Celebrating. Work hard. Play hard. Grab a co-worker for a game of pool. A beer. An event. Plan a Merkle Dream Grant. Keep celebrating. Celebrating 7.13 How do you encourage fun and camaraderie among your employees? Please include the ways in which your company celebrates team and/or organization successes. 1
celebrating 7.13 Community matters is one of the beliefs upon which our culture is based. Simply said, we view Merkle as a community where exceptionally talented people can harness their skills, build enduring relationships and friendships, and do remarkable things they otherwise wouldn t. We do everything we can to encourage our employees to have fun, establish friendships and enjoy time with teammates. There s always something fun to do in every office from foosball, pool or ping-pong tables to a Nintendo Wii. There are gatherings and celebrations of different kinds, always with food and often with a beer, from chili cook-offs and baking contests to picnics and team-building activities, all of which provide plenty of opportunities for team members to get to know each other in a more personal way. Outside the office, there are group Dream Grant trips (described in response to another question), sports teams, group dinners, community service activities and more. Nothing is ever forced and everything is voluntary. Participation is high because we actually like each other and enjoy being with each other at Merkle. CELEBRATING BIG EVENTS, SMALL EVENTS AND OUR SUCCESS Anniversaries, holidays, birthdays, and individual and team successes Merkle employees celebrate them all. In fact, Merkle encourages and empowers managers to celebrate and build camaraderie in the way that works best for their teams. Whether that means monthly birthday parties, 2
special events for holidays or a happy hour to celebrate a big client win or promotion, every group and team at Merkle knows how to celebrate! Promotions at Merkle happen twice annually all at the same time. A list of those who earned promotions is sent in a congratulatory email throughout the company by our Chief People Officer. That list sets off hundreds of congratulatory notes and emails that our employees send each other providing virtual pats on the back throughout the company. Every office location hosts a party to celebrate those from that location who earned a promotion. Why would our employees be so excited to celebrate the success of their teammates? Because we all know none of us can succeed without the help and support we get from each other and let s face it because it s fun. And then there s what we call Merkle-sponsored events. These are things like Fun Team events and holiday parties. THE MERKLE FUN TEAM To take celebrating to the next level, we enable our employees to find ways to have a good time together in whatever way they choose. Ways that are unique to a specific team or location. Ways they think are, well, fun. Ballpark outings, field trips, pool tournaments, family picnics with field day events, scavenger hunts and costume contests are just a few of the ways 3
Merkle employees come together to enjoy each other s company. These celebrations help maintain the more close-knit, intimate feel of a smaller company. THE FUN TEAM Each office has a Fun Team made up of a group of volunteers who plan special events and parties that occur at least once a month. The company provides a budget to each team to spend on the events. How it s done in... Columbia, MD Here s an example of how our largest office in Columbia keeps the fun coming. 1) A 20-member Fun Team with representatives from every work group at this location meets regularly to plan and host fun events. 2) The goal is to have consistency, so every last Thursday of the month, there is some sort of fun event to look forward to. 3) Plan, promote and make it fun. The Fun Team draws people from different groups to ensure they put forward ideas that everyone will love. 4
Turnout used to be pretty hit or miss, says Dan Renner, the 2013 Fun Team leader for Merkle s Columbia office. Now we have about 200 people attending our events every time. One of my favorite events is the annual Summer Olympics, which we just had, Dan says. We had over 50 teams participate in events like foosball, cornhole, pool, trivia and our salsa and guacamole cooking contest. It was a blast! Another big event for the Columbia fun team earlier this year was the St. Patty s Day Pub Crawl, which featured a happy hour on each floor at a different hour during the day. The event culminated with a big party in the Bistro at day s end. Perhaps one of the most memorable events in Columbia history was the World Cup Challenge. Different groups challenged one another to see who could throw the best World Cup party. It started with a modest gathering. Then someone had BBQ food catered to up the ante. One group hired an ice cream truck for a few hours. Finally, the last group brought in a couple of kegs and hired a food truck to provide free food to everyone. Nothing like a little friendly competition to inspire one of the best parties at Merkle ever. 5
Denver, Colorado Every single Thursday, Merkle Denver employees sponsor their own little happy hour in the form of a drink cart. Every week, one or two employees pick up supplies, load up a cart some even go the extra mile and decorate the cart and deliver alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks to their co-workers at the end of the day. And that s just one of the things Merkle employees do to build camaraderie in the Denver office. There s also Merkle-sponsored events and no shortage of things to do in downtown Denver, especially if you re into microbreweries. Once every few months, a group of employees hit local 6
breweries for tours in the afternoon. One brew fan even offers craft brewing classes to interested co-workers. Then there s the summer BBQ at a Denver city park where employees, their families and even the family dogs are invited for a full day of food and fun, including games and field day activities. And once or twice a year, all are invited to a Merkle-sponsored trip to a Colorado Rockies game that includes tickets, hot dogs and drinks. Halloween is a pretty big deal in Denver, so the office goes big! There is a costume contest for individuals and team costumes, too. A scavenger hunt also takes place where teams go into the city and have an hour to find about a dozen or so things. The first group to return wins. The office also hosts group events. One of the most popular is Film on the Rocks, a movie night at a natural red rock amphitheater where the Merkle Fun Fund picks up the ticket costs. Little Rock, Arkansas The Merkle Little Rock office has a unique approach to party planning: a 12-team Fun Committee with 8 to 10 people on each team. Each month one of the Fun teams puts on an event. This gets everyone involved in the fun planning to ensure all interests are covered and doesn t overburden anyone with too much event planning. 7
Most recently one of the committees put together the first annual Lei Me Luau, complete with a BBQ, umbrella drinks in coconut cups, leis, Hawaiian music, decorations and more. In addition to the monthly events, a committee plans about six larger events throughout the year. For example, last year with Fat Tuesday so close to Valentine s Day, Little Rock held a big event they called Fat Cupid, with King Cake for Mardi Gras and heart-shaped cookies for Valentine s Day. More recently, the office held a huge Fourth of July celebration with gourmet popsicles that everyone raved about. But it isn t just fun activities that have helped build team spirit in Little Rock it s also banding together for a good cause. We reached out to the office for community outreach ideas, compiled a list and then voted, says Erica Dziadulewicz, who heads up Little Rock s volunteer group. Since February, we ve had several volunteer days at the Museum of Discovery. Usually we have a group of 10 to 12 associates, and while we re there we spend time showing the children how to work exhibits, directing parents to bathrooms and rest areas, and in general help with crowd control. In addition, Merkle Little Rock has sponsored a blood drive, volunteered at the Greek Food Festival to benefit a local nonprofit and participated in a 8
Cereal Drive for the Arkansas Food Bank, where they collected 70 boxes of cereal and raised a few hundred dollars, too Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Whether it s a simple birthday card for each employee or gift cards and cakes to celebrate life-changing events like weddings and new babies, in Pittsburgh every special occasion gets an equally special celebration. This summer the office had a big company picnic with field day events, food and special prizes. There are events throughout the year like ice cream sundae parties and happy hours, an annual Halloween party with costume and cooking contests, holiday cube decorating contests and occasional games, like Merkle Family Feud. Merkle s Pittsburgh office also participates in the Pittsburgh Sports League and picks up the fees so employees can participate in a variety of team sports within the league. For example, right now Merkle has a pretty mean kickball team! And with a gym in the office, they recently held a weight loss challenge to inspire people to exercise more and get fit. And finally, there is the annual Bring Your Child to Work Day something fun for the entire office and a very special opportunity for our moms and dads to show off their families Montvale, NJ In May, employees who work at the Montvale location all went bowling together, and while there everyone was required to turn off their phones 9
and relax! Among the most memorable celebrations in the New Jersey office was a special auction for Memorial Day to benefit a local veterans group, featuring an onsite BBQ and even a caricature artist. The caricatures were framed and hung around the office to add a little décor and fun. Another big event was a team celebration where an entire team went to a New York Yankees game that included a 90-minute pre-party with beer and food. Minneapolis, Minnesota Every Wednesday afternoon, Merkle Minneapolis employees can casually drop by the lobby to mingle with people from all over the building while grabbing a drink for Wet Your Whistle Wednesday. In addition, each month the office celebrates birthdays and anniversaries with cake. And each summer the office holds a big event. Recently, the crew headed to Canterbury Race Track for a full day of fun and festivities. The Minneapolis office likes to take time out to help others, too. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities. Every few months, a group takes a few hours to visit Save the Children and pack boxes of supplies for volunteers in the field. San Francisco, California How about a 1980s-themed roller skating party as a different type of company event? And since sunny days in San Francisco are prized, the office 10
celebrates good weather by getting everyone out for a happy hour with outdoor seating. The team here also participates in several charitable events and fundraising activities. Marlborough, Massachusetts Once each month the office hosts a Thirsty Thursday event to benefit a different charity. One of the Thirsty Thursdays is the annual Pink Cupcake War, which is a big hit and a great fundraiser for Susan G. Komen, a Merkle client. Another fun celebration is the office s monthly Chowdah-Head Award. Nominees are chosen for something funny (and sometimes not so funny) that they did in the office. There are also monthly birthday celebrations and an annual summer BBQ, where employees unplug for an afternoon to kick back, relax and enjoy time together without logging on for a few hours King of Prussia, Pennsylvania From monthly birthday parties and smaller team-based events to huge office outings, there s no shortage of fun activities at this location! The office recently had an 80s-themed Bowl-o-rama, where everyone dressed up in 80s garb and went bowling. Then there s the annual Super Bowl chili cook-off, Phillies home opener hot dog lunch, Valentine s Day mimosas and Bloody Marys, a big St. Patty s Day celebration, a Halloween party and costume contest and even a New Year s Eve pot-luck lunch. 11
New York, New York The New York office is a fast-growing location that recently moved into a larger space. That s why it s all the more important to build camaraderie and a sense of community. The crew here hosts monthly pizza lunches where everyone has a chance to break away for a bit, joining up for games like charades or Pictionary. There s also the occasional Yankees game, a picnic and kickball game in Central Park and the monthly champagne sabering celebration. Yes, you read that right. Each month, one lucky employee gets to open a bottle of champagne with an actual sabre. It s completely safe and totally outrageous. The New York office continues to grow and is always welcoming new people, so new hire lunches and breakfasts to help everyone get acclimated are also regular events. Shanghai and Nanjing, China There are plenty of fun events Shanghai and Nanjing. There s the Wednesday sports team-building day, when employees can play badminton or basketball at a nearby indoor complex after work, and monthly bowling tournaments where the losing team buys lunch for the winners. There are field trips for the whole office or smaller gatherings at local parks, a kite-flying competition using kites designed by employees and an annual BBQ for employees and their families. There are also Chinese happy hours with dinner, followed by karaoke that sometimes runs into the wee hours of the morning an office favorite for celebrating big client wins. 12
And last, but not least, there are a number of clubs organized by employees, spanning interests like soccer, martial arts, music, dance, languages, books and even poker. It s a great way to connect people who work in different groups and otherwise might not get to know each other. Our Shanghai and Nanjing offices also celebrate International Women s Day and Family Day with special events on both days. And on Family Day, all those Merkle kids get to come into the offices to see what their moms and dads are up to all week. And How About Those Remote Employees? It can be tough sometimes to feel like part of the team or build camaraderie with your co-workers when you aren t based in an office. But Merkle has invested a lot to bridge the gap for remote employees. Whether it s through technology like Microsoft Lync, which allows video and teleconferencing any time with ease, or flying in remote teammates for big events, we want 13
to make sure we all feel connected, no matter how many miles there may be between us. And during big Merkle celebrations or office-wide luncheons, we ve even had pizzas and other food delivered to the homes of every remote employee. Nobody gets left out of a Merkle celebration! MERKLE HOLIDAY PARTIES Each year every location hosts a very special holiday party for employees and their spouses/partners. The events are always the highlight of the year and the time to reflect on and celebrate our many accomplishments over the past year. David Williams sets the tone for the celebrations with a company-wide message thanking employees for their efforts throughout the year, and Merkle s Executive Committee members make a special effort to attend each party to personally thank employees for their work and contributions. 14