While mass layoffs swept the tech industry in the post-pandemic era, Laguna Hills-based IT company Sidepath grew its roster and expanded its business.
A lot of that was due to the company focusing on employees’ needs, said Sidepath co-owner Patrick Mulvee. The company has had less than 10% employee turnover in the past 13 years and has been honored as a Top Workplace for nine consecutive years.
Having a “positive team culture and staying focused and executing on goals through teamwork and collaboration,” is the key to happy employees and high retention, Mulvee explained.
The company owners made a commitment in the beginning to keep the firm small with about 50 employees. It helps senior management connect with every team member. This year, Sidepath edged upward, growing to 51 employees.
The Sidepath staff love their job because they are “cared for as a team member as well as a person.” The company “cares about what’s going on in your life and with your family,” employees say. And “flexibility for work/life balance along with the trust in my ability to get the job done.” The team is offered “opportunity to learn new skills.”
We spoke with Mulvee about how the team keeps its culture while growing the company. His answers have been edited to length.
Q: Have rising prices affected company perks?
A: We haven’t eliminated any company perks. Post-pandemic, we finally were able to have our company trips that were delayed due to Covid. We did a trip to Costa Rica in April for a week. We did some cool events like biking, zip lining and stargazing. We also did a nice snorkel cruise.
And then my business partner hosted a trip to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico for anyone that didn’t do the Costa Rica trip. To Cabo, they were allowed to bring family.
But we’ve allowed some people to move around. A couple of folks actually moved out of Southern California for different reasons and were able to stay with the business. So it’s been good in that sense.
Q: Have you had to reduce staff?
A: We lost four employees at the end of June because of the acquisition of our sister company in Nevada. These four individuals still work and partner with Sidepath and participate like they are still part of the family. We hired eight new employees this year — four men and four women. We currently have 51 employees.
Q: How have you rebuilt team morale post-Covid?
A: One thing we’ve done quite a bit is cater lunches at the office as a little incentive to come in. We’re also hosting a Christmas party at the Ritz-Carlton this year.
We’ve also invested in “lightboard studios” so we can host really good Zooms or Microsoft Teams meetings. We have three of them. One in our office on Lake Forest Drive, one in San Diego and then one in North Carolina. And it allows the engineers to not have to travel as much because they can do a lot of work remotely.
It’s been a cool, interactive way to meet with clients, solve their problems and design a solution that makes sense.
Q: In what ways have these “lightboard studios” benefited the company?
A: It’s allowed us to collaborate better as a team and more flexibility to get more done. It’s also allowed us to earn new business in areas we wouldn’t in the past. We’ve done deals out in Minnesota, Arizona and New Mexico.
In the past, we primarily did business in Southern California, but this technology has allowed us to expand nationwide. And in the past, we would hire people almost exclusively in Southern California. And now what we realize is we can hire the best person for the job, who may or may not need to live in Southern California.
Q: What is your best advice on how to keep your business going amid shifting economic factors?
A: I mean, I feel like it’s coming, this recession. You turn on CNBC and that’s all you hear about.
We’re hiring the right people, methodically and slowly. As we expand and grow, we need that support team so that we continue to offer quality. I think that’s a big differentiator for us, is being able to maintain quality through not only having great engineering but also being able to support our customers.
And so we’re definitely cautious and being extra thoughtful about who we hire, but we have a great opportunity to win, as everybody’s letting people go and there’s a great opportunity to pick some of those people up and really build for the long-term future.
Sidepath
Founded: 2002
Industry: Information technology
Headquarters: Laguna Hills
OC employees: 51
Website: sidepath.com
Quote: “Stay focused on your core business and values. Appreciate all the hard work and celebrate successes together.” – Patrick Mulvee, Sidepath co-owner
