The idea of a Culture in Action Committee (CIA) was first introduced to foster an environment that cultivates respect, allows individual talents to flourish and develops leaders at every level. To become a workforce that collectively focuses on and delivers results while having a lot of fun in the process!
The CIA is a volunteer group of employees interested in growing and moving our company forward through discussions and the planning & implementing of initiatives, projects and events. Using these initiatives, the CIA champions and reinforces the Faber-Castell USA “Why” - We Believe in Enriching Lives Through Creativity & Self-Expression.
Some initiatives and examples of events and actions that have been introduced by the CIA are as follows:
Employee Engagement & Corporate Challenges
- Summer Picnic Games & Team Building Activities - Our summer picnic was designed for fun! We've had team building challenges such as group castle building with our own art and craft products, which were then viewed and voted on by all. We have fun games like a water balloon toss, a hula hoop competition, a photo booth, and much more. These events bring us all together through laughter and play.
- Holiday Celebrations - Celebrating together is a wonderful way for us all to sit down together to share a meal, get to know each other better and talk about things other than our daily work.
- Quarterly Town Hall Gatherings - Our Quarterly Town Halls allow everyone in the company to be heard and to listen to each other as to what’s going on in our departments and receive updates on the business.
Employee Relationship & Trust-Building
- Make & Mingles - Our Make & Mingles give employees a chance to do hands-on crafts and arts while learning and becoming closer to our products. This opportunity allows for great conversation, promotes trust building and generates healthy work relationships.
- Quote & Questions of the Week - Our weekly quote and question of the week gets people talking about what their favorite ice cream is, where they’d like to travel or where they've been etc. Another way for us all to share and get to know each other on a personal level while having fun doing so.
- “Why” cards - Our “Why” cards were handed out as a reminder as to what our company “Why” is with a space to write the employee's personal “why” - This allows for us to reflect on what is most important and why we choose to be a Faber-Castell team member.
- Creative Space Enhancements - Painting our lunch room, rearranging furniture, and hanging up artwork all help to create a more open environment where people can feel at ease and allow for creativity to flow. We also decorated our own name plates with fun art and craft supplies that are featured at the entrance of each employee's work space. Each name plate is a personal expression of the employee to showcase their likes, hobbies, interests or personality.
Employee Development
- Book Club - The Book Club is an excellent source of group learning and discussion, another way to bridge relationships. The book of the month is usually chosen to tie into our business initiatives. This allows for us to grow together and incorporate new ideas into our daily work routines.
- Lunch & Learns - Our lunch and learns provide a more relaxed environment to have a snack while watching a webinar or being given instruction on something our employees may need to learn. This allows for us to become closer to the product and effective brand ambassadors for the company.
Employee Recognition
- Weekly Shout Outs - The weekly shout-outs bring attention to a job well done, a kind action, or something that really speaks to our company culture, a mostly peer to peer acknowledgment of awesome!
- Anniversary & Birthday Acknowledgments - Each month we post whose Birthday and Work Anniversary it is within the month. Another great conversation starter and way of recognizing colleagues individually.
- The "Wheel of Faber" - The Wheel of Faber is a prize wheel that’s spun during special occasions, and is a way to reward the staff for participating in our culture forward activities.
Charitable Drives
- American Art Therapy Association Campaign - As our company’s National Charity, we provide art products that can be used during art therapy and during classes for those learning to become art therapists. We also have a link on our website that allows consumers to choose to donate towards the American Art Therapy Association.
- Cleveland Kids in Need Donation of Goods - As our company’s Local Charity, we provide arts, crafts, coats, gloves, and any other supply they may be looking for to be available for our city’s kids in need.
Community Outreach
- Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter Pet Supply Drive - As part of our summer picnic, we were able to donate boxes of goods to provide for the animals in a nearby shelter. This drive warmed all of our hearts as we were able to contribute and help our furry friends in need.
- All Caring Hospice - With plenty of card making and adorning materials, we hosted a card making event for All Caring Hospice to distribute Birthday or Veterans Day cards to their patients.
- White Butterfly Motivational Cards - Project White Butterfly is a local effort to reach those people who may be battling addictions. We hosted a Make & Mingle to create motivational cards as well as art inspired care packages for others to create motivational cards that would be distributed around the city. Faber-Castell USA also donated Fine Writing Pens for future events to promote awareness of the cause.