As Manager, People and Talent at Guidebook, Mallory and her team are committed to creating a company culture centered around inclusivity, transparency, and gratitude. Today, Mallory shares more about one of the programs her team runs to help foster this kind of culture. At this time of the year, gratitude is top of mind for many people. The holiday season inspires us to give back, say thank you, and take stock of the positive influences in our lives. We see the value of gratitude beyond this season. Across our global offices, we’re fostering a culture of appreciation and peer recognition year-round. One program that helps us do this is called Guidebook Gratitudes. When a teammate goes above and beyond, employees are encouraged to send a Guidebook Gratitude. The employee fills out a short online survey about the nominee, detailing how they made a positive impact. They send their nomination over to my team, who reviews and prints each and every Gratitude in individual greeting cards, which are distributed monthly to recipients. One of the fun things about the program is that all nominations are kept anonymous from the recipients. Even more fun – each and every nomination card comes with a $15 Amazon gift card! Perhaps easier than describing the program is highlighting a few nominations we’ve seen recently. Danielle Upjohn, a Client Success Manager in our London office, was recognized for embodying a user-centric mindset. Her anonymous nomination read, “I love Danielle's positivity around the office. She always does her best to help her clients and connect with them in any way she can. Keep it up!” Henry Sung, IT Support Technician in our San Francisco office, received a nomination for always doing his job with excellence. His card read, “Henry has been very helpful in resolving any issues I have been having with software/network, owing to his vast knowledge on a range of IT topics. More recently, he has made the transition between my old and new laptop very smooth. Thanks a lot, Henry!”

Q3 this year, more than 100 Gratitude nominations came in!

At the end of each quarter, we add up all of the nominations and share that number at our All Hands Meeting. This number has been steadily growing over time—in Q3 this year, we saw more than 100 nominations come in! The team really seems to love the program, not just for the Amazon gift cards (though they don’t hurt), but because of the sense of camaraderie and positivity it helps create. The program also helps to unite our global workforce. As Front End Engineering Manager Dylan Foster said, “One of my favorite things about Guidebook Gratitudes is the ability the program gives us to recognize our teammates in other offices. Since we don't see each other face-to-face every day, it's great to have an outlet to connect in this way.” Ultimately, the Guidebook Gratitudes program is just one of the many tools we employ to establish a positive company culture. We are always looking for new ways to allow our employees to connect with each other and build stronger bonds!