Takeaways from a Webinar with Fooda and Litera

Fooda and Litera recently co-hosted a webinar to discuss the current state of employee engagement in Q4 2021. 

Evolving management strategies, encouraging strong work-life balance, maximizing company communications, and exchanging virtual engagement activity ideas were the main themes of the discussion.

Evolving Management Strategies

2021 has changed the way teams interact and how expectations are measured. Most organizations have shifted their focus to results and self-management, with the understanding that the workforce has matured and can be trusted to deliver under new circumstances.

Encouraging productivity that’s healthy and preventing burnout 

Both webinar moderators noted an increase of productivity when work-from-home started and each stressed the importance of making sure employees were giving themselves adequate moments to pause, recharge, and take care of life. Strategies to address burnout and encourage self-care that were covered:

Core business hours

To help its global workforce connect as a team, while still allowing for flexibility around personal schedules, Litera implemented core business hours – (8a-12p CST).

Brittani Shaw, Chief People officer at Litera explains “We try to work during these hours globally so there is some overlap, but outside of that, it could be all hours of the night.”

Encouraging a strong work – life balance

It is one thing to say work life balance is important, another to make sure it is a company priority. Leadership sets the tone and expectations on many comapny culture fronts, and this is no exception.

Wellness activities discussed during the webinar

Maximizing Company Communications

Both Litera and Fooda pride themselves on being highly transparent organizations. The moderators agreed that sharing information has been a critical way to maintain trust and confidence during uncertain times. 

All hands meetings engage and educate employees on where the company stands.

Moderators shared how their all-hands meetings are as important now as ever. The goal is to keep everyone informed about topics that impact the company, including:

• How we are doing as a business
• When to expect a return to the office
• Any major business decisions
• Address feedback received from employees
• Answer all questions

Fooda has a weekly all hands with regular appearances by the CEO to present the full content of presentations he makes to the Board of Directors (including financials). Litera has a monthly all-hands meeting, and has added two additional fifteen minutes check-ins each week.

Virtual Engagement Activities 

Engaging employees with non-work activities and replacing the chance conversations and encounters they would usually have in the office is also important to keeping a healthy company culture. Both Fooda and Litera have worked to include engaging activities for employees and their families. Fooda’s VP of People Emily Karottki has noted that “varying the medium in which we communicate — it doesn’t ALL have to be a video call — helps to keep things feeling fresh.”

Fooda’s Community Tables

Community Tables were originally set up in Fooda’s large open lunch room as a way to encourage people across the company to sit together and open up over lunch. During the pandemic, we have taken the concept virtual.

Goal: Meet new coworkers and build rapport. Re-create the chance encounters we formally had in the kitchens, at the high top tables, and in the elevators.

How does it work?

Watch the webinar

We hope these tips have been helpful and can give you some fresh ideas for your organization. The entire webinar can be viewed online. Feel free to check it out.