“It's really about engagement for us and camaraderie across the team. That was something that was always really easy for us to accomplish when we were together but became much more challenging as a bigger, remote team. Matter helps us connect and interact while showing people what kind of culture we strive for — we want people to be themselves and feel free to play and have fun at work!”
Company: BRIO is a software and app development company based in Philadelphia that focuses on business process automation, working closely with clients to build tools and systems that eliminate manual work, and streamline automation so employees are happier and more productive.
Industry: Software and App Development
Employees: 50
Headquarters: Philadelphia, PA, USA 🇺🇸
Key Use Cases: Kudos, Feedback Friday
Interview: Leah Howse, Head of Staff
BRIO’s team quickly grew from 17 to 50 over the past two years, as they became a hybrid company and opened up roles to remote employees. As a newly distributed team, Leah was looking for ways for teammates to connect and share recognition.
Previously, the team had a Monday morning tradition of sharing their grievances and accolades over breakfast. This transitioned to a Zoom meeting, but it didn’t feel as engaging or interactive as before. It was important for BRIO to find a tool for this process that was highly customizable, fun, and easy to use – something the team would enjoy. Matter checked their boxes by providing custom kudos templates that allowed teammates to share inside jokes and be creative, while being Slack-based to make it an easy, everyday tool for the team.
Leah introduced the team to Matter by creating a channel in their Slack workspace and inviting every teammate. She got the ball rolling by creating a custom kudos that reflected a team-wide joke and sending it out. Leah reports that other people quickly began posting, creating, and sending their own custom kudos to make each other laugh and smile throughout the workday. Matter quickly became a way for the BRIO team to have fun, let off steam, and keep their jovial culture alive while working remotely.
BRIO is able to maintain its vibrant team culture with Matter’s kudos and Feedback Friday features, and in turn, gives management a genuine pulse on productivity and morale across the company.
As Matter has become more ingrained in the BRIO culture, they’ve been able to integrate Matter’s tools into other culture initiatives, reinforcing the value of Matter for their team. The ability to reflect on past experiences and successes through kudos history in Slack and/or the web app allows them to share kudos regularly at meetings and improves team morale. They also welcome all new hires with their own personalized kudos.
Matter has become “near and dear” to the President of the company’s heart, as he can gain insight into happenings across the company, as well as get and give feedback across the team. Leah adds that even teammates who may otherwise be quiet during meetings feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and praises through Matter.
Leah credits the success of Matter with the BRIO team to its fun and easy-to-use interface, as well as the ability to make it super-personalized with custom kudos. Her advice is simple – keep it fun!
“There's so much about work that has to be serious and to a certain professional standard. But, I think employees need to have an outlet like Matter where they can feel supported in their roles and have fun interactions with teammates by getting a chance to be creative and play a little. Using Matter has been an amazing opportunity to bring our team closer together even amidst a transitory time for our company and the world.”
