Podcast Summary: "How to Make Work Fun Again" from From the Ground Up
From the Ground Up, a podcast by Inc. Magazine, delves into the intricacies of building enjoyable and cohesive workplace cultures, especially in the evolving landscape of remote and hybrid work environments. In the episode titled "How to Make Work Fun Again," released on August 4, 2025, host Mike Hoffman moderates a panel featuring Shuman Ghosh Majander (Co-founder and CEO of AI cybersecurity startup Reckon), Ben Goodwin (Co-founder and CEO of prebiotic soda company Olipop), and Melissa Mash (Co-founder and CEO of fashion bag brand Dagne Dover). The discussion centers on fostering fun at work, maintaining company culture amidst growth, and navigating the challenges of a hybrid workforce.
1. Introduction to the Panel
The episode begins with Mike Hoffman introducing the panelists and setting the stage for a conversation about revitalizing workplace enjoyment and culture. He highlights the impact of the pandemic and the rise of remote work on organizational cohesion, emphasizing the need for strategies to keep employees engaged and connected.
[00:00] Josh Christensen: "Welcome to From the Ground Up. Today we have another panel from Inc's Founder House at South by Southwest..."
2. Building Company Culture in a Hybrid Environment
Melissa Mash kicks off the discussion by addressing how Dagne Dover maintains a strong company culture with a mix of remote and in-person employees. She emphasizes the importance of hiring for cultural fit over experience, ensuring that team members are collaborative and enjoy working together.
[02:43] Melissa Mash: "When we hire, we very much look for cultural fit almost above experience... It really helps build those relationships wherever people are based across the world."
Melissa highlights the role of leadership in fostering an environment where vulnerability and genuine interactions are encouraged, which in turn strengthens team bonds regardless of geographical locations.
3. Hiring for Culture Fit
The conversation shifts to the recruitment strategies of the panelists. Ben Goodwin shares Olipop’s impressive hiring process, noting the overwhelming interest in the company due to its clear mission and strong culture.
[03:36] Ben Goodwin: "Our people ops department tells me it's officially harder to become a professional NBA player than to get a job at Olipop..."
Ben describes Olipop's "strength-based culture," balancing high performance with treating employees as full humans. He cites research indicating that employees are most engaged when they feel they are making meaningful progress.
[04:03] Ben Goodwin: "Performance and the feeling of progress has been inherent to our growth pattern."
4. Balancing Performance and Humanity
Shuman Ghosh Majander draws from his experience at Google to discuss the significance of having a mission-driven culture. At Reckon, he ensures that every employee understands how their role contributes to the company's overarching mission of combating sophisticated cyber threats.
[06:25] Shuman Ghosh Majander: "If you pick an area where people derive meaning from the work every single day, then that's something you can build a lot of processes around."
Shuman underscores the manager's responsibility to articulate how individual roles align with the company's mission, fostering a sense of purpose and fulfillment among employees.
5. Avoiding Company Politics
The panel addresses the pitfalls of workplace politics and strategies to minimize their impact. Shuman emphasizes that "company culture is a function of the worst behavior you tolerate," advocating for public accountability to prevent the normalization of negative behaviors.
[15:36] Shuman Ghosh Majander: "Your company culture is a function of the worst behavior you tolerate."
Ben expands on this by explaining the importance of empowering employees to reject political behavior, thereby maintaining a healthy and collaborative work environment.
[20:11] Ben Goodwin: "We've built systems where our team ejects the wrong fits like an immune system response."
6. Facilitating Personal Relationships in Remote Work
Addressing the challenges of building personal relationships remotely, Shuman acknowledges that while remote work offers access to global talent, it lacks the personal interactions that foster deep connections among colleagues.
[25:18] Shuman Ghosh Majander: "There's no substitute for in-person interaction... Being able to have some type of in-person interaction is absolutely critical."
He advocates for a balanced approach, integrating remote work with purposeful in-person interactions centered around specific projects and team activities to enhance connectivity.
7. Adapting to Future Cultural Shifts in Workplaces
Looking ahead, Shuman predicts that future generations, such as Gen Alpha and Beta, will reshape workplace cultures with new communication tools like Discord. He encourages companies to anticipate these shifts and adapt proactively to stay competitive.
[28:05] Shuman Ghosh Majander: "Companies created by Generation Alpha and Beta are going to look very different from the companies of today..."
8. Examples of Fun at Work
To conclude, the panelists share personal anecdotes illustrating how they infuse fun into their workplaces. Shuman mentions team dinners, Ben recounts a lively end-of-year party where employees danced freely, and Melissa speaks of memorable company offsites celebrating milestones with activities that cater to diverse interests.
[29:09] Shuman Ghosh Majander: "We took the team out to a gourmet restaurant and that was fantastic."
[29:16] Ben Goodwin: "Our end of Year party last year was just top 10 life experience... a third of the company is straight up dancing on the couches and the tables."
[29:55] Melissa Mash: "Company off site... our 10-year anniversary in particular was just a huge blowout. It was beautiful. It was fun."
9. Conclusion
The episode wraps up with the panelists emphasizing that while remote work and hybrid models offer flexibility and access to broader talent pools, the essence of a vibrant and enjoyable workplace lies in intentional cultural practices, strong leadership, and fostering meaningful relationships among employees.
[30:07] Mike Hoffman: "It's interesting, right? People want to work when and how they want to work, but they also, there is a craving for us to be together for big moments."
From the Ground Up provides valuable insights for entrepreneurs and leaders aiming to cultivate workplaces where fun and productivity coexist, ensuring employee satisfaction and company success in a rapidly changing work environment.