Three Reasons Why Protenus is a "Best Places to Work"

It’s no secret that I am grateful to work at Protenus. So when I’m asked to describe the culture here, a lot of words come to mind: transparency, collaboration, humility and respect. But the one that sticks out most notably is trust. Trust is at the core of everything we do, from the platform we engineer to the company culture we build. This culture is unique and is capturing the attention of the healthcare industry, being named one of the 2018 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare and selected as a “2018 Best Places to Work” by the Baltimore Business Journal.

At Protenus, people on our team are encouraged to pursue their professional interests. This culture of empowerment accelerates the careers of the folks who work here and opens new opportunities rather than staying siloed in one role. If you see an opportunity for growth or identify an area of the company you want to explore, the leaders encourage you to pursue those interests. Every voice is valued and everyone can take ownership to fill a need they have identified within the organization, while also playing a supporting role in other company initiatives. Protenus values the polyphony of voices that can only be achieved with a diversely talented team that is excited to try new and innovative ways to achieve our goals. Here are three ways our culture makes Protenus a “Best Places to Work.”  

1. You are challenged to grow

Our team is comprised of very talented people, from a variety of backgrounds, using our unique experiences to collaborate in order to advance the platform’s capabilities and ensure customer success. Looking across our team, you will find that many people have experience working with various federal agencies, others have PhDs in particle physics, neuroscience, and other sciences, while others have applied their experiences in other industries to innovate healthcare compliance analytics. Our team is full of smart, accomplished individuals who support each other’s ideas and creativity. This combination of expertise and encouragement is key to ensuring success.

I have experienced firsthand how Protenus has provided unique opportunities for career growth. When I was first hired, I was tasked with solving the technical challenges of integrating large amounts of data into our UI and analytics. While I was working in this capacity, I noticed that our customer base was growing quickly and we needed a formal project management team to handle the increasing demand. Two years later, I lead the Project Management team and am fortunate to guide a team of experts who are dedicated to bringing new customers live with the easiest, fastest, and highest quality projects possible. This evolution would not have been possible without the encouragement and support of the rest of the Protenus team.

2. Your voice is heard

What I find most exciting about the Protenus culture is that every team member has a voice. We talk a lot about emergent leadership. This concept in which anyone at the company is encouraged and trusted to take the lead on a project and lead through influence and technical skill. All of us, regardless of age, experience, or what our job descriptions states, are capable of leadership and are empowered to grow that skill set.

When I joined Protenus I was the most junior member of the team. However, I quickly came to understand that my voice and opinion held equal weight to those of my more experienced peers. When I saw an opportunity for product enhancements or a way to become more efficient, I could bring it to everyone’s attention and I knew I would be heard. At first, this was intimidating, but over time it allowed me to find my own voice and accelerated the pace of developing my leadership skills. Now with more experience, I understand that the best solutions often come from a harmony of diverse voices that provide different views and allow us to better understand the underlying challenges.

3. We take care of the whole person

In today’s workplace, it is critical to understand that everyone has rich multi-faceted lives. It’s important for our team to find that unique balance between our personal and professional lives, ensuring that we consider the whole person as we strive to deliver the very best solutions for the healthcare industry. Therefore, we encourage team members to use “big person” rules, common-sense policies that trust our team members to use good judgment, recognizing that freedom and responsibility are intertwined. For example, we have unlimited PTO and a very flexible work environment. You are trusted to make whatever arrangements you need to work and live at your best, while also being held accountable to high standards for performance.

As employees, we’re trusted to plan, organize, and lead a variety of events throughout the year. These events, which are led by employees all across the company, allow us to embrace our fun side and provide an opportunity to invite significant others, children, and friends to celebrate Protenus’ success along the way. Some of these social events include Top Gun Thursdays, beach volleyball, Whiskey Wednesdays, waffle breakfasts, and the annual fondue party (with a new pun theme every year) to celebrate company milestones. While we would love everyone to participate in these events, they are completely optional as we understand that team members need to prioritize what’s best for their families and time outside of the office. Protenus team members are colleagues, but we are also friends outside of work, which I think reflects the mutual respect and collaboration of the entire team.

Our culture of trust extends beyond our team to our customers (who we view as an extension of our team). Protenus is not just one of the best places to work in healthcare, we also have the highest customer ratings. We’re very proud to be named the 2019 KLAS Category Leader in Patient Privacy Monitoring based on customer feedback about their experience with the Protenus platform.

The same things we emphasize internally—like empathy, listening, communicating, proactively identifying pain points and alleviating them —also drive our relationships with our customers. We’re growing fast and our unique culture is critical to our success. If you want to be part of it, I hope you’ll consider joining us.