Feedback That Connects Teams
Daily team huddles and regular 1-on-1 sessions are powerful ways to connect teams, whether they work in the office or from home. What role does feedback play?
The GoTeam Quick Look
- This month, we found another reason to value our leaders and clients’ feedback: it’s directly connected to our privilege of being able to work from home.
- We believe it’s also one of the most effective ways of preventing burnout at work. Read our clients’ feedback for our Values Awardees for March 2022 and you’ll see why!
How would the return to office order affect us? One of the most anticipated announcements in March, when we gathered for our Discover You event, was whether or not everyone would be summoned back to the GoTeam office at the start of April.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020, some business process outsourcing (BPO) companies received tax incentives for sending up to 9 out of every 10 team members to work from home (WFH).
But the Philippine Government’s finance department ordered an end to WFH arrangements starting 1 April 2022.
For team members who had grown to love the benefits of working from home, this meant a potentially challenging adjustment— a return to 2-hour commutes, the rising cost of child care, and the loss of time they could otherwise have spent with their families at home.
That’s why GoTeam CEO Fiona Kesby’s announcement that we would not be required to report to the office was met with joy and relief.
“By delivering exceptional results for yourselves and your clients, wherever you work, you gain so much more choice and freedom,” Fiona explained.
“The choice (of work arrangement) is between you and your clients.”
What we mean by WFH: You have the option to win from home, work flexibly hybrid, or win from HQ. Team members are always welcome to work in our Cebu IT Park office whenever they meet power or internet connection challenges at home.
And so, we found one more reason to value our leaders and clients’ feedback—it had become more than a way for us to feel appreciated and valued.
It was also a way to continue working from home, if that was what we needed.
Fortunately, our GoTeam clients don’t withhold feedback. Many have, in fact, shared feedback that works because:
- it’s specific;
- it’s given openly, in keeping with the advice to correct in private but commend or praise in public; and
- it explains to the team members what impact their actions or outcomes had on their client’s business.
Their generosity reminds us of something that Stephen R. Covey wrote:
“Leadership is communicating others’ potential and worth so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.”‘
Attention, passion, and care’
BLACK WIDOW AWARD
Angelic works as a Team Leader for an Australian events, conferences, and editorial business that drives the adoption of tech and innovation in financial services and government. She marked her fourth GoTeam anniversary in March this year.
Her client Matthew C. wrote that Angelic is “always a consistent performer but this week she went above and beyond. I hope that she doesn’t mind me mentioning this but her father went into hospital for an emergency the morning of one roundtable and still she was responding to messages and in contact with the team. I couldn’t get her off it!”
“The results of this level of attention, passion, and care speak for themselves. The roundtable had one morning of event cancellation and one last-minute Covid cancellation but still had 12 attendees, including one CTO and one CIO. (The attendance and seniority were great!) The room was full of laughter and was buzzing! The client was thrilled and is looking to run another one in a different state in a couple of months’ time.”
“In short, Angelic was a star and I thought you should all know!”
CAPTAIN MARVEL AWARD: Monalisa marked her third GoTeam anniversary in March, the same month she won this award. She works as an Admin Assistant for an Australian author and mentor/executive coach. Monalisa works during the day shift with Coach Aldin’s team.
“Mona did great work across such a tough year. As we discussed in our 1-1 review together, she is such an integral part of my business, and I am so excited she is on board and loving what she does,” wrote her client Belinda B.
“My aim is to keep her growing, learning, and stretching. I have the best person in GoTeam and everyone always says. ‘Everyone needs a Mona.’ Yes, they sure do!”
JEAN GREY AWARD: Maybelle works as a Quality and Integrations Associate for one of the fastest-growing property management and corporate housing providers in the US. She also celebrated her first GoTeam work anniversary in March!
In nominating Maybelle, her client Clara R. wrote: “Mayb, you are such a star! Your quality of work is unparalleled, and I’m so impressed by how well you grasp all of our team’s processes and tasks while also completing everything so quickly.”
“It’s also awesome that you share feedback on processes and offer suggestions for changes. This shows how dedicated you are and that you really understand the business! You’re proactive, efficient, and always on top of everything. Keep up the great work!”
(We acknowledge that Captain Marvel, Jean Grey, and Black Widow are all characters originally created by Marvel. We derive no commercial benefit from using these character names to reward team members for their exceptional results.)
COACH OF THE MONTH
Coach Bucky! Just five months after joining GoTeam, Bucky won our first Coach of the Month Award.
He works during the night shift with the go teams of clients in a range of industries, including B2B bookkeeping services, industrial parts manufacturing, insurance, logistics, property management, sports and outdoor equipment, and real estate investment.
“Coach Bucky cares for his co-team members. He drives you to be motivated and be grateful,” wrote one of the night-shifters on Bucky’s team.
“He executes whenever we need something regarding work. He always finds a way to make our lives better as a team member. He always teaches us to be humble and be thankful for everything we have here at GoTeam, especially to our client.”
Our Operations Manager Alin added: “Dedicated to his team’s success, Coach Bucky has demonstrated his efficiency and has achieved results quickly. Congratulations as well on his regularization!”
CARE AWARD
Madelyn works as a Financial Administrator the Australian manufacturer of a swimwear and activewear line “designed by athletes, for athletes.” She works during the day shift with Coach Joe’s team and celebrated her first GoTeam work anniversary in February.
“Despite facing tough times at home coping with, cleaning up, and fixing the aftermath of the cyclone, Madi has managed to go above and beyond our expectations as a valued team member,” her client Trent G. wrote.
“She brings a really positive attitude to all conversations and meetings and genuinely cares about the success of our company and people every day.”
What this award honors: We care deeply about the success of our clients, knowing that their success is our long-term success. We care about our workmates and treat everyone as we would wish to be treated.
DRIVE AWARD
Leah Abigail works as a Bookkeeper during the night shift with Coach Bucky’s team. Her client is a US wholesale distributor of industrial machinery and equipment. She joined the team in February 2021.
The feedback that Leah’s client David H. shared is something else. You can sense the thoughtfulness and care that went into it!
“Leah has exceeded all expectations. She is one of our A-level team members and is critical to our success,” David wrote.
“Many team members have asked if we can sponsor her to join us in our New York office. Leah is our ‘glue.’ She has taken responsibility and accountability for many of our accounting, invoicing, and daily processing functions.
“This was a role literally involving at times 3-4 people. Our main concern is that she is working too hard as our search for a bookkeeping assistant has taken longer than expected. However, we are going to extend an offer to a GoTeam candidate.
“Leah has become such a trusted part of the team that she is intimately involved with the hiring of this person in the Philippines. She has become the first interviewer because our view is she has veto power on any potential hire there. I certainly didn’t expect that to be the case before we hired her. Deciding on her compensation increase has been easy. I have asked what is top of class for her position and that is what her compensation should be.
“Getting back to your core values, she hits every point. She frequently works overtime to make sure we are getting everything done and I sometimes see emails over the weekend. She has a constant drive to learn and is going to be the point person for the upcoming upgrade of our internal systems.
“I fear you may think I am ‘laying on thick’ for effect in her nomination but I assure you all praise is well deserved. She is one of our team members that we can, without reservation, state we hope to stay with our company until retirement.”
What this award honors: We possess an internal drive to succeed and help our clients exceed their goals.
DISCOVER AWARD
Marie Jan works as a Customer Sales Representative for a US East Coast business that is immersed in the cycling and outdoor community and envisions itself becoming the best place to shop for everyone who rides a bike. She works during the night shift with Coach Bucky’s team and won this award in just her third month with GoTeam!
Her client Brian K. wrote: “She is always willing to ask questions to learn a new process to help customers. I am very happy we got her!”
What this award honors: We possess a thirst for discovering new skills and commit ourselves to extended learning.
FIND A WAY AWARD
Pamela works as an Executive and Personal Assistant for a US company that provides power and data solutions. When the business began more than 50 years ago, it operated out of the basement of the founding couple’s home. Pamela joined GoTeam in February 2022 and won this award in just her second month. She works with Coach Joe’s team.
Her client Dan B. wrote: “I had a special request for a specific room in Venice and the hotel declined my request. Pam elevated the discussion to the manager and locked in my request to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary (it was supposed to be our 25th but was delayed by Covid) in Venice. Pam made this happen by being persistent and never giving up.”
What this award honors: We take responsibility, accountability, and ownership of our actions. We embrace challenges and commit to finding resolutions to any obstacle.
EXECUTE AWARD
Rhealyn works as a Logistics Coordinator for a business in California that provides batteries, chargers, and power solutions that support companies in asset tracking, utilities, robotics, medical services, and telecommunications. She works during the night shift with Coach Bucky’s team and celebrated her first GoTeam work anniversary in February.
“She has continued to step up and help with whatever is asked of her and is willing to continue to learn,” her client Annette C. wrote.
“She is continuing to take on new responsibilities, gets these completed in a timely manner, and takes accountability and responsibility for the work she does. She has been a tremendous asset to the company and especially to my department.”
What this award honors: We focus and execute to get the job done. We believe in measurements and creating winnable games across all the work we do.
HUMILITY AWARD
Kristelle Ann, who joined GoTeam in August 2021, works as a Quality Coordinator for a corporate housing and property management business that serves more than 30 cities in the US. She works during the night shift with Coach Bucky’s team.
Her client Clara wrote: “Kris, you always bring such a positive, radiant energy to our team and 1:1 meetings and it’s contagious! Your outlook on work and even difficult situations is inspiring, and it’s especially obvious when you come across difficult scenarios.”
“You’re able to problem-solve while keeping everyone’s best interests in mind, and you do so with such kindness. You think through your tasks to do them well, which is very important for this role, and your communication skills are wonderful. Keep up the good work.”
What this award honors: We are open to listening to others. We seek the third alternative. It may not be my way or your way; together we commit to finding the best way.
GRATITUDE AWARD
Joe, one of the Coaches in GoTeam, joined us in September 2021. Coach Joe leads one of our day shift teams, whose clients operate in architecture, financial services, food and beverage, market research, real estate, recruitment, and sustainable beauty products.
Our People and Culture Team shared the feedback that earned Joe this award.
“Coach Joe has made sure that in all ways he can, he says his appreciation toward team members and fellow leaders. We especially felt it when, after Game Night, Coach Joe sent an email to the Chief Happiness Officers (CHOs) and the Marketing Team,” wrote CHOs Michelle and Vince, and Chief Heart Officer Mike C.
“No matter what hurdles we had prior to the event, that email has made us feel that all the effort was well worth it.”
What this award honors: We show gratitude for everything our clients, team members, and mentors help us with, to exceed in our work. We do not take anything for granted.
CEO AWARD
Lois Hannah works as the Lead Staffing Coordinator for a search and recruitment business in California that serves health care facilities. She won this award in just her second month with GoTeam! Lois works during the night shift with Coach Keefe’s team.
“Lois is an amazing employee. She exhibits all the core values of GoTeam,” wrote Lois’s client, who requested not to be named in this post. And then this client proceeded to explain how Lois had shown each core value at work!
“CARE: Lois cares about our clients and puts her best foot forward when completing tasks. She communicates effectively with the client and staff.
“DRIVE: Open to even the most challenging tasks with zero complaints.
“DISCOVER: Takes initiative to learn new duties, and is always willing to help.
“HUMILITY: Open to constructive criticism as well as providing us with suggestions on how we can improve our policies/processes.
“FIND A WAY: Takes leadership among the team to ensure all are up to date on new processes as well as executing tasks.
“EXECUTE: Prioritizes and exhibits time management to execute tasks and reports for leadership discussions.
“GRATITUDE: Lois is always thanking others for showing her new or better ways to resolve obstacles put in front of her. All-around she is an amazing addition to our team. Very grateful for her.”
Referral Rewards
In addition to their generous and encouraging feedback, our clients support their teams in many ways.
As of February 2022, at least 1,443 individuals were covered by private medical insurance—thanks to the support of our clients and GoTeam’s leaders.
Providing health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage starting on each team member’s first day at work is one way that GoTeam lives by its value of Care. This benefit also covers one dependent, for free.
Another number to celebrate is 2,970: that’s the number of team members and their loved ones who enjoyed access to our Employee Assistance Program as of this month.
Provided by ComPsych, this program provides free and confidential counseling support to help team members and their families overcome anxiety, grief, or stress, as well as deal with parenting and other relationship issues.
Combined with our work from home or hybrid arrangements, our family-friendly benefits are one of the ways we support each team member’s growth as a whole person.
We recognize that exceptional results at work, while valuable on their own, would mean more if the team members who delivered them also had the resources to build richer and more connected relationships outside of work.
If you or someone you care about would love a more remarkable career, we encourage you to visit our list of current opportunities. Active GoTeam members will get a reward of P10,000 for every individual they refer who gets hired and joins the team.
