8:59 AM:
The “I’m In” event is a new culture launch for Fibernetics, NEWT’s parent company. “I’m In” is an endeavor to collectively up our game when it comes to our commitment to each other, the company and ultimately, the most important member of our team, our NEWT clients.
9:00 AM:
HR partner Amanda Little leads the NEWT team in a group stretch to get everyone ready to rock it out…
9:10: CEO Jody Schnarr thanks everyone in attendance for getting the company to where it’s currently at and to introduce John Stix, his fellow co-founder and leader of the “I’m In” initiative and mantra.
9:12 John Stix on the development of the “I’m In” concept. As a company grows and evolves for it’s first entrepreneurial stages, something is lost when it comes to engagement. When everyone is in start-up mode, it’s all about the dream, where nothing matters like a bigger office, or additional reports, or all the small day to day details that go into a working.
9:22: The birth of Worldline – in comic book form?
9:20 – 9:35 Debbie Downer Videos – A series of videos showing how some of us are “not in”
9:35 – 10:05 – Happiness in the workplace – Jim & Jenn Moss discuss how developing and maintaining connections with co-workers doesn’t just improve workplace atmosphere, it injects happiness into everyone.
They developed a platform called Plasticity, that encourages employees talking about what is right in an organization, and what’s wrong. It’s a social platform that enables co-workers to learn about each other, thus deepening relationships and improving connectedness. The program also helps stimulate discussion about company values so that every last employee knows what they mean and how they are being lived out in the workplace.
John Stix has engaged with Plasticity to help Fibernetics and Worldline with our culture development. As he said, “Investing in our people and their individual happiness is key to maximize our efficiencies and successes as a company. In the beginning when we were small it was easier to convey the vision. As a founder of a very fast growing business I felt we lost control of maintaining those critical connections. Plasticity is the only tool that allows for this and can scale with us. To me as a superuser of salesforce, Plasticity is to culture as salesforce is to operations. It’s a crucial tool.”
Plasticity collects and correlates data that will uncover what makes our employees the happiest, most grateful, resilient, optimistic and highest performing.
10:05 – 10:20 Fibernetics Contact Centre in the DR puts out their own Happiness Video
0:35 – 10:50 Wellness with Dr. Henry Pan – Henry has been providing his patients with an integrative approach to health by treating them holistically. His overall goal is to improve wellness with his patients, and he’s helping us improve ours. Workplace health and wellness programs are part of our overall company strategy for a healthy workplace including our in-house gym, sustainable vegetable garden, training sessions including yoga, stretching, pilates. We are also introducing training sessions for various areas of interest outside of work like digital photography, financial management & writing.
Henry starts by asking a quick question, “How many people in this room are truly, truly happy?”
“And then, if you are happy, why are you happy? And if not, why aren’t you?”
Trying to define happiness is up to each of us, but considering a third of our lives are spent at work, it’s essential to have a wellness program in the office. A huge part of that is the corporate culture and working in a negative environment is poisonous both to the employees, but to the customers as well. The last person a customer wants to talk to is someone who hates their job. That’s what focusing on improving wellness and culture cures. A happy, well balanced working environment is just good business.
10:50 – 11:05 Culture Lifts the organization – Jackie Laurer has been working with Fibernetics for the past 6 months evaluating our current culture environment, and working with management to develop a culture strategy that resulted in today’s I’m In session.
Culture done right breeds extraordinary success. Do you think organizations with great cultures like Zappos, Apple and Google are isolated cases with the budgets to magically create great culture? It’s simply not true. Companies like these are committed to culture as the core of their business from the start and are dedicated to culture as the core of their business strategy.
Fibernetics is one of the fastest growing companies in Canada and expanding and scaling a company is a tough enough climb already – but impossible to attempt it without embracing and articulating values and culture needs.
11:05 – 11:35 Culture/Core Values – John Stix explains what he and the management team sees as the company’s core values that will help Fibernetics go to the next level.
“I’m in” means we strive to deliver happiness and connections everyday by being awesome.
We promote the company’s purpose and philosophies by being an example to others and honouring the following core values:
- Innovation – disrupting and challenging the status quo while having an entrepreneurial spirit by taking risks and dreaming big.
- Accountability – taking responsibility for our own actions while understanding the impact on the organization.
- Just do it and find the solution – taking initiative with a game plan for solutions.
- Trust – building trust through transparency and open, honest communications.
- Teamwork – working well with others while respecting values and differences.
- Happiness – honouring satisfaction and well-being
12:07 – Closing comments and our very own Happy Video featuring Mike Brown – NEWT’s VP of Marketing in his international dancing debut:
Thanks everyone – That was awesome!
