Hi, all! My name is Julie Parkes and I am the newest member of the Wildbit family, brought on to guide Office Operations and Team Happiness. “What?! Team Happiness? Are you serious?” Yes, yes, yes.
A few years ago, after a line of traditional jobs at traditional companies, I decided to look into a career in employee wellness. I know most people hear those words, roll their eyes, and think weight loss and smoking cessation programs with low engagement. When I think of employee wellness, I think so much more than that. It’s looking at the whole person, inside and outside of work. What drives people to be present, passionate, and do good things? What motivates folks to want to do better than they did the day before? How can work be so much more than a place we punch in and punch out?
I wanted to look at these matters and be an uplifting factor in a role that brought personal reward and value to my daily tasks. I went back to school and graduated with a BS in Sports Management, Fitness and Wellness in May 2016. I began researching companies in the Philadelphia region that aligned with my personal and professional values, that took an employee-first approach. During this time, I discovered Wildbit in an article about Philly’s Coolest Offices. I ended up on their website and fell in love; the holy grail of where I wanted to be. I knew there were some pretty great places out there but nothing like this. The fact that Natalie even replied to a cold email pitch impressed me! The timing wasn’t right for us…until it was.
My first day on the job I flew to Florida to meet the whole team for the annual retreat. My first company meeting was discussing the culture and revisiting Wildbit’s values. Could this be real?! My goal is to support and encourage a positive environment but it was so surreal for everyone else to foster that mindset as well.
Now I find myself exactly where I want to be surrounded by some pretty incredible friends. I get to keep things flowing smoothly at the office by tackling pretty much anything that comes my way. I get to interact with the remote team on a daily basis and look for ways to improve communication and camaraderie since more than half the team does not work at HQ. I handle travel and events, including all things for the next annual retreat. I look forward to people asking me for help on projects and doing whatever I can to make their lives a little (or a lot) easier. I get excited looking for creative ways to show love for the team, not because I have to, but because they completely deserve it. I thrive learning from those around me, feeding off of their energy and wanting to do better by them.
Some other things about me: I live in Wyndmoor with my husband, Josh. We are relatively new homeowners so find ourselves tweaking things around the house when we can. I’m an early bird and get more stuff done at 6am than I do at 6pm. I get a weird satisfaction from checking things off my “to-do” list and am pretty much 95% true to definition of an ESFJ. I love being outside but am usually slathered in sunscreen or seeking shade. I have a weak spot for Prosecco, Instagram, and videos of military families being reunited.
Thrilled to be here, to introduce myself to you, and hope we cross paths in the future!