Mekorma Gives Back
Mekorma has committed to be a more socially responsible company.
A few years back, the leadership team adopted a framework called EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System by Gino Wickman) to organize how we operate. As part of that process, we created a 10-year picture of where we’re going. This was done in an iterative process, involving all team members.
One of the results we're aiming for is to give our time to causes in the greater eco-system each year contributing an additional 1% of our time until we reach 10%. This defines us: to see more of the whole and care about it, and find more meaning in coming to work each day.
We started in 2023 with two main endeavors. First, we adopted an adaptable work week that allows our employees to have more flexible time one day per week. They can use this time for self-care, personal and professional development, and volunteering. Second, we initiated a volunteering app where employees can log their efforts. In doing so, we were able to exceed our goal of 1% of our time this first year.
Our Social Responsibility Efforts
We are still exploring what the concept of social responsibility means to us, and so far we have found that it involves volunteering in our local communities, becoming more environmentally sustainable, and supporting those we hold dear. We expect to add many more items to this list as we seek to create a positive impact in the world.
We also found a great assortment of wonderful causes that our employees dedicated their time to. Including (but not limited to):
- Cultivate VetsGo: This program provides free round-trip rides to medical appointments for senior veterans and their senior family members in Colorado.
- Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue: This nonprofit organization rescues stray animals and re-homes them in the Rolla, ND area.
- There With Care | Bringing community and care to families |: This organization that provides a wide range of thoughtful and fundamental services to families and children during the critical phase of a medical crisis.
- Dumb Friends League This full-service shelter offers adoptions, lost-and-found services, and humane education opportunities for the public in Denver, CO.
- Fix It Forward Ministry | Charitable Auto Repair & Car Donation: This nonprofit organization provides free auto repairs and fixes donated cars to in need members of the Fargo-Moorhead community.
More about the Adaptable Work Week
The Adaptable Work Week sprung out of an initiative we had considered to adopt a 4-day work week. We read many case studies of companies that had had good results in gaining more work-life balance without a hit to productivity and many of us were drawn to this idea.
At the same time, we wanted to raise the level of professional training in the company and work towards our social responsibility goals. It seemed like it would be quite difficult to balance giving an additional day off every week with also requiring these additional time commitments.
Thus the Adaptable Work Week was conceived. We now offer a flex day every week. Rather than a complete day off, the guidance we provide team members is to use the time for a balance of personal self-care, professional development and volunteering.
We were very gratified to hear comments from our whole team about how having a flex day contributed to lowering their stress levels and finding more meaning in their workplace.
Here is an example of the anonymous feedback submitted:
“This is one of the best changes I've seen at Mekorma. It resoundingly infuses positivity into the company in general. The flexibility, the balance of life and work, the lower stress level and the sense of completeness surrounding life and work projects is absolutely wonderful.”
In addition, we were able to achieve 15 certifications across the team and the status of Microsoft Solution Partner. We credit this to the hard work of our team and the opportunity we gave them to learn. This is unprecedented in our history, and we are very proud of it.
We'd Love to Hear from You
What are some of the ways you or your company are making a difference in the world? How do you balance your work and life? Please share your thoughts by reaching out to Ora Goldman on LinkedIn. Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more updates on our progress!
