Can you believe it’s that time again? The past 12 months have flown by, and while we don’t want to interrupt that (positive) momentum, we do think it’s important to pause for a moment and reflect on the goodness that was 2017. Looking back, here are some of the themes from KEL’s past year that stand out:
1. Expansion. Since the start of the year, our team has grown almost exponentially. Our Kelowna office exploded, adding Legal Assistants Johanna Strimas and Janeil Freyah, Bookeeper Gail Pearson and Lawyer Tiffany Zanatta. In Vancouver, we welcomed lawyer Geoff Mason and paralegal Marie Rivera. And, in an effort to continue broadening our BC community connections, we opened our brand-new Victoria office, spearheaded by Lawyer Fiona Anderson.
2. Collaboration. We partnered with employers, HR professionals and established business-focused organizations both in-house at our Employer Forums and at community events like Startup Vancouver, the Pacific Dental Conference and HRMA and CPHR Legal Symposiums. We engaged them on topics ranging from hiring to dismissal and disability to marijuana, sharing our experience and expertise and benefitting from theirs.
3. Commitment. As we announced earlier this fall, after a rigorous assessment process that included reporting on and documenting our business practices and several virtual face-to-face interviews, we recertified as a B Corp, increasing our original certification score by 23%! We also took an active role in planning, implementing and enjoying the BLD Conference (the annual Vancouver B Corp gathering focused on communal learning and peer-to-peer support).
4. Listening. As promised, we launched our client feedback survey to ensure that our most important stakeholders – you! – have a voice in shaping the way we do business. We also introduced an online chat feature to increase your options and opportunities for making contact with us.
5. Fun. Finally, and maybe most importantly, we reaffirmed our commitment to spend quality time together away from our desks. Collectively, we cheered on the home team at the Nat, created a Halloween Carn-Evil (complete with full costume participation!), belted it out at karaoke, trimmed the office tree to the strains of Michael Bublé, and snacked on pizza in the park. Liking your co-workers is truly a wonderful thing.
2017 was a year worth celebrating and we plan to do just that. And when the New Year arrives, we’ll be more than ready to do it all again…Bring on 2018!
