CoCo Reflections from Celeste Bayer:
This Week’s CoCo: Speak Up
I have been challenged by this core commitment #speakup in my new role as Employee Care Coordinator. I think sometimes speaking up can be hard when you don’t feel comfortable in the space, when you feel like you are the underdog, and when you feel like you have nothing to bring to the table. In any role you play, you have the opportunity to speak to your experiences and your unique perspective. I am reminded that this is why speaking up is so important! Because people don’t see what you see. That is the beauty of this commitment and why it is important for all of us. I used to think that this was one of the hardest commitments, but I started to realize that speaking up can be about anything, which makes this commitment easier than we think. It can be about improving a process, a shift that didn’t go well, something that you observed, or maybe a product idea. It isn’t the finding of things that makes this commitment hard, but what can be hard is taking the courage to do it. Recently, this has looked like speaking up when I don’t understand or I forget a policy or practice. There are so many little things to remember and it is easy to just forget. I find it difficult to speak up when I feel like I should know how to do something. This is where creating a good environment where people feel comfortable to speak up plays a role. In your team, evaluate why people are or are not speaking up! Is it because people don’t feel comfortable or maybe they do not feel heard? No matter the reason, I think it is important for us to all self-evaluate how we can create a good #speakup environment.
Next Week’s CoCo: Speak to the Future, Not to the Past
I can’t count on my fingers the amount of times that I have dropped the ball- figuratively and literally. When I played competitive tennis, the mind game was everything. Conditions when you play tennis are never 100% and you just can’t always hit the perfect ball. Tennis isn’t a team sport so you only really have you and your mind. You had to be able to talk yourself out of the consistent missed balls and points. Not only that, but you had to play the long game. Tennis scoring is confusing, so I won’t take the time now to explain it, but there are many long points that lead to long games that lead to long sets. If you only focus on losing that one point then you may lose the whole game. I experienced this many times when I let past points get to me, making me lose the entire set. In tennis, speaking to the future and not to the past is how you win. I also think this is how you can win in more than just a tennis match. The saying, “you live and learn,” is crucial to moving forward in life. This can be really hard in many ways because often these are hard lessons to learn. No matter the mistakes, it’s important to play the long game and “just keep swimming.”
CoCo Heroes:
- Speak Up: This Core Commitment Hero comes from Factory Cafe – Joe Steiner! He has done an amazing job at providing the Factory Cafe leadership team with his perspective around cafe events and happenings in a very professional and productive manner. Joe has very actively participated in team meetings and used the appropriate speak up channels available to him regarding different issues, not only in cafes, but also in his role as an educator. Joe is an integral part of the Factory Cafe team and the Education Team! Thank You, Joe!
- Speak to the Future, Not to the Past: This Core Commitment Hero comes from the Downer Kitchen – Tony Johnson! They’ve been working hard on the weekends and helped identify where we can improve and where we can celebrate our victories as a team. Thank you Tony for helping us speak to the future, not dwell on the past!
Going-Ons:
- Volunteer Time Reminder: Did you know that Stone Creek Coffee offers 16 hours of paid volunteer time to each employee every year to be involved in community projects? We would love to support you in having the opportunity to serve in a capacity that you are passionate about! If you are not sure where to start, here is a resource to get you started with a few volunteer ideas in the Milwaukee area. Don’t want to go by yourself? Coordinate a date with a coworker to two to join you! Once you find a date that works for you, email your team leader and teams@stonecreekcoffee.com to share how you plan to volunteer, then place a volunteer time off request via Paycor (make sure this is requested at least 21 days in advance). Reach out to teams@stonecreekcoffee.com with any questions and get out there to brew some change!
- Employee Satisfaction Survey: Hey Coffee Geeks! Today (Monday, 11/21) is the last day to fill out our Employee Satisfaction Survey! We care about you and the experiences that you have working here. To continue to never stop learning about areas in which we are excelling and areas that we can improve, we are asking for your feedback. Your experience at Stone Creek Coffee is important to us, and this survey is another opportunity to share your thoughts. Click here to #SpeakUp and share your feedback by the end of the day today, November 21st.
Wins & Shout-outs:
Email the Employee Celebration Committee (celebrations@stonecreekcoffee.com) if you’d like to recognize or celebrate a teammate. Or if you want to make a public shout-out, email Val (vnewhouse@stonecreekcoffee.com) to include in the next Employee Newsletter!
Birthdays:
- 11/28 – Maelyn Kaczmarek
- 12/2 – Natalie Powers
- 12/2 – Jason Knaak
- 12/3 – Patrick Colbourn
- 12/3 – Kyle Ryan
- 12/4 – Amy Callahan
- 12/7 – Madeline Conway
- 12/14 – Patricia Kovochich
- 12/15 – Stuart Rosenthal
- 12/19 – Krista Michels
- 12/20 – Michael Marchant
- 12/21 – Brianna Arnold
- 12/28 – Harmony Krafttakacs
- 12/29 – Brooke Sherman
Anniversaries:
- Chloe Drapes – 5 years!
- Tori Kalman – 1 year!
- Analisa Lopez – 9 years!
- Dominique Whitney – 3 years!
Welcomes:
- None this week!
Employee Discount Codes:
Please don’t share these with non-employees
- 20% Employee-Only Website Coupon Code
- November: Nov22sccemp
- December: Dec22sccemp
- 40% Employee-Only Mobile App Coupon Code
- November: Nov22sccemp
- December: Dec22sccemp
Catch up on all of our newsletters, company updates, recipes, and more in our Employee Blog here.
Ways to Speak Up:
Do you want to speak up about ideas, thoughts, and more? Send an email to Teams & People (teams@stonecreekcoffee.com) or use the button below to send a note anonymously.