Episode 270: Building Company Morale In A Virtual World

Doug Houser:

From Rea & Associates studio, this is unsuitable, a management and financial services podcast for entrepreneurs, tenured business leaders, and others who are ready to look beyond the suit and tie culture for meaningful measurable results. I'm Doug Houser, on this weekly podcast thought leaders and business professionals break down complicated and mundane topics and give you the tips and insight you actually need to grow as a leader while helping your organization to grow and thrive. If you haven't already, hit the subscribe button, so you don't miss future episodes. And if you want access to even more information, show notes, and exclusive content, please visit our website at www.reacpa.com/podcast, and sign up for updates.

Today, we're going to talk with Abbey Kanellakis practiced growth, senior manager at Rea, about our awesome initiative that she has started called the Committee of Awesomeness. So creating company morale in a virtual world can be quite difficult, but not impossible, and we at Rea certainly could not do that without Abbey. So welcome to unsuitable, Abbey.

Abbey Kanellakis:

Thanks, Doug. I'm so glad to be here.

Doug:

Glad to have you on the other side of the mic, so to speak. You're always part of the awesome team we have here at unsuitable, helping produce our podcast along with Brad and Imani and the whole team, so good to have you on the other side for once.

Abbey:

It's interesting because normally, in the last couple of episodes that I've done of unsuitable, I've talked about communication strategies and marketing, podcasting and this is a completely different topic, but one that I found myself in over the last couple of months, so it is cool to be able to broaden my own horizons, I think.

Doug:

Yes. So talk to us a little bit about the genesis here for the Committee of Awesomeness, and where this came from, and what it's done for us.

Abbey:

So with the Committee of Awesomeness and the name of it, I have to say, is one of my favorite pieces, because it's really great to get some of our principals out there to start saying, "Committee of Awesomeness," and speaking about it very seriously because it's a very Abbey thing to name. But it all started, I'm going to say probably June of last year, so 2020, we're in the midst of this COVID crisis, our offices are still shut down and I spoke to our regional president, Mark McKinley, and he really wanted to put together a picnic. And of course, he's like, "Hey, if you have any ideas on how we can continue this employee engagement because I feel like we're really losing that spark that makes Rea so special." He's like, "I want to hear any idea you might have because we can certainly do more of this."

And I went home, and of course, my wheels are going because that's what they do, and I typed out this long email of a list of ideas that I had and I sent it off to him and he said, "Okay, so what I'm seeing here is that you're volunteering to do all this stuff, right?" Of course, I tend to get myself into more than I can generally chew, so that's what happened. I, of course, saw it as a great leadership opportunity, which I think is a good shout out to those who are looking for ways to grow in their career. If it's an opportunity that looks scary, don't let that deter you, jump on it because that could lead you to some really great things. But I immediately thought of a handful of people I could reach out to in the Dublin office and ask them if they would be willing to join and they did. And the Committee of Awesomeness was formed.

Doug:

That's so great. So, obviously, our firm and every company out there was challenged the further we got into this pandemic, about keeping those touchpoints and keeping that employee engagement, so to speak. So talk about some of the things that you as the leader of the group what you talked about and what came to fruition from those discussions.

Abbey:

So the challenge that we have as well as other companies have is trying to manage events in a virtual environment, or if you're not going to do the virtual aspect, to be able to make it safe from a COVID-19 perspective. So you're always thinking about ways to keep your employees safe but we still want maximum exposure, maximum participation. So we really had to break down into subcommittees and think about ways to make the employees feel like they were going to be safe when they came to these events. So we actually put together initiatives that ensured that we had sanitizer at all places, we had gloves, we had mask mandates, six-foot distancing. We took all of that into consideration, and then we also started thinking outside of the box of how to make visual engagement more interesting and fun for everybody.

So even having a virtual happy hour became fun and it wasn't just us staring at each other. When it all started, of course, we keep it's going to be a month, it's going to be two months, maybe six months, but no one thought it was going to, we're coming up on a year now and nobody thought that it was going to be this intense. But we're still here and now it's actually changed the way businesses operate as a whole. More recruiting outside of your general area has taken place. We're now recruiting out of state. And I just got off a phone call with the BDO Alliance and they're doing the same thing. And so, they want to know how to communicate that brand culture and create those brand ambassadors in a way that is virtual. When everyone is apart, how do you still communicate that brand? And a lot of that is through these events.

Doug:

Yeah, I think that's awesome. And like you say, no matter if you're doing something in person and we were fortunate, we held some in-person employee events this summer in our parking lot. And we had food trucks and we did things like drive-in movie night, just great stuff like that, that I think people really appreciate. But even to your point, when you're on Zoom or Microsoft Teams or whatever virtual platform, how do you try to increase the connection through those types of platforms when you're doing something virtually like that? What are some of the tricks of the trade there?

Abbey:

Well, first, we're in this environment where you can't be shy, you have to be able to go on camera, you have to be willing to do that. And for those who aren't on camera, I'm one of those people, Doug, I'm not afraid of calling someone out. So if I see someone who's trying to hide, I'm going to ask you a question. I'm going to put you on the spot, but they laugh about it and it's like, "Oh yes, I know I was just trying to multitask." Well, we want engagement, we don't want you to be focusing on a million different other things. I also think it's important to a happy hour that would be in person would be very low key and not non-structured. You have to have structure when you're doing these virtual events.

So you need to have a leader. You need to have somebody who's going to talk you through maybe a few announcements, maybe you have a game set up. And I think what's really fantastic is with all of these virtual events now if you just Google search games for Zoom, you're going to come up with a whole lot of really great ideas and free ideas. It's just a matter of thinking creatively outside of the box, having somebody usher you through that meeting time or that happy hour time, and then having a nice close-up, letting people talk on the chat, do what they need to do there, but you have structure when you're on the screen and I think that's important.

Doug:

Yeah, I think that's great. And you guys have all done a great job. I think prepping us for these things too. It's not like, "Hey, just show up." Let's have a contest, here's some homework you can do beforehand or a game that's going to take place. So nothing strenuous obviously, but just take 10 minutes or so and let's really do the prep and make sure that we're engaged once we're there.

Abbey:

One of the subcommittees that we have is the promotion subcommittee. So of course, as a marketer, this is really important to me, but it's so important for everyone else to know what they're getting into. So putting out the flyers, sending out emails, getting them excited. One of the cool things that I've started doing is just keeping Committee of Awesomeness top of mind, so sending out jib jabs, which are these funny videos that you can slap an employee's head-on and make them sing the Macarena or something. And it keeps you top of mind, it keeps everybody guessing what's going to happen next, so they actually want to come to one of these meetings or a happy hour and just participate and have fun. And we've done some really great things. And I also want to say, it's not just me. If it was just me, half of this stuff wouldn't have gotten done, I still have a day job.

So it's been a huge effort of a lot of people in the Dublin office who are getting excited and wanting to not only connect with their coworkers but also give back to the community. And I think that also speaks to the Rea brand. We've had some really great community service initiatives and we've helped the Welcome Warehouse over in Dublin, the Dublin Food Pantry, we helped do a virtual ALS walk to honor McDaniel who had passed and just raising funds throughout the firm. And we actually created a firm-wide walk for that, which was really awesome, the participation that we got. We adopted families for Christmas and we could do all of this stuff remotely, it just takes a little coordination.

Doug:

Yeah, that's awesome. Now, our firm and total we're at roughly 365 people or so, we've got over 50 in Dublin. Talk about how many folks you've gotten actually involved with the Committee of Awesomeness itself. It's quite a number, isn't it?

Abbey:

Well, we're hitting about 20 people who are actually involved, who come to the meetings, had a meeting this morning and we're getting up there. And they only have to give as much time as they can because everyone's doing a million things. We're entering into tax season, which anyone on our tax team is going to be completely heads down. They don't have to volunteer as much then, or they might agree to make a few phone calls to schedule a food truck to come by. We're not going to ask them to plan an entire event. That's why we're sharing the load. And that makes the committee more approachable because in the past, and I think everything fell on a very small group of people and it became intimidating, but now we can all just pull our part and really work on that teamwork, which again, is huge for organizations. And I think more organizations should do that and help facilitate that atmosphere of teamwork and camaraderie.

Doug:

Yeah, and I can see some of the things see you and the group have come up with have already bled over into our entire organization, across our footprint and we've adopted some of those things, so that's awesome. What are some of the things that maybe have surprised you the most as you've gone through this process, Abbey?

Abbey:

How willing people are to put themselves out there and to engage. I think it's also interesting. We are such a conservative group of people as a whole. I'm going to say that as a firm, I'm not that person, but to see people wanting to have conversations and really just talk to each other and engage, you don't realize how much you miss seeing somebody in the hallway or getting a cup of coffee and actually missing somebody's face. And I think I was very shocked to see how much everybody was thirsty for this interaction.

Doug:

Yeah, that's really important. I think one of the other things I've seen is the way people have changed over time. As you said, some people who it's been a little surprising to me how maybe their personality is a little different, let's say through Zoom or on-camera versus in person, some that maybe we're a little more reserved or shy, tend to open up a little more. It's fun to see, right?

Abbey:

It's really cool to see. And especially when you get to peek into their house and their background. It's like, "Oh, that's who you are. I can see more of your personality now." And I think that there's, I do it too, everybody does it when you are in an office space and you're around a certain type of people or people in suits or whatever, you tend to reflect your environment. Now we are reflecting on our own environment. And with Rea especially, we have a dress for your day policy. We tend to be more relaxed. We know our stuff front and back, but we also are very personable and approachable and that's what we want to portray to the people we work with.

And I think I'm seeing it so much more in this way. It's been very inspiring and it's also really cool to see the older generation and the younger generation and how they're really working together more because of the technology that we all have to be learning. And so, there are some people who wouldn't necessarily reach out to maybe an intern or our first year and say, "Hey, I need some help," but they're doing that now. And our interns that are the first year, second years, they're willing to speak up and say, "Hey, I can help you there." And that's been inspiring.

Doug:

Yeah, that's awesome. I think that's a great point as well, because as we've gotten more comfortable with this technology, and we're all a little bit more adapted to it, I think people are learning, hey, there's no harm in reaching out and connecting in this way and it's really, pretty easy to do.

Abbey:

And I think that it's going to be the future of just how we work. We can't say the new normal, this is just reality at this point. And I know there's a lot of people who poo-poo the new normal term, but I think it's time that we stop referring to it like that because this technology, this is never going to go away and this is going to make us better communicators, broaden our reach. Again, we are a firm that's located in Ohio, but now we have this wider reach, which we had before, but I could be sitting in California, I could be sitting in Greece. I could be anywhere, but we're still going to be able to have this conversation and a very smooth transition as though I'm sitting right next to you. And I think that's just exciting and has really broadened our horizons.

Doug:

Yeah, it is awesome. I know for me personally, for example, we've got a CFO of one of our clients, he's actually in Australia and doesn't typically get here as much, but now that we've mastered these different means of communication, I mean, we have a better relationship than we ever had before because of the way we're able to get together this way and communicate. I think it's really broadened our horizon and certainly strengthened the relationship, and ultimately, that's what we're trying to do. It's not as if doing these things takes away from or replaces the personal interaction, it augments it right? And this is going to be another tool that we're going to have going forward.

Abbey:

Absolutely. I agree 100%. And I think that this lesson is something that other businesses that have multiple locations can also bring to the table too. So this is what our experiences here at Rea, but that doesn't mean that there are other businesses out there that can't replicate this or that haven't yet. Maybe they have their own stories of things that work for their own circumstances or maybe they've been thinking about these ideas, but just because we can't physically be together all the time doesn't mean that your brand, your culture cannot extend geographical boundaries.

Doug:

Right. There are just so many great ways to communicate now. And I guess for me, the lesson that I've learned from you and the folks is to embrace all of them and use them each in their own way for the strengths that they can provide. Anything else, Abbey, that you see going forward as we move even beyond 2021, obviously we're going to adopt a lot of this and bring it into the permanent way we communicate but what do you see really out there beyond this year, if anything?

Abbey:

Oh, from an employee engagement perspective and using some of these activities and technology to broaden the brand, I think that there are, obviously going into 2021 and beyond it's like I said, it's not going to go away. I think that there are going to be ways that we can grow upon that. I think now it becomes the investment in high-quality video and sound may be, and rooms in the businesses that are dedicated to this. You have a backdrop maybe, or making it a little bit more for those brands that want to present a certain image, what does that look like? Maybe there are policies being written that talk about how to approach professional meetings versus happy hours, versus maybe meetings with clients. Now that this is becoming part of our normal, our every day, now, of course, in the business world, we have to figure out how to construct it and make the policy correspond with your existing structure as a company.

Doug:

Yeah. There's just so much to think about. And I think it's really exciting how we can all use this. Well, Abbey, it's always great having you on, and thanks again for joining us today and look forward to more fun stuff from the Committee of Awesomeness.

Abbey:

Thanks, Doug. Appreciate it.

Doug:

Absolutely. And if you want more business tips and insight, or to hear previous episodes of unsuitable, visit our podcast page at www.reacpa.com/podcast. And while you're there, sign up for exclusive content and show notes. Thanks for listening to this week's show. Be sure to subscribe to unsuitable on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, or wherever you're listening to us right now, including YouTube. I'm Doug Houser. Join us next week for another unsuitable interview with an industry professional.

Disclaimer:

The views expressed on unsuitable on Rea Radio are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rea & Associates. The podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the professional advice you would receive elsewhere. Consult with a trusted advisor about your unique situation so they can expertly guide you to the best solution for your specific circumstance.