What makes a good team culture? Certainly collaboration, community and support are at the top of the list. But as the pandemic took hold across Canada and organizations redefined the ways they worked, it became clear that underlying all the elements of a successful workplace culture was communication. And with the necessary changes to the way we communicated — spurred on by health & safety precautions — it may have seemed like our sense of community was fading.
But we’re resilient. And Canadian organizations adapted. In this article for Lead Magazine, the People team at Saje Natural Wellness describes how their well-defined people culture may have changed in practice, however, with a focus on understanding their teams’ needs, they have maintained their people culture in essence.
Setting the scene
What changed in response to the lockdown? What were the immediate (within 2-3 months) changes put in place?
Our entire focus of how we operated changed. We placed a lot of importance on interacting with our community members (customers) and our team members (employees) in person. Overnight, we had to shift our tools to ensure we could still support our people and the community who needed our products — especially in such a time where wellness was needed.
What were the differences in the response for office workers and retail/warehouse staff?
For our retail and distribution teams, we immediately researched and implemented safety measures (such as social distancing, PPE, education and training) to ensure their environments remained safe.
For our support offices, any role that could operate from home moved to a work from home program and we continued to keep the office open for optional use. We ensured we launched COVID protocols including social distancing and capacity measures as well as self-assessment check ins upon entry to prioritize the health and well-being of our teams.
It was very important for us to listen to our team members along these changes and ask for feedback on what was working and what wasn’t so we could continue to improve, focus on safety and keep an open dialogue on the business. We surveyed our people often — and still do — to understand their needs and how the measures we have implemented are working and to understand where they need additional support.
Let’s talk about your people culture. What defines it?
Our people truly define our culture. Saje has been undergoing an incredible transformation this past year, and I am most grateful for the voices of our team members sharing what is most important and authentic to them about working at Saje. With this in mind, together we were all able to re-define our values.
What are the values Saje shares with its employees?
Our values shape a culture that supports all of us to be our best selves and contribute to the growth of Saje. Through living these values, we can drive our mission and offer each other and our community support on a journey to better health and wellness.
- Wellness: We believe wellness is non-prescriptive; that focusing on our own physical, emotional and environmental wellness allows us to give our best to others and that natural choices are the foundation of our journey.
- Growth: We believe in living to our fullest, having the courage to test, listen, share, and learn — treating every experience as an opportunity for growth.
- Celebration: We believe acknowledging the positive propels us to possibility, that celebration brings people together and that small wins are just as important as the big ones.
- Greatness: We believe in dreaming big and making an impact, that greatness is worth going after and that commitment and collaboration will get us to our goals.
- Belonging: We believe an experience of belonging is a shared responsibility, that creating inclusive spaces for connection matter and that our wellness is elevated through community.
Adjusting to a new way of working
What were the specific adjustments needed for office employees and working from home initiatives?
We strived for equity amongst all of our team members and also understood the different needs of each location we operate, especially those that require physical access vs. those that don’t. For our office employees, we offered any supplies from our offices including kitchen supplies, plants, chairs, desks, etc., to be signed out and used at home. This helped give people some support immediately and also helped to leverage items we already had to give office items a new home.
Is there anything specific to retail/warehouse workers and health and safety protocols?
In our Distribution Centres over the holiday season, we felt it was best to have an on-site nurse to check in each team member and to support anyone who was not feeling well to have immediate support and also ensure the environment was safe as we were all learning new ways of working.
What parts of Saje’s people culture have you had to let go of?
Prior to the pandemic, we had quite a few physical gatherings throughout the year, as well as a healthy snack program which both had to be adjusted in light of COVID. The goal of both programs was to ensure we could bring people together to build connections. With that said, we have been able to find new ways of doing so with virtual meetings and other forms of communication and appreciation. For example, at our Distribution Centres during peak period, we supplied safe individual lunches for our team members working those days to say thank you.
I understand that part of your “adjustment strategy” was listening to what your employees told you they needed. What was the most surprising thing that your employees needed (or didn’t need) as support during this time?
The feedback we received was so practical and applicable, I highly recommend all employers do this on a regular basis. Our team members were able to share feedback on, for example, shift times, what was working about our check-in process and what wasn’t to help with scheduling, and what they wanted to see more of (i.e., more physical indicators vs. written long emails on safety). We were able to adapt our focus and implement their suggestions in partnership with them, which was truly a win-win.
Looking ahead
What lessons has Saje learned that will carry forward?
Listening and learning from our employees on a regular basis will absolutely be our focus that will carry forward. While the mediums to communicate have changed, our opportunity to hear voices via surveys, stand-up meetings, check-ins and virtual meetings have been phenomenal to keep our business and teams safe and productive. Asking for feedback along the journey of any change is key.
Responses were provided by the People team at Saje Natural Wellness. They are:
Zuleika Sgro, CHRL, VP People
Lauren Tetiker, People Business Partner
Jenna Quaglia Mulherin, CPHR, Director of People
Learn more at @SajeWellness | www.saje.com