Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love – Part 1

Here to give insights on this episode of CalTV by Calvary Robotics, Host Joe Gemma talked with Rich Sheridan, CEO and Chief Storyteller at Menlo Innovations; Speaker, Author of Chief Joy Officer and Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love. Menlo Innovations is a software company that also offers tours and workshops, does speaking engagements, and consults with companies who want to revamp their processes and incorporate aspects of The Menlo Way™ into their own culture. You’ll find our imprint across a wide range of industries, including automotive, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and robotics.

Menlo Innovations recently celebrated its 20 birthday, and Sheridan noted this year was significant because of the difficulty of running a business during a pandemic. When Menlo set out, they had some pretty lofty goals. One of those was transforming business culture through Sheridan’s book, Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love.

“We wanted to end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology,” Sheridan said. “We were going to do that by bringing joy back to what we believed was one of the most unique endeavors mankind has ever done: software.”

Back then, there was big trouble in the industry, and Menlo would tackle it head-on. Software is crucial to any business, but it can also be big trouble. From bad projects to missed deadlines, blown budgets, unhappy users, unhappy customers, and quality problems. They wanted to discover and create a different way for users to experience software.

“We just saw way too much suffering in our industry and said, ‘you know what there’s got to be a better way,'” Sheridan explained, “and that is the whole mantra of Menlo.”