When Envestnet shifted to a remote working environment at the onset of the pandemic, leadership wanted to ensure that the team felt supported and equipped to do their jobs, while also maintaining a close connection to the Envestnet community.
The culture of Envestnet is incredibly unique; it’s something the leadership team focuses on as a differentiator and key component of our success. For many team members, the company culture is one of the primary reasons they love working at Envestnet.
As team members dispersed to their homes, there was a concerted effort to maintain that sense of culture and keep employees engaged, no matter where they were. As a result, We Are ENV was born.
We Are ENV
We Are ENV is an initiative led by a team of employees, focused on creating opportunities for connection and community across the organization. It complements the broader internal strategy led by the executive team, HR, and IT, which has provided:
- Biweekly Town Hall meetings to keep employees informed of internal processes and important updates.
- Quick mobilization to provide employees with the tools and resources they need to be productive at home.
- Access to increased benefits to support employees during the pandemic.
Thanks to the team representatives leading We Are ENV, the initiative represents the very heart of Envestnet. It showcases how much the team cares about and wants to keep in touch with each other beyond everyday duties in the workplace.
With support from the executive team, the campaign has leveraged unique and fun touchpoints so far this year, including:
- Delivering We Are ENV t-shirts to all employees at their homes.
- Sending regular email communications with upcoming events or new opportunities for socialization.
- Planning regular story time opportunities, where a team member reads a book (over video, of course) to interested employee children.
- Producing videos from senior team members offering tours of their backyards, how-to mocktail and macaroon sessions, and light-hearted views into their lives working from home. It’s nice to see what people are up to in their own environments.
- Leveraging internal social media platforms for sharing playlists, recipes, and photos, and offering the opportunity to interact without being face-to-face.
- Showcasing DIY projects or artwork team members have created at home, from paintings, to photography, to LEGO creations.
- Promoting self-care and self-improvement by asking employees to share their journeys and tips for others.
- Competing in a weekly trivia challenge every Friday at 4:45pm ET for 15 to 20 minutes. The intent is to help people end their workday and start the weekend or get a break from the day. There are prizes every week and attendance has been high! The Envestnet team loves a competition. Moving forward, the winners can look forward to being entered into a random drawing for a bigger prize every quarter, from a Kamado Joe grill, to a television, to a Peloton.
The feedback has been positive so far:
“Envestnet has an awesome culture that I am so happy to be a part of. When we all went to work from home and felt confused and scared, We Are ENV took our culture and made it virtual. From town halls, to trivia, to cooking lessons, and silly executive videos—it has made the days better.”
– Shannon Granahan, Vice President & Enterprise Consultant of the RIA Network
“As most of my colleagues know, working from home and raising a family while managing the everyday challenges of COVID is quite a task. But, Envestnet has done an excellent job with virtual social engagement. My personal home office experience couldn’t be better. I find myself sharing my experiences and interesting questions from our trivia sessions with my family over dinner on pizza Fridays. Keep it up, Envestnet, and thanks for making the transactions during these difficult times more enjoyable.”
– Alex Oshodi, Specialist, Technical Client Services
“We Are ENV has made life and working from home much more enjoyable during these past few months and trying times. While I miss the connection of interacting with my colleagues in a formal work environment, We Are ENV has provided several outlets of communication and talking points amongst team members and friends. The weekly trivia has been a great activity and morale booster with teammates as we social distance and work from home. It’s a great way to round out the week. The quarterly grand prizes are amazing. We Are ENV captures what we aspire to be each and every day. It’s not just a saying, it’s our company culture. I look forward to the new additions as we continue to progress and thrive during these unique times.”
– Dennis Coster, Team Lead, Envestnet | Tamarac
“The We Are ENV initiative has been a blessing during these challenging times with COVID. It has brought camaraderie and a true sense of caring amongst colleagues that makes me proud and fortunate to be part of this company. My family is forever grateful.”
– Alfie Lontoc, Team Lead, Envestnet | Tamarac
“While I, and others, are excited to return to the office as soon as is safe, having remote social touchpoints makes a nice opening to reconnect with teammates and connect with others from across the organization who normally wouldn’t be part of our team or office colleague group!”
– Lyn Conklin
As remote work continues, the We Are ENV team will continue to consider new ways to keep the team engaged and evolve the existing platform to drive participation, including opportunities for volunteerism, a core component of the Envestnet identity.
At a time when so many people are struggling, it’s nice to have the support of a team, the chance to laugh, the opportunity to learn more about each other, and a way to come together as a team. We are ENV.
The information, analysis and opinions expressed herein are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the views of Envestnet. These views reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of writing and are subject to change at any time without notice. Nothing contained in this piece is intended to constitute legal, tax, accounting, securities, or investment advice, nor an opinion regarding the appropriateness of any investment, nor a solicitation of any type.