An Investment In Your Culture Is An Investment In Your Company

The OneDigital Hartford family truly integrates a celebratory piece into most of our daily activities. Whether we are highlighting the latest sales accomplishments, recognizing two individuals for “Player of the Month,” singing happy birthday and handing out balloons during a company briefing, hosting a baby shower for an expecting family, or taking a few minutes to ring in the new year as a group, celebration tends to be at the forefront of our culture.

Why? It is simple really - employees who feel appreciated show up in better spirits, have more motivation to work hard in alignment with the company vision, and contribute to the overall success of the organization. On the contrary, overworked and under-appreciated employees are unlikely to create any sort of positive impact on a company’s bottom line. OneDigital’s potential for growth increases exponentially as we continue to invest in our culture.

As a member of our “Fun Shui” culture committee, maintaining our vibrant office atmosphere is very important to me. An excerpt from our mission statement mentions how “we believe in the power of positive energy, making our work environment feel like home, boosting the morale of our coworkers, and sustaining the happiness that drives victories both in the office and at home.” I believe we achieve all of these through our focus on celebration. Recent examples that I’ve witnessed in our office include when an employee passed her required state licensing exam, she received a vase of flowers and a thoughtful note from her coworkers. Another was when a co-worker was going through a rough time, a few of her peers put their heads together to create the perfect gift for the dog-loving owner- custom ordered M&Ms with her dogs face on them for valentines day (the cutest M&Ms ever!). Who wouldn’t enjoy coming to work when you are surrounded by people concerned about your wellbeing.

If you think about it, retention, client loyalty, and culture are all interconnected. Companies who make the investment to maintain happy and dedicated employees tend to attract more loyal clients. We also gain the ability to maintain positive carrier relationships. I recently received an email from a carrier representative who highlighted how OneDigital Hartford seems like a fun place to work, which she noticed both through our use of social media and from our team dynamic during a lunch meeting. In my experience, the best way to market yourself as a company is through your employees acting as company advocates, and OneDigital Hartford is doing just that. It is nice to know that our culture, energy and friendships are recognized by those outside our organization as well.