The power of community can go a long way in easing the uncertainty caused by COVID-19.
Just ask Zach Sennett, a senior manager of performance at Evolve. Shifting to remote work has been an adjustment for many as they’ve traded bustling workplaces for scheduled Zoom calls, but he never doubted his team’s ability to stay connected. And in such a troubling time, that support system matters.
Evolve, one of the fastest-growing hospitality organizations in vacation rentals, according to the company, had been busy constructing a series of groups under the umbrella name Community@. Established well before the threat of COVID-19, these groups aim to unite team members through shared interests in areas like community service, wellness or environmental issues.
Our groups give Evolvers a place to engage with each other on a deeper, personal level.”
“Our groups give Evolvers a place to engage with each other on a deeper, personal level,” Sennett said. “We all have unique passions and things we love to do when not at work. This format allows us to merge personal with professional and create agents of change in our community.”
Now, while the company continues to work remotely, Sennett says these groups have continued to flourish. From outdoor meetups to virtual yoga sessions, the Community@ groups have not only remained active but have helped preserve the sense of community at Evolve.
Curious as to how these programs were created? Built In Colorado sat down with Sennett, a Community@ chairperson, to get his thoughts on what makes these groups a success.
How did these groups come to be?
Our Community@ groups grew organically out of the desire for Evolvers to give back to each other and the broader Denver community. We wanted to create safe and meaningful spaces for our teammates to pursue their passions outside of their everyday work.
How have these groups impacted Evolve’s culture?
Let’s be honest, work in the time of COVID-19 is hard. Transitioning from a buzzing, vibrant downtown Denver high-rise to a fully remote workforce has been tremendously challenging. Combined with the economic and social justice challenges our world is facing, it’s easy to see how stress can add up.
Our Community@ groups provide a much-needed resource where Evolvers can advocate for their passions. They offer places where we can share with each other honestly and to learn, grow and laugh.
We’ve had to get creative and use Zoom or socially distanced small groups to facilitate connection during this isolating time. We are very lucky that these groups existed pre-COVID — the fact they are still operating, hosting events and creating change remotely is awesome to see.
What are the Community@ groups?
- Inclusion@ ensures that Evolve is a workplace where all are acknowledged, welcomed and embraced.
- Learn@ provides learning opportunities that spur individual and collective growth.
- Care@ practices compassion and awareness by giving company resources and time to causes that improve the local community’s well-being.
- Wellness@ promotes well-being and healthy choices.
- Green@ aims to lower the company’s environmental impact by getting team members involved in reducing their footprint.
- Connections@ helps team members build and strengthen relationships across the company.
What are some activities these groups put on pre-COVID? What about now?
We have hosted networking events, in-house yoga sessions, wellness challenges, book clubs, virtual trivia, game nights, and more. One of our biggest achievements pre-COVID was Care Week, when 312 Evolvers contributed 870 volunteer hours at 18 different organizations.
We handcrafted 24 blankets for Children’s Hospital Colorado, stuffed 52 backpacks full of supplies for the Boys & Girls Club of Denver, put together 103 Marine care packages, assembled 48 hygiene kits for Denver homeless shelters and made over 500 sack lunches for Volunteers of America.
What role do you have in these programs? Why are they important to the culture of Evolve?
I joined as chairperson of Community@ in January 2020. My role is to help coordinate, lead and support each group through budget guidance, recruiting and promotion.
For me personally, community action and engagement could not be more important. As a Denver native, I take great pride in our hometown and love contributing toward improving the lives of those that live here.
How have these programs helped the company maintain its culture and camaraderie since remote work began?
To me, this is where Community@ shines. Each group has created space for Evolvers to escape day-to-day work while contributing to something meaningful — or to something distracting, fun and light.
This period of remote work also has coincided with an incredibly important conversation around social justice. As such, our Inclusion@ teamed up with Learn@ and launched two book clubs that focus on the topic. For parents addressing the topics of social justice and race, Learn@ also sponsored a Zoom session with a local social worker.
We wanted to create a dialogue among our teams to move the conversation forward and find pathways for Evolvers to make a difference.
What plans do you have to continue building on Evolve’s culture?
We are just getting started! We have amazing events planned for the fall, like virtual blood drives, corporate giving, food drives, coat drives and socially-distanced company-paid volunteer hours.
Evolve is actively recruiting for roles throughout the organization, we look forward to growing our team and welcoming new Evolvers to our Community@ groups!
