Building Culture with Bay Alarm
Photos courtesy of Bay Alarm.
We understand how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day, your immediate to-do list… It can be difficult to provide the right amount of attention to your company culture and employee engagement. Hosting an internal gathering sends a powerful message to everyone who works at your organization that you’re willing to take the time to address topics outside direct workplace tasks. Internal events are an investment in your overall culture, providing a valuable opportunity for you to show where your priorities lie—with your people—and that you have a vision for more than just the month ahead.
For Bay Alarm, the challenge was taking the tight-knit, family-like culture within the company and translating it to the virtual realm without losing the sense of connection the company has intentionally cultivated. Employees look forward to Bay Alarm’s internal awards ceremony every year and the company has invested heavily in ensuring their people feel recognized, regardless of whether the event is hosted in-person or virtually.
Their efforts have paid off. By taking the time to meet and encourage relationships in the workplace, companies signal that they truly care about their employee experience and not just the bottom line. Businesses like Bay Alarm realize the immense importance of company-wide gatherings for the development of an organization’s culture and future. These are the key strategies we used to structure their successful internal agenda.
Structuring a Successful Internal Celebration
The CEO’s State of the Union
This is often the most substantial section of the meeting, generally at least 15 minutes and often up to 30 or more. It’s the team’s opportunity to hear what’s on the mind of the CEO and where the company is headed.
Bay Alarm has remained a family-run business for over 75-years, and its generational leadership is well known amongst its employees who have an average tenure of 10 years. As the top-level leaders like to say “Although we’re a long way from our first office in the Westphal family kitchen, some things remain as true today as they were in 1946: work hard, be honest, treat each other like family, and deliver the best service possible.”
Celebrations and Awards
Cash is king, and what’s more fun than the gamble of winning cash prizes? To add a boost to participation and drum up excitement, Bay Alarm included a round of raffle prizes for twelve lucky winners across the company.
Who doesn’t love celebrating a win? Some companies are great at doing this consistently, but the minutia often gets in the way. If you have the majority of your company at your internal gathering, there’s no better opportunity to recognize burgeoning leaders, call out important successes for the company, and reward individuals and teams that have gone above and beyond in ways that support and reinforce your company’s culture? Bay Alarm’s annual award ceremony does just that, prioritizing the accomplishments of its people and creating a dedicated space for the team to celebrate their successes together.
Breakouts Sessions and Team-Building
Pre-event mingle time and designated host tables allow for both structured and free-form engagement to unite employees. Spread across many different cities and time zones, designating time for small-group breakouts bridges the day-to-day divide between teams and promotes cohesion.
Venturing outside the walls of the office can also help teams break down the barriers that cubicles have subconsciously built up and create a safer space for ideas and connection. Internal team gatherings can truly be judgment-free zones for leaders and team members alike to share ideas and get to know one another on a genuine level without the fear of looking foolish or creating a distraction in the workplace. Keeping this concept in mind for Bay Alarm, Kennedy Events set up 40 virtual “tables” across multiple Zoom rooms; 20 of which were hosted by senior staff members encouraging employees to get to know leadership.
We needed to pour as much heart and soul into planning their event as Bay Alarm does their culture. As a rapidly growing team spaced over multiple states, the Bay Alarm team rarely has an opportunity to unite with their peers. To further break the ice and promote connection, some tables were themed so that like-minds could connect in affinity groups including “Veterans” and “Women in the Workplace.”
The Group Chat
In a large-group Zoom call, it is generally good practice to mute yourself unless you’re speaking. However, we still want to encourage comments, questions, and virtual applause! So the chat function was left on throughout the event, and the emojis, questions, and encouragements certainly did fly!
Exploring Innovative Ways to Enhance Employee Engagement?
Internal company events allow employees to connect in new and meaningful ways that enrich their working experience. Our expert planners work with you to craft an internal employee experience that meets your goals. Whether your focus is team-building, increasing employee retention and productivity, or aligning your organization on future goals, Kennedy Events has you covered. Schedule some time with us today to strategize your next internal event!
MAGGIE KENNEDY
Maggie Kennedy is the co-owner of Kennedy Events is a large-scale event management company based in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York City. Our team creates stress-free conferences and events with a positive impact, which allows our clients to resonate with their audience. Kennedy Events specializes in producing flawless product launches, award ceremonies, fundraisers, and multi-day conferences while keeping our eye on retention and engagement goals.
About Kennedy Events
Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
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