WorldBlu Certifies Widen as a 'Freedom-Centered Workplace'

MADISON, WI--(Marketwired - June 02, 2015) - Widen Enterprises, a leading provider of digital asset management (DAM) software, announced today that WorldBlu has certified Widen as a 'Freedom-Centered Workplace.' Widen is one of only 26 organizations featured in the 2015 WorldBlu List of Most Freedom-Centered Workplaces™.

WorldBlu is a company specializing in freedom-centered, democratic organizational design and leadership. The company reports that WorldBlu-certified organizations generate an average of seven times higher revenue growth compared to companies on the S&P Index. Organizations become eligible for a spot on the WorldBlu List of Most Freedom-Centered Workplaces™ after employees complete The WorldBlu Freedom at Work™ Assessment, a survey evaluating their practice of the WorldBlu 10 Principles of Organizational Democracy™.

"We are all amazingly creative people and providing freedom at work allows each employee to cultivate their inner creativity, frame challenges and solve customer problems," said Widen CEO Matthew Gonnering. "At Widen, this inherent creative freedom is expressed without the traditional threat of termination upon failure; only the loving embrace of newly acquired knowledge. We practice freedom at work because it translates into customer value."

For the last three years, Widen has sustained an employee retention rate above 94%. Beginning five years ago, Widen has issued an annual, anonymous employee satisfaction survey. As of 2014, 98 percent of software employees say they are "satisfied" or "very satisfied" to work at Widen. 100 percent of those same employees report that they would be willing to recommend Widen as a place to work.

Recently, Widen has implemented a variety of organizational practices aimed at increasing freedom and democracy. These include:

Fireside chats, lunch & learns, new product idea discussions and sprint presentations. These opportunities give employees a forum to give honest feedback, raise important discussion topics and learn more about the marketing world Widen serves. One of the most popular fireside chats was the "Celebration of Failures", a candid session on everything Widen had done wrong over past years.

Coaching Sessions. Widen leaders conduct coaching sessions with each employee every 6-8 weeks. They ask employees questions like, "What do you want to work on?" and "What are your areas of long-term interest?" The idea is to ensure that employees follow their desired path and work on projects they are passionate about.

Employee Surveys. Widen uses regular employee surveys to discover areas for improvement. For instance, based on employee feedback, Widen evolved its wellness program. Instead of asking employees to log activity outside the office, Widen now brings in professional fitness instructors.

Widen joins the WorldBlu List of Most Freedom-Centered Workplaces™ in good company. Other inductees include Zappos.com, Menlo Innovations, New Belgium Brewery, Mindvalley, DaVita, Podio, Geonetric, Red Balloon and The WD-40 Company.

About WorldBlu
Founded in 1997, WorldBlu is a community of individuals and organizations from over 80 countries committed to practicing freedom and democracy in the workplace. WorldBlu's vision is to see one billion people working in freedom.

About Widen
Widen is a marketing technology company that powers the content that builds your brand. Leveraging cloud-based resources, Widen delivers configurable, scalable, and cost-effective digital asset management solutions to help you easily store, search and share your digital content. Organizations of all sizes use Widen's SaaS DAM solution, the Media Collective, to streamline their marketing and creative workflows and make their content work harder. Widen is trusted by hundreds of thousands of users around the world at organizations like LG, Roche, Trek, Cornell University, New Orleans Tourism Marketing, The Atlanta Falcons, Red Gold Tomatoes, Electrolux, and Yankee Candle. To learn more about Widen, go to http://www.widen.com.