Oranj, an end-to-end wealth management solution that helps independent financial advisors streamline their businesses and create a collaborative digital experience for their clients, today announced that it has been named one of the 2020 Best Places to Work in Financial Technology by Arizent and Best Companies Group. Oranj was also named one of the Best Places to Work in Financial Technology in 2019.
Oranj was recognized for its team-first culture, with focused team building and career development opportunities, its open office space and music-themed areas, and an inclusive environment with healthy work/life balance and activities to drive team engagement and promote fun.
“I think for any company to be successful there must be a balance of work and play,” said David Lyon, CEO and Founder of Oranj. “That’s why the management team at Oranj and I continually focus on cultivating an environment that attracts the right people. Part of a firm’s success is finding people that truly believe in your mission, so when you find those individuals, it’s important to keep them. ” fintech news
Each employee benefits from a competitive salary, a strong customizable benefits package, a generous vacation policy and a comfortable and unique office that employees enjoy working in.
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD CULTURE
Lyon continued, “We believe music has the power to unify people, so we created an environment where new hires are encouraged to share their favorite music with their new team, and we’ve seen it form strong, genuine relationships in our office. While some sort of music is always playing throughout the Oranj office, we reserve Wednesday and Friday afternoons for Oranj Vinyl Hour, a time where an Oranj employee gets to play one of their favorite albums for the team.”
Oranj provides employees with many non-work-related perks. Oranj purchases each new hire a pair of Oranj shoes (whatever they want; they just need to be Oranj). Oranj employees are given access to a Certified Financial Planner to work with them on their personal financial plans. Employees can choose five vinyls of their choice to be added to the company vinyl collection. And Oranj makes sure employees gain access to the firm’s direction via quarterly “After Hours” dinners where the CEO presents Oranj’s current state of affairs and openly answers any and all questions about the firm’s strategic plans, including partnership activity and future initiatives.
All employees enjoy participating in Oranj’s support of A Leg to Stand On (ALTSO), a non-profit organization working in the developing world, bringing free orthopedic care to children whose families cannot afford prosthetic limbs and related treatment. Oranj is a sponsor of ALTSO’s annual Rocktoberfest fund-raising events, where leaders from the finance industries unite for a night of rock & roll and acoustic music performed by industry professionals. The company’s “house band” Oranj Crush played at the 2019 Rocktoberfest and many employees and spouses/friends participated in a night of camaraderie and fun. Oranj has been sponsoring Rocktoberfest and holding fundraisers for ALTSO since 2017 and every year the company’s support grows.
The Oranj workplace is energetic and modern, and embodies the firm’s ‘work hard, play hard’ culture by providing a dynamic, team-oriented space. The open office plan allows for immediate communication and accessibility between employees and with the leadership team. While Oranj has a fairly open layout, encouraging collaboration, it also has lounges, private booths, and co-working spaces, allowing employees to find the right fit while staying productive.
Lyon stated, “Oranj is on a mission to reimagine financial advisors’ technology so they can spend less time managing and more time advising. All employees are involved in helping us achieve our mission. The company brings financial advisors into the office to understand their challenges, align with industry partners to survey the landscape, and conduct one-on-one user meetings to learn more about their business and the ways the company can better support them. Everyone, from the entry-level developer to our most senior engineering team, is included in these types of client insight efforts. Similarly, employees are engaged to take on/lead projects to stretch them professionally. Our approach is inclusive to all employees, which helps foster a unified passion company-wide for driving for our mission, promotes engagement, and provides employees with new opportunities for growth and advancement.”
The office has a stocked kitchen complete with cold brew coffee, kombucha, and beer on tap. The office also serves as a fun venue for office parties, holidays, and other celebrations, including fundraisers for our corporate charities.
Activities to balance workday pressures and promote fun include a ping-pong table, an assortment of games that employees can use anytime, monthly activities, pancake breakfasts cooked by the CEO and CTO, and annual VIP tickets to Lollapalooza, the well-known outdoor music festival held in Chicago every summer.
“The competition for talent in technology is intense and companies named to Arizent’s Best Places to Work in Financial Technology are setting the standard in terms of cultures that help people thrive,” said Richard Melville, Group Editorial Director at Arizent.