Enrichment, professional development valued at Mediaura

The information and photo here were provided by representatives at those businesses and nonprofit organizations.

In some cases, their answers have been edited for length, clarity or grammatical style.

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Mediaura employees celebrated the arrival of a new hire. 

1. Describe your company culture in five words.

Innovative, fun, professional, experts, one-of-a-kind.

2. Tell us three specific ways you ensure all of your employees know they are valued.

Every month, employees volunteer to be our “culture czar.”

That person then gets to choose to share something they personally love doing with the whole team. It’s a way for employees to share more of themselves with the team while strengthening the team as a whole.

We have a weekly team meeting where we share praise for successful projects.

We have daily morning meetings where we discuss projects and tasks. At these meetings, every employee — whether they are directly on the project team or not — is asked to contribute their thoughts on the project.

3. What concrete steps do your senior leaders take to create a great work environment for all employees?

Leaders talk to every member of the team throughout the day in a positive manner to find out how things are going.

If an employee feels overwhelmed, the leadership will partner with them to help alleviate any stress or burden, contributing to project completion, brainstorming solutions, etc.

The leadership team at Mediaura is committed to creating a fun environment and areas of the office for team members to take breaks throughout the day and recharge. We know that when employees are happy and relaxed, they do their best work.

We strive to make sure that everyone is always in a positive mindset, and that when any issues do arise they are immediately addressed and do not linger.

The leadership works very hard to make every employee comfortable and know how much they are valued.

They work to establish a process for efficient/flawless work execution, provide weekly meetings for open discussions/feedback and provide a flexible work environment, understanding everyone works different.

4. Give us some specific examples of how your company creates opportunities for individual development and career growth at all levels of the company.

Every employee is allotted time through the day/week for personal enrichment.

Mediaura pays for employees to attend special events, classes or seminars that the employee feels will help them improve in their job.

All employees at Mediaura are cross-trained to further enrich their own skill sets and gain further insights into areas they would like to pursue or grow into. This also allows different departments to understand how each area contributes and fits into the process as a whole.

Once an employee expresses interest in a new department, they are partnered with the team leader of that area for mentorship.

As an employee’s skill set and contributions increase, their salary becomes reflective of that as well.

5. How would you describe your company in 30 seconds to someone you meet at a cocktail party?

Mediaura is a full-service digital agency specializing in innovative solutions and measurable results.

We are an award-winning team with global clients — everything from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 organizations, from a wide variety of industries.

6. What are the most popular perks you offer to employees?

Flexible work schedule, a paid-time-off bank and a work environment that is tailored for their specific needs.

7. How does being a Best Place to Work affect your bottom line?

It reinforces what we know to be true and what we communicate to our team and potential new hires: This is more than just another job.

http://goo.gl/YKMNb7

Anchorage firefighter suspended after Facebook posts about President Obama surface

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A part-time firefighter for the Anchorage Fire & Ambulance Districts has been suspended over social media posts he allegedly made about President Barack Obama.

Screenshots of the social media posts provided to WDRB News appear to show comments made from a Facebook account associated with the name "Donald Lee Baker." The comments appeared in response to a post referencing President Obama's address at the funerals of the police officers murdered in Dallas.
"Would someone please put a bullet in this [EXPLETIVE]'s head," one comment from the "Donald Lee Baker" account stated. "He has no respect for anyone in uniform and no respect for America. He is a worthless piece of [EXPLETIVE]."
When someone responded, confronting the poster about the comment and accusing him of threatening the president, the Facebook account associated with the name "Donald Lee Baker" responded, "Carrie, I've been in the law enforcement field. It's not a crime because I didn't threaten the president nor would I ever it's a figure of speech because that's all he's good for."
"It's scary, and it's sad, and I wish people would maybe just think before they say something," said social media expert and CEO of Mediaura, Andrew Aebersold.
Aebersold said the firefighter's post and the one made by a Metro Corrections sergeant this week are damaging. While the United States values freedom of speech, the First Amendment does not protect against consequences at the workplace.
"If you're talking about something that relates to your professional career, it bleeds over from just your personal opinion and becomes whether you want it to or not, maybe the opinion of your professional  entity itself," Aebersold said.
Even if you have a private account, he said your posts can still be made public.
"I think a lot of people are a little emotional when they're doing this. They don't take a minute to take a deep breath to say, 'should I really be saying this,'" Aebersold said. "It's the same thing ten years ago when we're typing emails, and maybe I should think before I press send on this email. Maybe you should think before you post that publicly."

In a statement released Thursday, William Rockwood, Chief of the Anchorage Fire & Ambulance Districts, confirmed that a part-time firefighter named Donald Baker has been suspended pending the outcome into an investigation into the social media posts. In his statement, Rockwood called the posts, "extremely troubling and inappropriate."

"The District does not condone or allow the use of inappropriate conduct or language by its employees in person or through instant technology," Rockwood wrote. "The opinions of the employees of the Anchorage Fire Protection District do not express the opinion of the Anchorage Fire Protection District. If made on duty or off duty, or through the use of District equipment, this may result in disciplinary action, up to termination. This matter is under investigation immediately. Mr. Baker has been suspended pending the investigation."