When I think about what has made my time at Truveta so meaningful – it is the people. Especially considering how difficult it can be to build strong relationships in a fully remote work environment.

In my role in Communications, I’ve had a front seat watching Truveta grow and sharing our company story. Tru-Valentine’s Day is by far the one project our Fun Committee created that I have enjoyed the most.

For any company, expressing gratitude is critical to building a strong team foundation —for a start-up, it’s a necessity.

Tru-Valentine’s Day Origin

The Tru-Valentine’s Day idea was first developed in 2021 when the team was much smaller. With 48 employees, we wanted to create space to pause and appreciate the great contributions throughout the company.

Following our first public announcement, we wanted to celebrate every employee who made it possible, show appreciation and help propel forward the inclusive, supportive culture we wanted.

At the time, we had a Fun Committee made up of a handful of Truvetans committed to helping us all make connections and have fun in a fully remote work world. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much participation we had, garnering over 200 Tru-Valentines for 48 employees.

Let’s do it again

A few weeks ago, our Fun Committee kicked off the Tru-Valentine’s Day rally once again.

This project is a true labor of love and would not have been possible without the Fun Committee members and active Truvetan participation. We rally managers and colleagues to share both serious and fun memories, celebrations, and notes of gratitude. It takes a lot of work and coordination, from organizing spreadsheets to processing shout-out submissions to designing the final assets. We carefully ensure every Truvetan team member receives a shout-out because everyone deserves a Tru-Valentine!

Now we’ve tripled our ranks and added a Truveta HQ office space in Seattle. Creating connection and fun has both become easier and harder simultaneously. This year, we processed over 650 shout-outs for nearly 170 employees and contractors.

It was all worth it when we shared the Tru-Valentine’s Day shout-outs on the All Team company meeting. It can get emotional seeing the gratitude from your colleagues, and yes there are a few happy tears here and there.

Tru-Valentine’s Day is a fun excuse to celebrate talent and foster a community of appreciation. I’ve really enjoyed the pause and opportunity to recognize my fellow Truvetans.

I hope you too have a Happy Tru-Valentine’s Day and find ways today to celebrate your teammates by saying, “Thank you!”

-Lish