Spirit Week at G2: A Global Celebration of Our People and Community

Feedback is important here at G2—we are in the reviews business after all. It helps us perform better, be more entrepreneurial, allows us to be more authentic, and support each other’s growth. In other words, we ask for and share a lot of feedback internally, so when a common theme emerges then we know it’s important. Overwhelmingly, the most frequent theme we hear from employees is how much G2ers love our culture and people. 

G2’s culture and community is rooted in our PEAK values—Performance, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity, and Kindness. It is why we have a global team of smart and talented people who come from diverse backgrounds and experiences. It’s why we have a vibrant network of ERGs and a dedicated team of DEI and culture champions called the G2 Together Ambassadors. It’s why G2 Gives, our charity and philanthropy arm, is built into our business model and not just a side project. 

After a tough and challenging year for our industry, we wanted to take time to celebrate the 700 people around the world who make up our amazing G2 community, enjoy the lighter side of work, and learn more about each other outside of our roles. So last month, the G2 Together Ambassadors coordinated and hosted our first ever global Spirit Week, with Ash Harrington and Giovanni Scagliarini leading the way. The G2 Together Ambassadors  built out the schedule, picked the themes,  set up the Slack channel, partnered with our design team, curated prizes, and managed all communications. 

Each day had a unique theme. G2ers were asked to post a photo/video/image based on that theme in the special #spritweek Slack channel. At the end of the day, G2 Together Ambassadors voted on their favorite entries with the top vote getters receiving a special prize. Here are some of our favorite entries throughout the week:

As soon as we kicked off the event on day one, we had incredible engagement and it continued to build throughout the week.  Over the course of 5 days, around 200 G2ers shared over 700 posts and nearly 600 people viewed or reacted to posts . Although we were thrilled with the numbers and participation, what was more important and valuable was the opportunity to learn and discover so much about each other. We learned that G2ers are creative, artistic, funny, and generous. We discovered that G2ers are multi-talented, well-rounded, and adventurous. 

It’s safe to say that Spirit Week was a resounding success. It was the highest level of engagement of the year for any cultural or community event at G2, and we believe it’s because the Ambassadors made it as inclusive and accessible as possible. 

• Themes were chosen so all G2ers can participate. Because we’re a global organization, the Ambassadors selected culturally inclusive themes that everyone could participate in and do so in an authentic way. 
• It was an asynchronous event. Regardless of the timezone you are in, you could participate whenever convenient because there was a 24 hour window for each theme. 
• Minimal time or financial commitment. To be respectful of workloads and schedules, it was important that Spirit Week was not a heavy lift. Themes selected were intentionally fun but also easy to get involved. 

None of this would have been possible without our two fearless leaders Ash Harrington and Giovanni Scagliarini. Here are their thoughts and reflections on our first ever Spirit Week:

 “G2 Spirit Week was a mind-blowing success! I'm so thankful for the unexpected volume of G2ers who participated in our daily themes, and for my fellow G2 Together Ambassadors who helped to make Spirit Week happen. Spirit Week was a lighthearted opportunity for everyone across the world to join in a week-long community event that encouraged the celebration of our similarities and our diversity. It's been a tumultuous year in our global society, so a chance to celebrate with one another (rather than commiserate) seemingly came at the perfect time.” - Ash Harrington

“What I loved the most about Spirit Week is the fact that people recognised it as a safe space to share their own passions and hobbies, which turned into a celebration of everyone’s individuality. A group of people that celebrates diversity is a group that will inevitably make the most out of it. This put a smile on everyone’s face at a time where most people are concerned about the current socio-economic climate: it was a moment of much needed relief and a useful reminder to celebrate ourselves every now and then.” - Giovanni Scagliarini

I’m so proud and grateful to our G2 Together Ambassadors for coordinating and hosting a successful week-long event that generated so much engagement and created an opportunity for our remote and hybrid global team to connect. Spirit Week is proof that you don’t need a big budget or an in-person event to build connection and team spirit if you are intentional about inclusivity and give people an opportunity to be their authentic selves.