Blurb

Blurb

A 45-employee, $10 million specialty publishing company in San Francisco

The Challenge: Encouraging collaboration.

The Answer: Providing space for group
activities.

How It Works: On Friday afternoons, a conference room is given over to jam sessions. Blurb buys the beer as colleagues take turns manning a microphone, two guitars, and drums to play Rock Band, a video game donated by an employee. During the rest of the week, workers who need to blow off steam can use the room to noodle around on real instruments.

Cost: $50-$75 a week.

Why It Works: Founder Eileen Gittins says that being creative and collaborative in the jam sessions encourages employees to be creative and collaborative in their work. In hiring, she says, she “looks for people who are passionate about the things in their lives, such as music or photography, so they can bring that energy to Blurb.” While Gittins has no formal music training, she leads by example and takes her turn at the mike.