This Consulting Firm Pays Employees to Have Fun
June 17, 2025 Reposted From: Inc.
BY BRIAN CONTRERAS, STAFF REPORTER @_B_CONTRERAS_
“It all started with a rock climbing trip. Like many companies, Omlie—a consulting firm based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania—often organizes team-building activities for its employees. Last summer, a climbing excursion ran into a minor snag: An employee had a fear of heights. For Omlie founder and CEO Sarah Burlew, that offered a moment of clarity.
What was the point, she wondered, of a team-building exercise that not everyone enjoyed?
“There’s certainly value in challenging your comfort zone and doing things out of your mindset, but to what degree is that actually adding value?” asks Burlew, who has to shape company culture at a business for which most employees work remotely four to five days per week.
In January, Omlie launched Crew Connect, a program that gives every employee $100 a month to spend on any outside-of-work event that includes at least one co-worker. The funds can be pooled together with a group of employees and rolled over from month to month.”
