Penguins are extremely fascinating birds as well as being pretty darn cute. In a divisive world, we can all agree on those two things. The world’s cutest flightless birds are also supremely social, community oriented, and one of the most loyal creatures on Earth. Is that a coincidence? Does being social and engaging lead to being loyal and happy? 

‍

We can’t answer that – if being happy correlates with being social on an actual glacier. But we can speak to our own Bold Penguin Glacier, and the answer is a resounding “yes.” We strive to create highly engaged teams in an effort to create a happier, more positive workplace culture.  And it works.

‍

Rally around the waddle

We love penguins. A lot. Almost as much as we love our employees. We enthusiastically rally around our brand. Our beloved, waddling bird is a common engagement denominator. 

‍

Upon hire (and every so often), each Bold Penguin employee receives a box of Penguin swag. Sometimes it's useful items like a branded North Face vest or insulated coffee mug. Sometimes it's a just-for-fun Tchotchke like a laptop sticker or a squishy penguin.  We really love our squishy penguins. They are the perfect size (4x3)* to be a travel companion (we even have a Slack channel dedicated to squishy penguin photo bombs in vacation photos), a child’s playtoy, and a WFH buddy.

‍

Small in stature, big in impact

On a dreary early 2023 day, our dedicated DE&I and Engagement Lead solicited pics of team members’ work-from-home office setup complete with our loyal squishy friend. It wasn’t a planned campaign, it was more like virtual water cooler talk. The response was outstanding and immediate. 

‍

Within a few hours, almost 30% of the team answered the call with approximately 15% sharing photos of our beloved penguin squishy from the comfort of their home. 

‍

What did we learn from the overwhelmingly positive responses to the squishy penguin WFH pic request? We learned that some folks had named their squishy (we liked “Boldy”). We learned one had a homemade mini crocheted vest, and one “befriended” another Lego penguin. 

‍

But more importantly, we learned that engagement inspiration can come from the most unlikely sources and sometimes at the least predictable times. 

‍

We don’t know what makes Penguins waddle around in glee. We aren’t ornithology experts (but  it would be pretty cool if we were). We are experts, however, in how to efficiently quote and bind small commercial insurance faster; and we are getting pretty darn good at knowing how to engage a (mostly) remote workforce that unites individual contributors into productive, happy teams.

‍

Be Bold. 

*(wing span included)