Like many companies, Tunheim has spent countless hours over the years formulating and declaring a core set of values – the cultural cornerstones – that have served as the basis for our collective, as well as individual, behavior for doing the work we do every day. Well intended and meaningful, the values we set forth have served us well and very much influenced who the team is today.
But like a lot of companies, we’ve had challenges over the years in ensuring that our employees felt connected to our values day in and day out. The changing dynamic of our work assignments, the need to grow and expand our services as well as the influx of young, smart, aggressive professionals forced us to regularly reexamine and communicate our company values so that they didn’t become meaningless words written on a piece of paper.
Then 2020 happened. The pandemic not only forced us to change how we do our work, but the virtual workplace altered the cultural dynamics our values sought to establish. More importantly though, the murder of George Floyd triggered a cultural reckoning for our community at large and gave us the opportunity to view our company values through a different lens; one that had us examine our own beliefs and behaviors and asking whether our company needed to redefine our core values to explicitly reflect how we intend to operate and behave consistently with awakened cultural awareness.
So, the management team went to work, listening to and learning from our DEI team. We asked for input from our colleagues through surveys and discussions and had thoughtful conversations amongst ourselves to establish a set of company values that reflect a shared sense of commitment to our work, our communities, our diversity and to each other. We start with a simple declaration, We Value;
Our Communities
What we do is connected to the outcomes in our community and around the world. We are committed to moving the world forward.
Our Differences
We value equity, inclusion, and dignity for all. We strive for excellence and recognize that our differences make us stronger. We respect and seek out inclusion of differences, realizing we can learn from each other. We insist on a culture of respect and recognize that words and actions matter.
Our Clients
Our clients are the lifeblood for why we exist. We seek to be part of their team. Their goals become our own. We celebrate their success and help them advance their mission.
Collaboration
We believe that no one individual is as good as our collective best. We learn from and listen to each other’s ideas, which improves our product. Together we are stronger; better.
Each Other
Each person is of equal value. We will treat each person as they want to be treated.
In the ensuing weeks and months, members of our team will be sharing their individual connection to our values and what is means to them on the Tunheim social media platforms. This work is intended to intentionally connect our behaviors to the work we do. Our values reflect who we are as a company and at Tunheim we are a company deeply committed to improving the world in which we live and work.
