Building Vegatopia – Engaging from the Inside Out

“You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire beneath them, but by building a fire within them.”

— Dr. Bob Nelson, Employee Engagement Expert (http://www.egroupengage.com/blog/social-media-to-increase-employee-engagement)

It’s no secret – the Vega team is definitely lit from within.  With a strong set of internal values and a workforce that lives and breathes those values, it is unsurprising that Vega was named one of the Best Workplaces in Canada for six years running and this year nabbed the prestigious title of #1 Best Workplace in Canada 2017.  How does an organization like Vega secure its place at the top?  It starts with a connected community of likeminded people.

Excited and Engaged

When it comes to engaging your people, there are certain staples that have been proven effective time and again.  We’ve come to learn that three of the key ways to actively motivate and engage teams involve consistently focusing on:

• Play
• Potential
• Purpose

(https://www.employeebenefitadviser.com/opinion/what-really-drives-employee-engagement)

It’s not rocket science – people don’t want drudgery.   They don’t want to feel like they’re not growing and learning new things.   And they definitely don’t want to feel chained to something they don’t care about.   People are at their best when they’re inspired, healthy, motivated and connected.  At Vega, its clear they take those three key motivators to heart:

Employees at Vega are encouraged to participate and connect via various forms of social media, from sharing content via their Facebook page, to tweeting with their Twitter account.  Even their Youtube channel is chock full of original content, a lot of it involving the employees themselves.  They actively play, they consciously support and stimulate one another’s potential, and they share in a collective purpose.  From getting healthy to building and expanding the business, they don’t hesitate to share that collective purpose with the world.  When outsiders see such a lively, purposeful and connected workplace, they can’t help but want in on it.  Just take a look at some of these comments on their “What it’s like to work at Vega” video:

 

 

The buzz is undeniable.   People are veritably voracious to participate in Vegatopia.

Sharing is Caring

Their vision is also spreading far and wide – with their hashtag #BestLifeProject, people who don’t even work for Vega are participating in their vision and purpose, helping spread the word of not only the Vega name, but the entirety of the business and their goals.  They have pretty much mastered the art of leveraging social media – to generate brand awareness, brand loyalty, employee engagement, a sense of community, and a strong global reach.  By having a clear vision of what they value, attracting and supporting people who share those values, and finding modern and fun ways to share that vision with the world, Vega has truly built a solid, connected community from the inside out.

 

Lessons for Others

Vega has a vision.  Vegatopia is made up of people who share that vision.  People the world over are drawn to working and participating in that Vegatopian vision.   And that’s all been made possible by engaged Vegatopians sharing that vision through the world’s most readily available resource for connection – social media.

So don’t be afraid to take chances, to build a community of like-minded people, to encourage that community to share and connect with the world, to make even non-employees feel like a part of your community, and soon enough you’ll have all the talent and resources you could ever need to build a Vegatopia of your very own.

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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