December 16, 2019

Caring for our People, Community & Environment

We explored all aspects of wellness in 2019 from physical and mental wellbeing, to environmental, community and financial wellbeing. Our “NBS Cares” campaign aimed to encourage us as a company and individually to better ourselves, even if it was just a small first step in the right direction. Although not a priority for only 2019, we challenged ourselves this year to do more, think differently and maybe choose an apple over chips at lunch.

Below are some of the ways we supported and celebrated our initiative:

Caring for our people:

• Offered free meditation app to all team members (Calm, Headspace, Simple Habit)
• Increased the 401K match to all team members
• Fostered social bonding with monthly in-office block parties / potlucks
• Offered fresh fruit and healthy snacks each week
• Participated in “Bike-to-work day” in our Great Lakes Bay Region office
• Provided walkstation desks for team members to use in 3 of our 5 locations
• Increased the number of height-adjustable workstations in our Troy office by 57%
• Highlighted team members active lifestyle sharing photos in our “Get Your Move On” showroom digital signage
• Offered a 5-week session for team members to learn better workload/organizational skills with David Allen’s book “Getting Things Done”
• Hosted ergonomic training for team members to learn best practices when seated and standing at their desk
• Hosted financial seminars

Caring for our community:

• Provided up to 4 hours of paid volunteer time per employee during the work week
• Supported World Down Syndrome Day by raising funds and awareness wearing colorful socks on March 21^st
• Walked as a group in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s and raised over $7,700 for the organization
• Supported Fleece & Thank You Make A Blanket Day with volunteer time and $1,200 to make blankets for sick children in the hospital
• Matched proceeds raised from our NBS Fur + Furniture pet calendar sales to donate $2,430 to Pet-A-Pet Club supporting metro Detroit pet therapy animals and volunteers
• Continued ‘Rudolph to the Rescue’ holiday season giving for each NBS location in support of local charities or families in need
• Collected mittens and gloves for Mittens for Detroit to donate to children and adults in need
• Served and cleaned up lunch to seniors and volunteers at Salvation Army during the holidays

Caring for our environment:

• Replaced all lighting in our Troy showroom and warehouse to be LED
• Reduced the number of individual printing stations to cut down on paper waste
• Eliminated branded disposable water bottles and bought all employees a reusable insulated water bottle to cut down on plastic waste
• Provided a blend of real dishes along with compostable paper products in our café
• Replaced all restroom toilets with low flow fixtures in our Troy showroom
• Added additional recycling stations throughout the building
• Continued recycling of all cardboard and metal materials from product shipments
• Added additional plants and greenery throughout the office to support employee emotional wellbeing as well as to improve air quality by removing harmful pollutants

Written by Megan Robinson, Marketing Team Leader