Jordan Peace, co-founder and CEO of Fringe, has added a new title to his resume: podcast host.
Richmond-based Fringe, co-founded in 2018 by Peace, Chris Luhrman, Andrew Dunlap, Isaiah Goodall and Jason Murray, a lifestyle benefits company.
On “The Bragworthy Culture Podcast,” which launched in April, Peace interviews workplace leaders about how they’ve created positive employee experiences within their organizations.
The topic of how to create business cultures that attract — and retain — employees has only become more relevant through the Covid-19 pandemic, he said.
“There’s a need to think about benefits and perks and policies that are not self-serving to the company but that are people-serving,” Peace said. “I just feel like it was on the tip of everyone’s tongue anyway, so I’m trying to give a platform for people to open up about it.”
It’s also a topic that tracks closely to Fringe’s mission of helping companies personalize benefits for their employees.
In the 10 podcasts published so far, Peace has interviewed people like Nick Lombardino, head of employee experience for advisory firm FarWell, and Jennifer Garrison, chief people officer for marketing agency Tinuiti. Many of the companies featured have relationships with Fringe or were referred by earlier guests.
By highlighting companies doing a good job of serving their employees, Peace’s hope is that others not doing so well will feel pressure to “keep up with the Joneses.”
“Really, it’s all toward a personal mission of mine, which is, I want to see the Fortune 100 list and the top 100 places to work be the same list,” Peace said. “Because I actually deeply believe that when you prioritize your people first, your business is going to be wildly successful.”
So what should employers be doing to build a bragworthy culture?
“I think a lot of it comes down to personalization,” Peace said.
“When you get treated like you matter from day one, not because of your production but because of you as a person, that breeds the kind of loyalty that I don’t believe the older generations believe that we’re capable of,” he said. “We’re actually capable of great loyalty, it’s that loyalty is won differently.”
And what has Fringe been up to? Peace said the company is in growth mode, going from a handful of employees six months ago to more than 30 today, with plans to hire more.
In a couple months, Peace will introduce a new approach to his own company’s culture.
The startup, which has been operating fully remotely since its founding, recently signed a lease for a physical location in Scott’s Addition.
Peace is calling it Fringe’s “Clubhouse,” and envisions a private co-working space where employees can come meet a couple days per week to socialize and collaborate.