About Blu

Vision

500 million people are touched by our scientific breakthroughs. 

Mission

To improve the lives of humans by providing scientific advancements for mankind.

It is said that success occurs “where preparation and opportunity meet.”  But how do we define and measure success in the Company? 

We understand the importance of knowing the key things that can tell us when we’ve reached our goals.  We call these our key success factors — the indicators or milestones that measure our business achievements and help determine how well we’re progressing towards our goals and objectives.

The following are straightforward measures that anyone can use as a gauge of individual, team, or Company success.  When we ask ourselves if we’ve done the following, let’s push ourselves to make sure the answer is “YES!”

Sell each unit at a profit.

At the end of the day, we’re not just a Company, but a business — and we’re in business to make a profit.

We evaluate our products and services and determine if we’re realizing a profit.  If not, we need to make adjustments by reducing our costs or increasing prices.

Maintain our reputation for people programs that work.

We’re known for our culture and for attracting and retaining quality people.  Our people programs are so successful that our internal surveys consistently show an overall rating of 8 out of 10 or above. Our turnover rate is less than half the industry average.  We’re sought after to disclose or make presentations about our people programs.

Be fiscally responsible.

Lower overhead must be a continuing objective for our business.  We can cut costs in many ways, for example, by re-evaluating our insurance needs, reducing reliance on outside Consultants and service providers, or cutting down on unnecessary supplies and equipment.

All individuals treat the Company’s money as if it was their own because they understand that Company success, and their ultimate success, is linked to our sound practices of fiscal responsibility.

We strive to, and individuals are rewarded for, consistently coming in under-budget with all our expenses.

Develop quality products and services that add value.

We ensure that our products are not just created in a bubble with an internal team.  When developing new products, we seek out sound market data and customer involvement before product development begins.

Create and maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction.

A very important success factor needed to sustain our business is to provide the best service to our customers.  Satisfied customers are more likely to come back to us and to refer us to others.  Better yet, let’s give our customers more than they expect.

We regularly ask for customer feedback through surveys or direct interaction to find out how we’re doing and what products/services they need and expect from us.

We make use of instant customer service feedback mechanisms, such as a 3-question telephone survey conducted after every telephone contact our customers have with the Company.  Individuals who have the highest customer service ratings are rewarded accordingly.

Everyone on our Senior Management Team contacts one customer at least once a week to continually understand the needs of the people we’re serving.

Success comes with focus.  With focus comes sustained levels of returns and profitable growth for our shareholders.

We’ve historically been successful at focusing and meeting our annual objectives.  We understand that we can only make this happen if we’re all aligned and working towards the same priorities.  We attribute our success to our ability to focus on and communicate our annual strategic priorities.

Ask yourself “Are my efforts focused on Company priorities?”  Ask your Manager for clarification about what you and your team could be doing to help achieve the following business priorities for this year.

Our Objectives

By the end of this fiscal year, we’ll have:

• Achieved $20 million net profit.
• Opened 2 additional offices worldwide.
• Acquired 2 competitors to consolidate the business guidelines space.
• Partnered with a national firm.

Our Priorities

Sales

• Develop relationships with 5 channel partners.
• Sign up 2 channel partners.
• Sell 10,000 units in Q3 and Q4.

Human Resources

• Reduce our turnover rate to less than 2% per annum.
• All Managers enroll in and complete Level 1 and 2 of our in-house management training program.
• Pay out 100% of the Company success component of our incentive plan.
• Responses to this year’s employee survey indicate an overall 5% increase in work satisfaction over last year’s survey responses.

Marketing

• Appear on CNN.
• Complete new website by September 30.
• Increase qualified leads by 20% over the previous year.
• Increase brand awareness and market share on the East Coast by 20% over last year.
• Complete co-marketing plans (according to success criteria) with existing Channel Partner.  Ready to launch by October 31.

Development/QA/Customer Services

• Release 2 new products.
• Overall ratings of our products by customers are at least 8 out of 10.

Finance/IT/Administration

• Reduce operating expenses by 5% overall.
• Launch new intranet by September 30.
• Responses to this year’s Information Technology (IT) survey indicate an overall 10% satisfaction increase with IT infrastructure and services.

In support of our vision, mission, and core values, our services and support must consistently exceed expectations.

Our primary measure of success is customer satisfaction. We define customers as employees, partners, and clients.

When representing Blu our intent is to earn and maintain the respect and trust of everyone with whom we come into contact.

In striving to consistently deliver the best service possible and to treat others as we’d like to be treated, Bluers will exert every effort to respect the following fundamental principles of our service philosophy:

• We put our customers at ease with our comfortable style.
• We’re sensitive to the needs of and modify our approach with each customer depending on their communication style, disability, business acumen, technical skills, and cultural background. We possess a high Emotional Quotient (EQ); we sense the needs of our customers, and how they want to be approached.
• We don’t engage in high-pressure sales tactics.  We respect that potential customers make decisions at their own pace.  If the need is there, the value and price speak for themselves.  We aim to ease the potential customer’s pain.  If our solution won’t ease their current pain, we respect that.
• We’re confident and prepared.  We know our stuff.  If we don’t know, we’re not afraid to say so.  We find out and provide the right answer.
• While we always strive for ‘Customer is King’ service, Bluers don’t tolerate being treated with disrespect.  We’ll always understand, listen to, and be empathetic to any frustrating situation that a customer may experience, but we won’t tolerate obscenities, raising of voices, and threatening or personal attacks.  We’ll calmly let the customer know that we’ll speak to them at another time when emotions are not so high.
• We manage expectations.  We believe that customers will be accepting, patient, and more satisfied if they understand what they can expect and when they can expect it.  No over-promising.  We’re factual and reality-based — and we deliver when we say we’re going to deliver.
• Our genuine goal is to provide value and expertise to our customers.  Period.
• We make full and appropriate use of technology so that our customers receive the best service.
• We’re accessible and we respond to customers quickly.
• Our services are well known for being professional, efficient, and resourceful.  We try to exceed our customers’ expectation and break the stereotypical reputation some companies have for overcharging and under-delivering.  We work with the customer as if their budget was our own, and we help them to make the best decisions possible to ensure quality at an affordable price.
• We never simply say “no”; we provide our customers with explanations and alternate suggestions or solutions.
• We look for ways to serve our customers outside our particular industry; where a customer would benefit from an introduction we might make, we make it.
• We look for ways to return the favour of a customer’s business.
• If a customer or potential customer is subject to even the slightest negative experience with Blu, we provide some kind of token of value to attempt to make it right.  This could come in the form of a coffee card, a hand-written note, or a discount.

The Company is truly about people.  We are, after all, in the people business.

We take our values and culture seriously.  From the beginning, we were clear about our philosophies and how we work.

We attract and retain Staff who are in sync with the following core values.

• You think critically.
• You do what you say.
• You say what you mean.
• You‘re smart.
• You say when you don’t know something.
• You‘ve proven you can work remotely.
• When you make a mistake, you own it.  Then you fix it.
• Status quo bugs you.

We are passionate about the preservation of our culture. From the beginning, we were clear about what was important to us, and what we wanted our culture to be.

This doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or have setbacks, but it does mean we have a clearly defined way of doing things.  We know that some people simply won't be happy working here, and that's ok.  We’re looking to attract and retain those who thrive in this type of environment.

Here are some examples of what we mean:

Core Hours

We are all expected to be in the office between the hours of 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, Monday through Thursday.  These are our Core Hours when we’re all available for ad-hoc meetings, collaboration, brainstorming, and face-to-face creativity. For most Blu positions, the rest of day allows for more flexibility, as long as all deadlines are met and customers are served.

Focus Time

We attempt to observe focus time until 10:00 am each morning.  During this time, we try to limit interruptions outside of public areas unless absolutely necessary.  Focus time is the time when we plan, return phone calls, and individually execute outside of team efforts.  We’re not offended by people closing their doors during this time.

Book of the Quarter

We foster an environment of continuous learning and curiosity.  We provide a copy of a ‘book of the quarter’ to all individuals, and decide on the one ‘take-away’ we can implement at Blu to make us more effective.

Intranet

We’re clear about communication and use an intranet as our village newsletter and ‘clarity centre.’

Social Activities

We all lead busy lives that focus on home, outside interests, and work.  There is usually little time for social activities, but we count on our annual holiday party and Blu picnic to provide opportunities to get to know each other and our families.  Outside of these Blu-sponsored functions, we encourage individuals to organize additional activities outside of working hours.

Community Day

We allocate 1 day a year on which Blu shuts down and individuals all participate in giving back to the community.  The chosen cause is determined by a staff vote.

Culture Destroyers

We discourage unkind behaviour of any kind towards people — internally or externally.  We foster an environment where we encourage accountability for unnecessary comments that personally attack, are not constructive, or are not directly addressed with the affected party(ies).

We foster an environment where our actions and behaviours are driven by doing the right thing for Blu, teams, and the customer.  People who are not supportive or straight with each other, criticize, roll their eyes, have sidebar conversations or gossip won’t do well here.

Conflict

We encourage constructive conflict and passionate business-related debates or discussions. We resolve conflict and let it go. Once a decision is made, we buy in, support it, and execute. 

We’re committed to supporting the communities in which we do business and reinforce this in the following ways:

• Volunteerism
• Profit sharing
• Annual Campaigns
• Donations

Volunteerism

You’re strongly encouraged to volunteer in the community.  You’re eligible for 2 paid days off to engage in the following volunteer activities:

• Community volunteering for registered non-profits
• Mentoring and community fundraising

Profit Sharing

1% of the Company’s net profit is allocated to supporting a non-profit organization. The non-profit organization is determined every 2 years by employee representatives. Non-profit organizations are chosen by criteria that match our core values.

United Way Annual Campaign

Every October, we launch a United Way campaign to employees. The Company matches annual employee contributions to the campaign.

Incidental Charitable Donations

We’re all sensitive to the struggles experienced by charities and special interest groups. We also believe there’s a place and time for solicitation and charitable giving.

We’re a fiscally responsible business, and we have an obligation to our shareholders to make sound business decisions that may or may not include supporting selected charities or special interest groups.  We also have a responsibility to ensure that our people are not put in uncomfortable situations when asked to make financial contributions.

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Every year, Blu supports the programs outlined above and reassesses these programs regularly.  No other requests outside of these programs will be considered.

Overview

Personal Staff milestones occur frequently.  The following guidelines answer these questions:

• What events are recognized or celebrated?
• Who pays for what and when? 

We all want a chance to celebrate special events in our team members’ lives, such as the birth of a child or a wedding. The same goes for individuals leaving Blu and wanting to wish them the best in their future endeavours.

We often plan a lunch, and/or gathering, and/or gift for those individuals. Unfortunately, some individuals find it uncomfortable to say no to requests for contributions to fund these types of celebrations.  And some simply can't afford it. 

We ask that everyone to respect the guidelines below relating to gifts, special events, gatherings, and solicitation. 

Birthdays

The Company is happy to provide you with a day off with pay to celebrate your birthday.   

Weddings

The Company will provide a gift of $200 to any employee who’s getting married. The individual’s Manager is responsible for requesting a check or cash from Accounts Payable and presenting it to the individual.

As a rule, the Company doesn’t pick up the tab for group events/gatherings to celebrate a marriage. Individual organizers are welcome to plan a celebratory event, but all events/gatherings are organized and paid for by the attendees on their own time.

New Parents

The Company will provide a gift of $200 to an employee who becomes a new parent. The individual’s Manager is responsible for requesting a check or cash from Accounts Payable and presenting it to the individual.

As a rule, the Company doesn’t pick up the tab for group events/gatherings to celebrate upcoming parenthood. Individual organizers are welcome to plan a celebratory event, but all events/gatherings are organized and paid for by the attendees on their own time.

Employees Leaving the Company

The team Manager will be happy to pick up the tab for a meal or beverages for the departing employee and the team of people who work closest to the departing individual. This gesture is appropriate to thank the departing individual for their contribution to the immediate team.

As a rule, the Company doesn’t pay for gifts for the departing individual or the meal or beverage tabs of participants outside of the individual’s immediate team. Exceptions may be made for long-tenure employees at management's discretion. 

Solicitation for Gifts

Occasionally, team members want to purchase a gift for individuals for various reasons including extending congratulations or saying goodbye. Solicitation for gifts outside of the individual’s immediate team is strongly discouraged. We all need to respect that solicitation may make people uncomfortable, particularly if asked face-to-face.

On the other hand, we recognize that some people outside of the individual’s immediate team may want an opportunity to contribute. In this case, an email to Everyone (per guidelines outlined in Employee Manual' Effective Email Communication and Etiquette) advising that a collection is being taken for the individual may be appropriate. The email must clearly state that contributions are purely voluntary and should provide the name of a specific person to be contacted for donations or card signing.

Tax Implications

There are clear tax guidelines governing awards of gifts, near-cash gifts and rewards as taxable benefits. The Finance Department has ultimate authority in interpreting and administering the guidelines to adhere to tax regulations and requirements.

Making time for face-to-face communication to talk about Company information that affects all of us is critical to our success. Every 2 months, we provide a forum where our senior Managers provide you with a business update and you are encouraged to ask questions.

Find out more here. 

Food for thought… What better way to learn about important topics than combining a meal with topical presentations!

That’s what we do with Lunch and Learns.  Once a month, we organize noon classrooms where we bring in internal or external subject-matter experts to talk about our business, departments, industry, and other topics of interest to all of us.  AND we feed you!

Lunch and Learn topics typically rotate and fall into one of the following categories:

• Blu orientation — A department Manager or team member introduces/clarifies/orients attendees to their particular department and its function within Blu.
• An external subject-matter expert is brought in to speak about a general topic of interest, such as ‘Wellness,’ or ‘How to manage your money,’ or ‘Why bring the Winter Olympics to my city?’
• An external subject-matter-expert is brought in to speak about a business-specific topic of interest, such as industry or economic trends or organizational behaviour topics.

A schedule of Lunch and Learn topics and presenters is established at the beginning of the year and is available in our public calendar.

You are asked to sign up for Lunch and Learns at least 2 weeks in advance by accepting a meeting request sent via email.  Those who sign up will be reminded by HR 1 day before the event.

Social events are a great way to foster teamwork and creativity.

Blu is committed to supporting our Social Events Team, whose mission is to provide employees with an opportunity to get to know each other and each other’s families, and to participate in team-building events.  The Social Events Team organizes social events throughout the year and many of these events become key highlights of each year.  Everyone is encouraged to participate.

Annual Company Events

The holiday party and picnic are annually scheduled events that have become Blu traditions.

We also strongly encourage ad-hoc organizing of special interest groups for activities such as after-work hiking, boating, skiing, running, etc.  If you have an idea or suggestion, don’t hesitate to contact someone on the Social Events Team and PARTICIPATE!

About the Social Events Team

The Social Events Team is made up of volunteers from around Blu who meet once a month to discuss and organize Blu social events.

The Social Events Team is provided with an annual budget, and all events are classified as either Blu-sponsored, Blu-subsidized, or employee-paid.

A list of Social Events Team members and planned social events are available in our public calendar.