Rhino Foods makes the cookie dough in your ice cream. They also treat their employees like family.
They call their boss "Big Cheese" ... but that's not the even the best part.
Watch this feel-good video about a company owner who is doing it so right.
Let's talk about job satisfaction and job performance.
You know what makes people reaaalllllyyyy happy at work? Respect.
A recent survey found that the most significant contributor to a person's job satisfaction is "respectful treatment of all employees at all levels."
And we know that people who are happy at work are more likely to work hard. Conversely, people who are unhappy at work cost companies money.
"In a 2010 study, James K. Harter and colleagues found that lower job satisfaction foreshadowed poorer bottom-line performance. Gallup estimates the cost of America's disengagement crisis at a staggering $300 billion in lost productivity annually. When people don't care about their jobs or their employers, they don't show up consistently, they produce less, or their work quality suffers." — Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, The New York Times opinion piece, 2011
Now let's talk about a business owner who understands how those things relate.
If you didn't have an opportunity to watch the video up there from Rhino Foods, here's the gist:
Rhino Foods manufactures the raw cookie dough in many of the treats we enjoy, such as ice cream. So I think we can all agree that this is a very important company! ;) The founder of Rhino Foods, who goes by "Big Cheese" but also has a real name, Ted Castle, cares about his employees. And that makes all the difference to them.
The company's regard for its workforce comes right back to benefit Rhino Foods. You can read more about Ted's way of running the company on the company's website.
Here are a few things Rhino Foods employees had to say about Ted and their jobs.
"Ted is a coach, first and foremost, and he tries to get the best out of people."
"Your first impressions are your best impressions. My first impression was, hey, this is going to be a nice place."
"I think the business understands their employee's needs in and outside the company... they give a damn about what their employees are going through."
"It starts at the top — it starts with the Big Cheese. He sets a tone and it just flows."
"If you can make people feel better about their personal lives and what's going on and empower them in that, they're going to bring it back here to Rhino."
"They care about their people and I feel like, this company, the people in it, they're my family."
"We're all family."
And this story ... well, I think it sums up why the employees feel the way they do.
"I had an old beater car. My car had died. I was out in the warehouse talking to somebody about it. ... Ted happened to be walking by and he goes, 'What's going on?' And I told him about my car dying, and he actually threw me the keys to his car and said, 'Here, take mine for a week. I'll drive the company wagon.' I'll never forget that, you know?"
High five to Rhino Foods and all companies that treat their employees this way.
Not to be cheesy, but this sort of work environment makes sense and cents.
Not only is it the right thing to do, but the company's bottom line benefits tremendously. Businesses should embrace this kind of caring attitude — focusing on employee wellness, showing concern about employee's personal lives, helping them find fulfillment in their work, and more. It's a win-win situation!
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."