it, a couple caraffes of piping hot Stumptown at the ready definitely keeps us smilin’!

Thanks again to everyone who makes Ruby such a great place to work, and congratulations to everyone who made the list!

Ruby’s Virtual Receptionists Go Skiing!

By Sarah Sackett | 02.28.2011 |

As you probably know, Ruby_® has once again been named one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon” by Oregon Business magazine, and the whole phone answering team is pleased as punch about it! This year, in addition to the honor, we got an invitation from Mount Hood Meadows to spend a day celebrating with them and enjoying a bit of skiing! Ruby founder and CEO Jill Nelson opened it up to the whole office, and we held a raffle to pick the attendees. Three of our lovely virtual receptionists — Jami R., Amanda S., and Michele H. — joined me on a trip to the mountains.

We met some wonderful people, were treated to delicious food, took in some breathtaking views, and were given a beginner’s ski lesson. None of us were very good skiiers when we arrived, but we had great instructors and ended up having a ball! We are so fortunate that our virtual receptionist service is one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” and, in meeting some of the other nominees on this trip, we’re definitely part of a fantiastic assembly of companies and people!

Here are a few snapshots from the slopes:

Virtual receptionists Michele and Amanda on the way up

Michele and Amanda are excited to get to the mountains!

Michele's a pro already!

: Amanda, me, Michele, and Jami taking a break by the fire.

Huge thank you’s to Oregon Business magazine, Mount Hood Meadows, Raz Transportation, Sokol Blosser Winery, and all the other attending companies for a wonderful time!

Ruby is One of the “Best Companies to Work For in Oregon” for 2011!

By Katie Wilson | 12.20.2010 |

Some of the Rubys at last year's "100 Best Companies to Work For" banquet

We’re thrilled that Ruby_® Receptionists is once again one of Oregon Business magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon” for 2011! Nearly 14,000 employees from businesses across Oregon, including our team of phone answering pros, voted to compile the list.

This is our second consecutive year to be included, and we are very thankful to everyone that has helped us make Ruby such a great place to work! From our virtual receptionists to our supportive staff to our enthusiastic clients, you all make Ruby truly special, and not just another answering service. We’re also particularly proud of this award since Fostering Happiness is one of our Core Values!

We’re looking forward to finding out where we rank at the “100 Best” banquet on March 3rd. If you’re interested in learning more or would like to register to attend the event, you can do so on Oregon Business’ website.

Top 7 reasons why Ruby is one of Oregon’s best companies to work for

By Kendra Neal | 03.09.2010 |

Last Thursday night, Ruby was honored as one of the 100 best companies to work for in Oregon (number 21 on the small companies list to be exact), and 20 of us, including many of our virtual receptionists, celebrated the honor at the Oregon Convention Center.

It was the first time Ruby has entered the contest, and we were simply thrilled to make the list. In fact, of all the awards Ruby has won (and there seems to be a lot lately), we’re the most proud of this one.

The keynote speaker, the owner of a 7-time winning company, offered his 3 principles to live by as a “best company”: 1) listen to employees), 2) act with integrity, and 3) talk straight. An intriguing speech it was, and one that we will take to heart as we move forward. Many of the companies that were on the list weren’t as lucky as Ruby and were hit pretty hard by the down economy. It was interesting to hear about differences between down-sized companies that were and weren’t voted as a best place to work. My suspicion is that these three principles factored greatly in how employees viewed their employer.

So what makes Ruby so great?
7. The perks - Ruby has a Director of Culture who organizes events and office merriment. We all share the Ruby bike and the library books upstairs. There’s cable TV for breaks and lunches, a comfortable couch, and even a massage chair.

6. The coffee - What can I say? We love our Stumptown beans.

5. An environmentally friendly outlook - There are four sizeable recycling bins in the kitchen, and they fill up fast! Prizes are given to Rubys who create less waste at lunch, our business cards and marketing materials are made from recycled paper, and we’re always finding new and exciting ways to be a green company. We think outside the box and make it fun to be environmentally friendly!

4. Our excellent training program - It’s at least three full business days before a new Ruby takes her first call. That first call is always a nerve-wracking experience, but it helps that new receptionists have plenty of practice before going “live.”

3. Our clients - We may answer phones remotely, but the companies we answer for consider us part of their team. They are so appreciative and kind–it’s easy to be happy when you know that you are well loved.

2. Rubys have confidence in each other - I polled the receptionists about their personal top 5, and this one came up more than any other. One Ruby said that “we’re treated like people, like individuals, not like employees.” Another commented on our attendance policy being suspended during flu season and the trust and caring that shows for sick Rubys.

1. The other Rubys! - If you ask our HR Manager about her conversations with Rubys, she’ll tell you that this is what she hears the most. It’s such a bright, fun group that who wouldn’t love co-workers like this?

What has your company done to make you feel special? Or if you’re the business owner, what do you do to help your employees feel special?

The Watercooler.

Keeping it personal in a virtual world.

Tagged with: 100 Best Companies to Work for in Oregon