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Unicorns & Survey Monkeys, Councils & Summits: Outside-the-Box Employee Engagement
In an era defined by persistent labor shortages, generational change and heightened employee expectations, employee engagement has quietly become one of the most powerful drivers of retention, recruitment and long-term firm stability. In this edition of The Friedman File, Bergmeyer joined other AEC firms to discuss how we are moving beyond generic engagement strategies and instead building distinctive, firm-specific programs that give employees a voice, reinforce shared values and create real emotional connection to the organization.
Recognition as Culture: Bergmeyer’s Unicorn Awards
At Bergmeyer, employee engagement is centered on the idea that everyone has something special to contribute and that they should be recognized publicly and meaningfully for it. This is embodied in its Unicorn Award, which, in the words of President and CEO Rachel Zsembery, “honors our fiercely focused, highly motivated creative thinkers.”
Nicknamed the “Golden Horn,” the award is a monthly peer-nominated recognition program that honors individuals across every discipline, department and position level in the 90-person, Boston-based design collaborative. Rather than being manager-driven or reserved for top performers, the award is open to everyone, both as nominators and nominees.
“Every one of us is a unicorn in our own way,” says Human Resources Manager Rachael Hoyland. “We wanted to create something that reflects the idea that people are unique, creative and valuable, and that those qualities show up differently in different roles.”
The idea is based on the Purple Squirrel Award, a similar concept that Chief Strategy Officer Christian Davies encountered while working at Verizon. Each month, nominations are collected via SurveyMonkey, reviewed by Zsembery and Executive Assistant Melissa Forman, and then celebrated during the firm’s monthly all-hands gathering.
The physical awards themselves are unique: custom-made felt unicorns created by local artist The Felted Bee. Each one has a different theme and color scheme, and is delivered in a personalized bag. Recipients also receive a gift card (“Lunch on the Berg”) and recognition on the company intranet where a growing “stable of unicorns” documents over two years of honorees. You won’t find many mentions of the Unicorn Award outside the firm; it isn’t a marketing device or branding exercise, but a purposefully internal recognition that is special precisely because it belongs to the people inside Bergmeyer.
To read the full article with The Friedman Files, click here.