Building from the inside out

In this newer era of remote work, many businesses are seeking ways to reinvent their companies' culture and foster connection without the benefit of in-person collaboration.

According to the Farmington, Utah-based global leadership development firm Arbinger Institute, nearly half of all decision-makers and leaders (46 percent) report that culture drives improvements in areas critical to growth, like employee productivity, retention and engagement.

A separate Gallup survey also found that those who feel strongly connected to their workplace culture are 4.3 times as likely to be engaged at work, 5.3 times as likely to recommend their organization as a great place to work, 62 percent less likely to feel burned out and 47 percent less likely to actively look for another job.

However, that same Gallup survey shows only 2 in 10 employees feel connected to their companies' culture.

Golden Bear Cos., the subject of this month’s cover story is a family company at its core and has made it its mission to establish a meaningful and rewarding culture that emphasizes relationships despite most of its employees working from home.

“I’ve always fundamentally believed you’ve got to love what you do,” Chakola tells Recycling Today. “We spend 50, 60 hours a week doing it, we should love it.”

Along with tailoring job responsibilities by employee, Chakola set up small virtual gatherings throughout the workweek and larger-scale events throughout the year. Those gatherings are meant for employees to take a breather from work and catch up with one another on a personal level.