The term “homophily” refers to a psychological crutch humans often rely on: flocking to those we perceive as similar to us in terms of age, education, interests, etc. While the tendency might be backed by research, the phenomenon certainly isn’t beneficial to business — or personal growth.
Supportive organizations facilitate cultures of upward mobility. This can mean getting employees up from their desks and out of their comfort zones every once in a while. We recently spoke to three Colorado businesses that make it their mission to do that and more.
At Matillion, the leadership team understands the importance of face-to-face meeting time. That’s why they bring all employees together for two days once a year at their U.K. headquarters. Director of Partner Marketing Jan Andersen explains why it’s her favorite company event and how the tradition benefits everyone –– in terms of both productivity and inclusivity –– in the long run.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
Coming from nearly two decades at global enterprise organizations, the Matillion culture is a breath of fresh air. The all-too-common departmental silos and office politics simply do not exist at Matillion. Our company culture was intentionally developed and is keenly nurtured to avoid the development of such toxic and counter-productive environments. We weave customer obsession, confidence without arrogance and integrity into all we do – and our partners and customers notice the difference in the solutions we deliver and in our interactions with them.
How are employees empowered to help shape or participate in the office culture? Share an example.
A successful culture starts at the top, and our executive and go-to-market leadership teams emit transparency and open communications throughout the organization to nurture the diverse experiences and opinions of the broad Matillion family. Unique and impactful global employee forums include weekly virtual ‘What’s on My Mind’ updates by our CEO, monthly virtual all-hands events, and annual super-all-hands events where employees travel to our headquarters in Manchester, U.K. We deliver day-to-day awareness through our active Slack channels, community charitable activities, and interactive communities for employees to post family news and offsite team events.
The all-too-common departmental silos and office politics simply do not exist at Matillion.’’
What’s your favorite company tradition and/or event, and why? How does it reflect your company culture as a whole?
My favorite company tradition is our annual super-all-hands event. While our many virtual communication tools allow us to stay connected with our global team on a regular basis, the super-all-hands event brings us together for two days to connect in person, hear strategy and goals first-hand from our leadership team, learn from our peers on topics important to the business, and celebrate as a team. The fact that Matillion realizes the importance of this type of forum reinforces the strength of our culture. It’s why I am thrilled to be a part of the Matillion family.
Bring a bunch of artistic creatives together in a room, and you won’t be surprised to find that they supplement their happy hours with projects like knitting and embroidery. Nicole Cioffe, project manager on the programming and production team at Bluprint told us why she loves to hear about what her colleagues are working on, both in and out of the office.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
Happy hours are always a welcome addition at any job. But at Bluprint, our company culture is rooted in our values, which means a bit more crafting is involved with our happy hours. From DIY mini-golf course competitions to a wall of employee-made embroidery hoops, crafting is embedded in our day-to-day. Each person here can go on about at least one side project they are working on at any given moment. It is a very unique and welcoming environment that continually makes you want to start another project on top of all of the unfinished ones you already have.
How are employees empowered to help shape or participate in the office culture?
We have an Instagram called @TeamBluprint, and lately, we have been highlighting our employees’ talents and skills. It’s exciting to see my fellow colleagues’ “I did it” moments with their creative passions. Seeing coworkers and friends create inspires the rest of us to keep making.
It’s wonderful to step away from work, craft together, and catch up.’’
What’s your favorite company tradition and/or event, and why? How does it reflect your company culture as a whole?
Weekly stitching! I’ve just started to learn embroidery. I’m meeting weekly with a group of coworkers where we all work on the same project based on a new class launching later this year. It’s wonderful to step away from work, craft together, and catch up. There are a few other groups throughout the company that craft together. One meets during lunch to work on current personal projects; typically knitting. It’s such a fun tradition to get together and see what everyone is working on.
Envysion might be serious about managed video solutions, but they aren’t above having fun while they do it. Marketing Events Manager Cara Grimsley told us how much she appreciates the teamwork-centric atmosphere the company has created. And she isn’t the only one –– clients are better served when employees from multiple departments come together with individualized solutions.
How is your company culture here different from what you’ve experienced at previous companies?
The company culture at Envysion is unique in that we have a diverse blend of employees, backgrounds, work roles, and schedules. At past companies, the employee pool has been more similar (scientists, consultants, designers, etc.). It can take some effort to encourage social mingling amongst departments. But this diversity allows us to embrace our unique image of a tech biz. We’re driven, we’re ever-changing to adapt to our customer needs, we’re fun-loving, we’re intelligent, and we’re devoted to supporting loss prevention through managed video solutions.
The two things that stand out most regarding our culture are that the Envysion team loves to have fun and teamwork is our secret weapon. Nerf guns abound through the office, espresso/coffee is brewing at all hours, and local beers are on tap in the kitchen. Our staff works extremely well together and communicates across departments, supporting each other at every step of the process. This level of cooperation takes years to perfect. Our staff has it dialed in. Whether our customer needs a quote, product troubleshooting or support in growing their business, our teams work together to get them there.
How are employees empowered to help shape or participate in the office culture? Share an example.
Envysion has a team of internal employees who identify social events for the year and then plan and host each activity. The Fusion team is open to all employees. This group has excellent participation across multiple departments and sees huge support from the executive team. Without their buy-in, these events wouldn’t be nearly as successful. Everyone has an equal voice, and we let each Fusion team member own an event so they can manage things from start to finish. This lets employees create the social scene they’d like for our company. Doing so has allowed us to accomplish more, with greater success. We support multiple charities, host bi-annual blood drives, take everyone bowling and to a Rockies game, provide monthly happy hours, host seasonal events, and much more. These activities allow employees to get to know each other and learn what we have in common.
Our first priority is always the business and seeking success, but we want our staff to enjoy the process of getting there too.’’
What’s your favorite company tradition and/or event, and why? How does it reflect your company culture as a whole?
Our conference rooms are each named for a local brewery, and we have two beers on tap in our kitchen at all times. We host monthly happy hours, and know just when a cold brew is the answer to that tough work dilemma. As if that’s not enough, our office sits proudly atop the town liquor store. Our first priority is always the business and seeking success, but we want our staff to enjoy the process of getting there too.
