As anyone who has ever thrown or attended a hybrid event knows, the remote experience is incredibly difficult to get right. In addition to technical issues, there are often few opportunities for remote attendees to interact with those in the office. The technical issues are easier to iron out, but ensuring everyone feels included is much trickier. While the playbook hasn’t been written yet, companies have found success with hybrid events by adopting a program approach.
Under a program approach, events aren’t merely one-off gatherings, but unique experiences designed to imprint a company’s culture onto both remote and in-person attendees. Sam Herzing, senior manager of people strategy and employee experience at SeatGeek, describes it as trying to capture a specific “feel” and says it has led to both better hybrid events as well as in person and remote ones.
“A program approach frees us from having to make tradeoffs between designing events that are office-first or remote-first and allows us to lean into what’s great about each format,” Herzing said.
Herzing, along with other leaders who’ve organized events at pharmaceutical company TrialSpark and B2B payments platform Melio, broke down the program approach to Built In New York and shared how it’s recently helped their teams create successful hybrid events.
While SeatGeek has a hybrid work model, the company acknowledges that some experiences are better in person. Case in point, onboarding, which the ticketing platform uses as an opportunity to immerse new hires in its culture and business. Herzing shared how SeatGeek reinvented its onboarding process to ensure remote workers could get the most out of the experience.
Describe an event, ritual or activity where you saw success in engagement from both your remote and in-office workforce.
Over the last three years, SeatGeek has evolved into a more flexible and hybrid workplace, and the way we engage our team; starting from day one, our workplace culture needs to reflect that. Resources on our internal wiki support new hires exploring at their own pace, but we have been missing the energy of an immersive experience for our new hire classes since shifting to a remote process during the pandemic.
“Ready Set” is our answer to that challenge, a three-day orientation experience of connection, learning and fun at SeatGeek HQ in NYC. Our new hires are able to immerse in the culture and history of SeatGeek in a way that lingers when they return to their home offices. Being able to pair our flexible work philosophy with the unmatchable experience of being “live,” both of which are imprinted in our ethos as a live events company, creates something uniquely SeatGeek.
For those not interested or able to attend, all of the training sessions are available as self-guided videos and reflection activities. Virtual new hires also have access to subject matter experts who can answer questions and engage one-on-one as they go through and apply the content.
When you hire people because of their diverse backgrounds, you can’t be surprised that what energizes and engages them is also different.”
What feedback did you receive from the participants of this event?
After taking multiple new hire classes through the Ready Set experience, we’re proud to say that 100 percent of attendees so far would recommend it to other new hires. Favorite moments include meeting SeatGeek’s founders for an informal Q&A, going to live sporting and Broadway events, attending our company all-hands meeting and building a network of coworkers from across the business. These early connections make it easier for remote teams to feel connected and know where to go for questions as they embark on their career at SeatGeek.
Here is some feedback we’ve received from attendees:
“It was a great experience getting to sit and eat with my coworkers, who I would have never met in person without Ready Set. I made new friends and got to meet familiar faces from our virtual orientation.”
“It was great meeting new people and getting the ability to see the office and feel the SeatGeek culture firsthand.”
“There wasn’t a single moment that stood out as ‘the best.’ However, the way that the presenters made the individual sessions interactive and engaging made it a great experience overall. It wasn’t just a lecture where we took notes.”
What should employers be doing to create an engaging hybrid culture? What is important to consider when planning activities for in-person and remote employees?
When you hire people because of their diverse backgrounds, experiences and skill sets, you can’t be surprised that what energizes and engages them is also different. At SeatGeek we think of our events not as a single experience but as a program of experiences that reflect the overall feel we seek to create. A program approach frees us from having to make tradeoffs between designing events that are office-first or remote-first and allows us to lean into what’s great about each format.
This also means we have to get rid of the idea of creating the same experience across all formats. Of course a remote participant will have a different experience than someone in an office, but our goal is for it to never be an objectively worse one.
In-person experiences easily create shared energy, informal connections and a tangible sense of culture. Remote experiences are inclusive, allow for greater individual contribution and can bridge physical gaps. These are all important aspects of connecting team members to the broader company.
At growing companies with hundreds of employees and offices in multiple cities like Melio, it can be hard to engage with virtual events when so many faces on the screen are unfamiliar. That’s why Arielle Hirsch, employee experience manager, and her team make it a point of emphasis to showcase and involve team members from all over the company during events; this tactic recently helped to create a well-received panel event during Women’s History Month.
Describe an event, ritual or activity where you saw success in engagement from both your remote and in-office workforce.
Melio is a growing company with in-office, hybrid and remote employees, and offices in Israel, Denver and New York City. We are extremely intentional and create programming that is impactful and engaging for our employees so that they feel like they are using their time effectively and also getting to learn along the way. We recently held a global employee-led panel for Women’s History Month and saw amazing engagement across the board. Our teams were all supportive and engaged in learning more about the stories of hardship, resilience and triumph from their fellow colleagues. It was truly inspiring to see everyone come together regardless of where they were sitting.
Events like this allow us to break down barriers and communicate, rather than just relying on happy hours or office chatter.”
What feedback did you receive from the participants of this event?
Across the board, the team felt this panel was very meaningful and valuable for learning more about our colleagues. The panel consisted of a representative from each of our office locations, so there was a sense of community and engagement across the entire company; everyone wanted to keep the panel going longer. Additionally, remote employees said they felt a sense of openness from seeing a more personal side of their colleagues. Events like this allow us to break down barriers and communicate, rather than just relying on happy hours or office chatter.
What should employers be doing to create an engaging hybrid culture? What is important to consider when planning activities for in-person and remote employees?
Involving employees in events and showcasing them whether they are remote or in person helps create an engaging hybrid culture. Additionally, when holding an event that is both in person and available to stream, it is important to acknowledge the people on Zoom and make them feel part of what’s happening. This can be done by specifically giving them the floor to ask any questions or by providing the opportunity to host an event.
When planning, it is important to think about the type of event: an inspirational talk, a hands-on activity, a social event, a speaker or an employee-led event. We prioritize making everyone feel like they are having the same experience, and considering the type of event makes it easier to plan how to engage with both those who are in person and remote. It also makes a huge difference to have the right technology in place so that all employees can hear and see everyone clearly.
Companies with hybrid workforces don’t just “have” engaging cultures. They build them intentionally through events designed to consistently bring remote and in-office employees together. Chelsea DeRosa, people operations associate at pharmaceutical company TrialSpark, shared the slate of virtual and in-office events that help keep her teammates connected and engaged.
Describe an event, ritual or activity where you saw success in engagement from both your remote and in-office workforce.
Like so many companies during the pandemic, our team transitioned to work from home. With a flexible hybrid approach, some of our New York-based employees began to move and we expanded our hiring beyond NYC. After the pandemic, our team expressed a strong desire to connect with each other in person, so we brought our remote and local employees together for a two-day company retreat in November 2022 at a resort in New Jersey.
The main purpose of the retreat was to invest in building lasting connections, help everyone better understand what other teams do day-to-day and to break down remote barriers. Our itinerary was balanced with team building and wellness activities as well as sessions about our business. Our team participated in a scavenger hunt, a creative drug development contest, hiking, making smores and more! We saw incredibly high engagement from this retreat with over 90 percent of our employees attending from 18 states across the country.
An engaging hybrid culture is flexible, inclusive and connective. It is critical to invest in social connection through a consistent program schedule of in person and virtual experiences.”
What feedback did you receive from the participants of this event?
Based on a feedback survey, close to 100 percent of our employees felt more connected to one another after the retreat and are looking forward to the next one in 2023. We heard many positive anecdotes about new connections, organic conversations and fun activities that brought people closer together. Employees also shared great ideas for our 2023 retreat.
In terms of feedback, remote employees shared that:
“My relationships with people both on my team and on other teams grew significantly, which I think will lead to more effective working relationships and a more friendly and collaborative work environment!”
“As a remote employee, the opportunity to meet and work with colleagues in other departments was especially appreciated.”
In addition, our New York-based employees had this to say:
“I have never felt more included than at this retreat. Everyone is so nice and welcoming and I never once felt out of place.”
“It was refreshing to see everyone in person and I feel reenergized about the mission and what we’re trying to accomplish.”
What should employers be doing to create an engaging hybrid culture? What is important to consider when planning activities for in-person and remote employees?
An engaging hybrid culture is one that is flexible, inclusive and connective. It is critical to invest in social connection through a consistent program schedule that balances both in person and virtual experiences. We encourage remote employees to visit our headquarters in New York at least once per quarter when we host a company event and in-person meetings. Beyond our quarterly events, all employees are regularly invited to hybrid events like lunch and learns, team-bonding games and heritage month celebrations with hybrid events like bingo, virtual on-site tours of historical monuments, scavenger hunts and more.
To encourage in-person connections for local employees, we plan a catered monthly lunch and encourage teams to organize in-person meetings to align with those lunches. It is helpful to create purpose around in-person gatherings and ensure there are opportunities to collaborate and socialize. We encourage employers to continuously seek ways to learn what works well for their team, try out new ideas and invest in connections.
