During the State of the Trust event in early October, President & CEO Jeffrey Harrison shared with employees that deploying a One Company, One Culture action plan is a new strategic initiative beginning in fiscal year 2021.
A cross-functional team (see a list of team members below) has been established to help employees gain a better understanding of the meaning of One Company, One Culture. This team is charged with communicating to employees Harrison’s vision for building One Company, One Culture, as outlined below:
- All employees are selflessly focused on the needs of the beneficiaries of the Trust – our customers and communities.
- Employees are modeling behaviors consistent with our core values of Safety, Integrity, Diversity, Teamwork, and Quality.
- Employees have a shared passion for the Trust’s Strategic Goals.
- Employees are fully embracing CLASS.
- Diverse cross-functional teams are fostering innovation.
- Employees view themselves as stewards of the Trust.
One Company, One Culture is a phrase we are using internally to encourage us to strengthen our workplace culture and maintain our focus on our customers.
For other highlights from Harrison’s speech, see the October/November Engauge.
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How does this relate to “We’re All Citizens?”
You may have seen the tagline “We’re All Citizens” used with the Citizens Energy Group logo over the past several years. While it is related to the idea of One Company, One Culture, the two phrases have different meanings and are used in different ways.
“We’re All Citizens” was introduced in our external advertising to help build upon Citizens’ reputation for outstanding customer service and an excellent record of giving back to the community. The tagline is meant to convey the fact that many of our employees are also Citizens customers and that we have a shared interest in helping make our local community a great place to live, work and play.
In contrast, the phrase One Company, One Culture is not a tagline or a marketing slogan. It is an internal initiative to heighten awareness of and commitment to our mission, vision and values. It is a way to encourage business units to work together, eliminate any silos that may exist, and unite under the Citizens Energy Group brand. One Company, One Culture should not be used as a tagline in emails, Office templates, guidance manuals, etc.
How can I be involved in this initiative?
Share Stories. Throughout this initiative, we would like to continue to share examples of how employees are working together as One Company, One Culture. Check out the story about a new hiring and training program in the October/November Engauge for inspiration and send your story ideas to Mandy Saucerman.
Be the Brand. As noted earlier, the success of this initiative depends on breaking down silos. One way to do this is visually – by removing business unit logos such as Citizens Gas, Citizens Thermal, Citizens Water and replacing them with the Citizens Energy Group logo to keep the idea of One Company, One Culture front and center for ourselves and our coworkers. Please visit the Employee Brand Center (found under the “Employee Resources” tab on the iTrust home page) to find all the resources needed to be “one brand” -- logo, email signature, Teams background photos, PowerPoint template, and more. Find more details below about how to request assistance from Graphics Arts.
Join a Team. Innovation is an important aspect of serving our customers with excellence and integrity. Our many cross-functional teams are continuously improving the way we do business. Visit the Cross-Functional Teams iTrust site (also found under the “Employee Resources” tab on the iTrust home page) to find a list of all our teams. Click on the “I am Interested in Future Teams” button to share your skills and interests.
One Company, One Culture Team Members
The One Company, One Culture Team would love to hear your ideas! Reach out to any of the team members listed below with your suggestions for building One Company, One Culture.
Jennifer Bailey (Co-Lead)
Mandy Saucerman (Co-Lead)
Mike Strohl (Sponsor)
Jodi Whitney (Sponsor)
Mark Bender (Champion)
Shannon Stahley (Champion)
Daphne Chiu
Dan Considine
John Harz
Jerome Mayden
Melissa Roberts-Vander Weide
Graphics Request Form Available Online
Need a poster, postcard, brochure, or video? Employees are encouraged to complete the Graphics Request Form any time they need Citizens Energy Group branded materials. The form can be found on the Corporate Affairs iTrust site or on the Employee Brand Center. Please note that our Graphics team requests a 10-business-day notice to complete projects. For questions related to branding, contact Lachele Munn or Colleen Rose.
