Taking the awkward out of employee meetups

Often, employees make their most meaningful connections with coworkers in informal, unplanned ways: Dropping by each other’s offices for a chat. Going out for lunch. Making small talk in the elevator.

Many companies and departments plan structured events like happy hours to encourage staff to interact. But, even with the lure of free booze on the company dime, those efforts aren’t always successful.

Kameron Rezai, CFO at Verkada, a provider of security equipment, wanted a more creative way to foster connectivity. His solution was the 3-3-3 program: Employees who meet up at local businesses in groups of three or more after 3pm can receive $30 each in reimbursements. They don’t have to get prior approval for these meetups, and they have pretty much free rein over the food and drink they choose.

“That can be coffee. It can be boba. It can be cocktails,” Rezai told CFO Brew. Autonomy was part of the goal. “We thought, ‘What if we just decentralized the whole thing?’” he said. “We trusted our employees to go out and make their own connections.”

Since the program launched in April 2023, most of Verkada’s 1,800 staff have taken advantage of it, Rezai said. He estimates that the company has spent $300,000 on the program in the Bay Area and $500,000 enterprise-wide. That’s money that was reallocated from the “fun fund” the company used before to bankroll structured events.

“It’s well worth the ROI, from a CFO’s standpoint,” Rezai said. It’s built “connectivity across departments…I see people going out across departments, and that creates more conversation.” The program has been especially beneficial to groups that might find it more difficult to connect with coworkers, such as new employees, early-career employees, and salespeople who spend a lot of time on the road, Rezai said.

Staff are required to post photos of their meetups on Slack before expensing, Rezai said, as an accountability measure that also builds community. “It shows that engagement and creates a social hub,” he said.

And the program has unexpected benefits: It’s helping with recruiting and building the company’s employer brand. Job candidates have brought it up during interviews, Rezai said.

It’s also bolstering Verkada’s reputation among its local communities. “Restaurant owners, bar owners—they love 3-3-3,” Rezai said. “It drives traffic to them.” That’s important, as many of Verkada’s customers are small or midsize businesses like restaurants.

Rezai suggests that CFOs interested in starting similar programs begin with a pilot in one office, as he did.

“You can scale this however you want,” he said.