In March 2020, like the rest of the world, Fiona Forward had to adjust to the new normal. Digible’s core purpose held strong as the rest of the world changed around us, but how could we be involved and volunteer from home? How could we responsibly encourage our employees to volunteer in the world of social distancing and Zoom?
The answer took some time, but our core purpose never wavered, “be a role model for employee culture and catalyst for progressive change.” Maybe we can’t be a catalyst for progressive change in the Greater Denver community from our couches. But we can certainly be a role model for employee culture and even inspire progressive change within Digible. We can change the way we do things without compromising the impact we are making.
While not directly engaging with our communities, Fiona Forward engaged employee health and wellness and initialized the Fiona Forward steps program. Every month of Q4 2020 was a new step challenge and came with an opportunity to donate money to a charity for your choice.
Didn’t own a smart device to track your steps? No problem. In committing to employee health and wellness, Digible leadership donated smartwatches to employees who needed them so that everyone could get involved and remain active.
Employees were randomly broken out into teams, breaking the siloed barriers of working remotely & encouraging communication with different departments. Across Q4, Digible donated $1500 to charities within the Denver Metro area like the Grand County Emergency Wildfire Fund and Urban Peak Denver.
Continuing this theme into the new year, Digible took the time to learn from our employees by launching the Digible Masterclass series. Employees were encouraged to lead a class of anything that interested them or helped them stay grounded during the pandemic. From candlemaking to coffee, yoga to painting, and endless house-plant knowledge, the Digible team gained skills to help them throughout the rest of lockdown. We even engaged a ‘fan-favorite’ and spent a February lunch break writing virtual Valentine’s Day Cards for the Children’s Hospital, which would be printed out by hospital volunteers and given to residents at Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Simultaneously Fiona Forward initialized the company-wide use of Hey.Taco, addressing another recurrent pandemic issue of feeling not seen and underappreciated. We shared thousands of virtual tacos throughout the company as Digbile employees thanked, shouted out, and praised fellow team members for their hard work, overall amazingness, and really anything taco-worthy.
Fiona Forward has also taught us about our employees in general. Confidently, we can say that Digible has fascinating teammates. With hobbies and passions far beyond our wildest expectations, it is clear that the Digible team members value the time outside of work to be involved.
Through our DEX programs, Digible employees are encouraged to take 2 hours out of the workweek and spend them on passion projects. While Fiona Forward engages the team with resources for community events, DEX allows teammates to pursue involvement with community projects they are particularly passionate about. In 2022, Digible’s four-day workweek will take effect, further solidifying the dedication to employee well-being and encouragement of community involvement.
