From Sydney to Beijing, a strong company culture is Canva connected
You’d expect an online design company to approach everything it does with a dash of creativity. This is very much the case at Canva – and their HR initiatives are no exception. Launched in 2013, the organisation now has more than 1,500 employees dotted around the globe, yet they remain connected thanks to the strong cultural values that anchor everything together.
“Creating a healthy, inclusive and supportive environment where our team is empowered to do their best work has been a key priority from the beginning,” added Canva’s head of people Crystal Boysen - speaker at our upcoming HR Mental Health Summit..
“As we’ve grown, our internal programmes have continued to evolve an adapt to support the team and champion a culture of connection and belonging.”
During COVID-19, Canva worked quickly to maintain the camaraderie and culture it had built in its physical workspaces.
“We revamped a number of our internal programmes – from adapting our onboarding to support a completely remote experience to increasing context-sharing and internal communication, with weekly company-wide meetings and a dedicated online portal filled with resources - from home cooking guides to meditation apps. Our more than 400 online employee clubs also include activities like pasta making, drawing, anime movies and more,” continued Boysen.
So how do you know where to start when adapting an established wellbeing program to new circumstances – and for a diverse audience?
“Identifying what’s needed comes back to our guiding principle– to lead with compassion for ourselves and others. While ping pong tables and free breakfast are certainly an added bonus, creating and sustaining a culture of camaraderie, support and empowerment must go far beyond surface-level perks,” added Boysen. “By making every decision with this human-first approach, we’re able to understand and resolve any challenges as we continue to adapt to the ‘new normal’.”
Creating an inclusive environment doesn’t require grand gestures or extensive budgets - sometimes the smallest changes have the largest impact. “For example, early on in Canva’s journey, we created a ‘#kudos’ channel on Slack where anyone in the company can share a message to thank someone for going above and beyond. Kudos messages are stored in our internal team portal, so you can look back on your feedback and accomplishments.”
Nurturing a culture of belonging has been paramount. “Our onboarding program is one example of the way we shape and maintain this culture as we continue almost doubling the size of our team each year. All new starters partake in a two-week onboarding program which includes activities such as office scavenger hunts and a mentoring program, and our co-founders lead a session on Canva’s ever-evolving culture and company values.”
Checking in with staff is also crucial. “We run regular check-in surveys with our employees to measure engagement and ways we can continue improving to create the best experience and environment across every office. The feedback shapes our priorities and focus areas for the year ahead.”
While each office has a unique vibe and microculture, they’re all aligned to Canva’s overall cultural values. “A celebration in Sydney might look slightly different from a celebration in Beijing, and it’s important we bring these to life in a localised way while championing a cohesive global culture and sense of community across the globe.”
A good illustration is Canva’s Season Openers, which kick off each quarter with a full-day themed event. “These are always a blast and are the perfect encapsulation of our culture. With our home cooking, for example, our Vibe and Kitchen teams put together recipes from around the world then share photos of their creations in a global Slack channel so our team in Australia can see what’s for lunch in Beijing, and vice versa.”
To hear more on how you can improve your mental wellbeing strategies, register for our upcoming Mental Health Summit here.
