SUNNYVALE, CA – Erika Wicks started her new job as a staff assistant at the up-and-coming tech company deebo on Monday. When she arrived, she was warmly greeted by many of the office’s 13 male employees. “The reception here has been amazing,” Wicks said. “They really know how to make a girl feel at home.”
Many at the startup, which markets an app for smartphones that allows users to find nearby Redbox kiosks offering the movie Friday for rent, think of it as a family. Social media manager David Harrison is among them, “We all know what it’s like to be the new person. Some of the guys in the office wanted to form a welcoming committee of sorts. As the social media expert, I lead the efforts to look up Facebook albums they can’t or won’t keep private for all new hires. In an attempt to help smooth their transition, I often call other programmers to my computer to help analyze my findings. It’s a great system.”
Wicks has been blown away by the level of dedication shown by the men at deebo in welcoming her, “The first thing Dave said to me was asking about my spring break in Cancun. Um, it was great! Take me back! And when I met Rajiv, he asked if he should take a trip to the Greek Isles like I did a few years ago. Duh. Of course you should! It’s good to know I’ll be working with fellow wanderlusters.”
It appears as though not every new hire at deebo is given the same treatment as Wicks. “We don’t do this for every new employee. Male programmers are pretty much all the same so we know what we’re getting. But when we saw Erika’s name on an HR memo, word quickly spread and the guys got to work,” Harrison added. “We just want to make her feel welcome, in our own special way.”
