Best Places to Work 2020: Jahnel Group

Year founded locally: 2013

Location: Schenectady

Industry: Software development

Top contact: Darrin Jahnel, CEO

Employees today: 77

Employees five years ago: 24

Best Places to Work wins: 4

How did the Covid-19 pandemic impact your workplace? From March through June, our team moved to a fully remote model for the safety of our team and to keep in line with local requirements. This summer, we reopened the office but have made returning 100% optional. Many people have chosen to return, but the majority of our team has continued to work from home. Before the pandemic we already had several remote employees across the country, so this situation presented a great opportunity for us to improve on our remote work experience which will continue to impact our company positively in the years to come.

How did you sustain your company culture during the disruption caused by the pandemic? We instituted weekly, and later bi-weekly, all-hands meetings where the full team met virtually for an update from the executives. In typical Jahnel Group fashion, there was full transparency regarding our finances and important information shared about the state of the company and our client relations. These were always planned for 3 p.m. on a Friday and followed immediately by a virtual happy hour in lieu of our yearslong tradition of Friday Beer Club.

Using one word, sum up your company’s culture: Lively.