VelocityEHS Company Culture & Values

What are the key characteristics and values of a good team culture, and how do you and your team bring those characteristics or values to life?

Our team culture thrives on effective communication, trust, collaboration, inclusivity, accountability, continuous learning, recognition, work-life balance and a shared vision. Open communication channels ensure everyone’s ideas are heard and valued, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual respect. We emphasize teamwork, leveraging individual strengths and fostering a collaborative mindset. 

Diversity is not just valued but celebrated, bringing a richness of perspectives to our projects. Accountability is key; each member takes ownership of their tasks, contributing to the team’s collective success. We’re committed to continuous learning, viewing challenges as growth opportunities. Recognition and appreciation are part of our daily practice, acknowledging individual contributions to boost morale. We understand the importance of work-life balance and strive to maintain it, enhancing overall well-being and productivity. 

Lastly, a shared vision unites us, providing direction and purpose. This blend of values creates a dynamic, supportive and effective workplace environment.

How do you ensure your team members continue to feel challenged, engaged and excited by their work?

To maintain an atmosphere where team members are continually challenged, engaged and fulfilled with their work, fostering an environment that promotes growth and innovation is essential. Our approach involves setting dynamic and clear goals that push team members to expand their capabilities and set their sights higher. We emphasize the importance of personal and professional development, crafting a learning-rich environment that constantly encourages our team to operate in their ‘stretch zone.’ 

Fostering a culture of innovation and creativity is also crucial. By allowing team members the freedom to explore new ideas and methodologies, we keep our work intriguing and pave the way for advanced solutions. Regular feedback and the acknowledgment of achievements are integral, too, as they ensure team members feel appreciated and understand the significance of their contributions. Finally, we advocate for a healthy balance between work and personal life, which is vital in sustaining enthusiasm and avoiding burnout. This balance is critical to ensuring our team members are satisfied and successful in their professional and personal lives.

Do you have any unique team celebrations, traditions or rituals to celebrate successes? 

Although we don’t have specific rituals, our approach to celebrating success is deeply woven into our corporate fabric. Prestigious recognitions such as the President’s Club, which is an annual trip for our top performers, and Quota Club are cornerstones of our recognition system on the sales team. These accolades are more than just awards; they represent our team’s dedication, hard work, and collective achievements. 

In our regular team meetings, we make it a point to give shoutouts to outstanding performances, fostering a culture of appreciation and motivation. These celebrations are crucial in reinforcing our core values and demonstrating our unwavering commitment to acknowledging and valuing each team member’s contributions.

What is the biggest challenge to establishing a virtual-first company culture? How is VelocityEHS working to overcome that challenge?

Ensuring our perks and programs are equitable and engaging for our global workforce.

The first step was creating our remote-first work plan, “Work for All” which covers topics like communication norms, meeting etiquette and home office ergonomics to set virtual-work expectations.

Additionally, it was crucial to build communities that are not limited by location. We support over a dozen employee-led affinity and special interest groups that organize companywide initiatives and support each other through group meetings and chats.

Our global teams benefit from the “Belonging Dollars” program, where departments receive budgets for engagement activities tailored to their team culture. These activities range from virtual gaming events and guest speakers to branded swag, catering to various team dynamics.

Our Employee Experience Team continually evaluates and adjusts our programming and partnerships to keep up employee engagement regardless of physical location. We use insights from attendance, participation and employee feedback to make sure our programs work for all. 

What’s your number one tip for fostering connection and/or collaboration among virtual teams?

Give employees the space to bring their whole selves to work. While remote work offers many benefits, we can’t ignore the nuances we lose by not working in person every day. Small, everyday observations can make connections and community building easier. In a virtual-first environment, we need to create opportunities for our employees to find community. Those who participate in our employee-led initiatives, like affinity and special interest groups, connect with colleagues over shared identities or passions that are integral to who they are.

Employees are more engaged and productive when they can bring their whole selves to work. They feel more comfortable sharing ideas and perspectives, asking for help and being part of a team. It’s our job to provide these opportunities.

By encouraging participation in these communities, we foster real connections in our virtual culture.

What remote working tools do you lean on to reinforce culture?

We are always revisiting our tools to ensure our employees have the best possible virtual-first work experience. After four years of being virtual first, we have some favorites.

For a wide variety of live-hosted team building and culture events, we partner with Confetti. One highlight is our annual Drag Queen Bingo party to celebrate the end of Pride Month, which we look forward to every year.

For speaking engagements, we use PepTalk, a platform with a network of thousands of experts for virtual or in-person events and workshops. We’ve used PepTalk to celebrate cultural history months and support our DEIB initiatives. Most recently, Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet and climate advisor, joined us for our Sustainability Committee’s Plastic-Free July event.

We strongly believe in access to mental health care and encouraging our employees to prioritize their mental well-being. Our Mind affinity group promotes and normalizes discussing mental health and neurodiversity in the workplace. Employees enjoy benefits from Modern Health, including access to virtual therapy, coaching, community circles and a digital library of well-being materials.