Working remotely doesn’t have to hinder a team’s ability to connect with one another. Don’t believe it? Just look at Mint House.
According to Senior Director of Talent Raquel Noya, the team keeps the remote experience top of mind when designing events and gatherings, which facilitates the development of honest, fruitful friendships.
“Real connections help individuals feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work, learn about each other and cultivate the empathy needed to thrive together,” Noya said.
In order to foster connections across its hybrid workforce, the company created “Clubhouse,” an open forum that allows employees to organize quarterly events and team-building initiatives. So far, Clubhouse has helped launch a variety of successful initiatives, including the EmpowerMINT campaign, which encourages leadership among women.
“Clubhouse has had a tremendous and positive impact on our culture,” Noya said.
So far, these efforts have boosted employee engagement and satisfaction. Noya said that future events and employee recognition programs are in the works, given the immense success of Clubhouse and the company’s overall focus on cultivating connections.
Built In NYC caught up with Noya to learn how the company brings remote workers together successfully through events and team-building initiatives.
WHAT MINT HOUSE DOES
Mint House offers accommodations for both individuals and companies in several cities across the United States. The company’s living spaces are designed for both short- and long-term stays.
What’s the key to creating real, human connection in the remote workplace?
We make real connections a priority, which is why we design events and gatherings with the remote experience top of mind. Providing creative space for employees to engage informally builds a sense of trust and belonging, creating real emotional connection.
We maintain this environment by hosting monthly all-hands meetings with the leadership team, quarterly corporate meetups, employee shout-outs and complimentary Mint House stays, which promote connections with ground teams. During our all-hands meetings, we celebrate new hires and promotions and hear from mid-level and senior associates about their projects.
What are some successful initiatives the team has employed through Clubhouse?
Clubhouse allows everyone to share their voices and focus on fostering inclusivity through quarterly events and team-building initiatives. With high employee participation in Clubhouse, we’re thinking of more ideas to celebrate employee recognition.
Through Clubhouse, we’ve celebrated Women’s History Month by holding a women-led bingo and an open discussion for participants to share their viewpoints, experiences and triumphs regarding being a woman in the workplace. We also launched the EmpowerMINT campaign, which recognizes women who demonstrate leadership for other women through process or systems improvement and have made a difference through their work relationships at Mint House. Besides these initiatives, our “Minted Mentor” program has also proven highly successful. The program pairs a new hire with a seasoned employee, who guides them during their first few months of employment.
What impact has Clubhouse had on your culture?
Clubhouse has had a tremendous and positive impact on our culture. Employees often express that they feel a sense of belonging at Mint House through our semi-annual team engagement and pulse surveys. For the past two years, our eNPS score has been higher than the industry average. This survey also measures our team’s demographic identifiers to ensure all groups feel valued and supported at Mint House. We’ve consistently received nearly 100 percent satisfaction with representation and acceptance of one’s individual identity.
Employees often express that they feel a sense of belonging at Mint House.”
Additionally, Clubhouse has successfully paired over 50 Minted Mentors, which has led to an increase in satisfaction with new hire onboarding and employee retention. Discussions we’ve had about Clubhouse events have proven that these initiatives directly respond to employee feedback and cater to everyone’s preferences and needs remotely.
