For over 10 years Adage Technologies has been providing software and web development, maintenance/support and hosting for a rapidly growing number of companies. They have been so effective in their endeavors that Adage Technologies was included in the “5000 Fastest Growing Companies in the U.S.” It is with the help of their 15% Gen Y employee base that they have achieved this level of success.

It’s no coincidence that Adage maintains a work culture that is enticing to Gen Y. The company has worked hard to adapt its business model and office environment to attract, encourage and retain the emerging talent of young professionals.

A large part of this successful Generation Y adaptation is a result of a well-planned social restructuring. By providing their employees with social events and extracurricular activities, Adage seems to be conveying a clear message to their hardworking staff; working hard is important and so is having fun.

Director of Professional Services Patrick Emmons says, “Once a month we have a happy hour event at a local establishment. It is a benefit that they want this interaction and that they look to their employer not just as a place to make money, but as a social interaction.”

This social approach seems to be working for Adage Technologies employees across the board. According to Front-End Web Developer Becca Noffsinger, employees are encouraged to interact with other departments on the job as well.

These types of interactions give Adage employees a chance to explore and learn from multiple positions in the company. Noffsinger says employees are given the opportunity to wear many different hats and reach out to different colleagues departments to learn as much about as many positions as they like.

“I enjoy working at Adage because there’s a lot of different learning opportunities and you’re not really pigeonholed into one type of position,” Noffsinger explains.

By cultivating this type of open environment, Adage Technologies seems to continue to attract the types of Gen Y workers who are interested in a career that provides them with more than just a paycheck. Though hard work is rewarded handsomely, Adage President Roy Chomko finds it equally as important to recognize the payoffs inherent in giving back socially.

“The type of culture that a Gen Y employee looks for is an environment that’s open and honest, perhaps giving back to the community in a way. They tend to be a bit more socially conscious than people of previous generations,” says Chomko.

Characterized as a hardworking and self-motivated staff with a progressive and insightful upper management, Adage has cemented its place as one of Chicago’s most appealing places to work for Generation Y employees.