Things that Make Grand Circle Unique
Just as we aim to change the lives of our customers, we also try to improve the lives of our associates. We offer a stimulating work environment with opportunities for personal and professional growth, "hands-on" learning and training programs, performance management, a variety of opportunities to give back to the communities, and a strong set of corporate values that include open & courageous communication, risk taking, teamwork, thriving in change, speed, and quality.
Corporate Meetings
Brian FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer
At Grand Circle, the monthly Corporate Meeting is no dry, boring event. It’s a lively forum for no-holds-barred discussion. Held monthly near the company’s Boston headquarters and open to all associates, the meeting allows:
- Open-book management, frank sharing of financial results and other key strategies from the management team
- The opportunity to honor our long-tenured associates and to recognize company heroes with special awards
- And, most important, answer to some questions associates may have about the business—and airing their valuable recommendations for how to make improvements
Giving Back to our Communities
We established the nonprofit Grand Circle Foundation in 1992 as a way to give back to our community in Boston and in the countries where we travel. Together with the Alnoba Lewis Family Foundation, we have pledged more than $250 million for a variety of educational, cultural , and humanitarian causes worldwide. Locally, Grand Circle associates lead community service events and are given an extra 7.5 hours of paid time off to participate per year. Events include quarterly blood drives, severing dinner monthly at the New England Center and Home for Veterans, supporting Rebuilding Together Boston every April, participating in and fundraising for the Pan Mass Challenge and the Boston Marathon, providing school supplies to students at the West End House, and supporting a holiday raffle with proceeds going to a local organization.
In the countries our travelers visit, our focus is on providing the schools and villages with access to an adequate supply of clean water and toilets that meet or exceed local standards; funding resources for schools that are not provided by local governments; empowering women by supporting women’s cooperatives; and supporting leaders in conservation, especially Indigenous leaders in the Amazon.
Product Training Trips
Quite simply, there is no better way to learn our business than by going on one of our trips. There’s also no better way for associates to portray a trip accurately to our travelers than by experiencing it themselves. Product Training Trips allow associates to meet our travelers, have Home-Hosted meals and other intercultural exchanges with the local people, and visit sites supported by Grand Circle Foundation—just as our travelers do. Upon returning, associates are encouraged to provide recommendations for improving our trips.
Product Training Trips are golden opportunities for associates to practice “risk taking” and “teamwork,” two of our core values; gain firsthand product knowledge; and improve their overall job performance.
Why Do We Dangle From Trees?
Something else that makes Grand Circle unique is our firm belief that the best way to motivate associates afresh is by getting away from it all. Getting out of the office. Enjoying a new environment. And in the process, focusing on how to improve our business results—and personal leadership skills. Offsite meetings are one way that we do that. They’re also a tremendous opportunity to put many of the company’s values into action—especially “risk taking,” teamwork,” and “open and courageous communication,” the focus of BusinessWorks, our marquee offsite meeting.
If you think walking across a rope strung between two trees 30 feet above the ground doesn’t translate into better performance at the office, think again. Or better yet, see for yourself. (Don’t worry—it’s perfectly safe.)"Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values." - Unknown
The BusinessWorks Company Training is designed for you to experience Grand Circle's culture through action learning. The all-company day and regional meetings will include high initiatives, such as the ropes course, in addition to other training components. We know that for many of you, this will be a new experience and we'd like to explain what this type of training has to do with our day to day work with Grand Circle Corporation.
Leading companies are those that take risks, are interdependent, and take the extra step in leadership. Participating in Challenge Course events, such as ropes, isn't about learning to climb trees, balancing across high wires, or pushing yourself to your physical limits. It's about stretching yourself and taking risks—taking one more step than you thought you could. It's about trying something new. It is about stepping outside of your comfort zone. It is about asking for help and giving help, working closely with a partner and a team in a difficult situation, and trusting them to keep you safe. We believe that we meet similar challenges each day at Grand Circle which ask us to do any and all of these things.
Our expectation for the training is that all participants identify their challenges, set goals to meet them, and rise to the opportunity to go after their own personal dragons, in whatever form they are found. The same is true every day in our workplace, and to that extent the Challenge Course has something to offer each of us.
Wellness Program
We are excited to have been named a 2018 WorkWell Massachusetts Award Bronze Level winner for exemplary worksite health promotion. This award recognizes our achievements developing, implementing, and participating in corporate health improvement and wellness programs.
In 2018 and 2019, Grand Circle received the Best Wellness Employer “Silver Certification” for our worksite wellness program.
The award was given by Wellness Workdays in collaboration with Harvard Medical School to recognize the significant accomplishments of employers dedicated to improving employee health and well-being.
The certification recognizes the outstanding achievements of businesses and organizations committed to creating best in-class corporate wellness programs that promote a culture of wellbeing to engage employees. Experts from Wellness Workdays, Harvard Medical School and other organizations developed rigorous evaluation standards for the eligibility requirements.
We are proud to have been recognized by Wellness Workdays and Harvard Medical School, and to be included in the ranks of other current and previous winners, which include New Balance, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Putnam Investments, Brown University, Cabot Corp., MIT, Rockland Trust, Bentley University, Cambridge Trust, and Harvard Business School.
In 2018, Grand Circle received “Boston’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®" award.
Every year, companies throughout Greater Boston compete to be named one of “Boston’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For®.” Only companies that distinguish themselves as having the most innovative and thoughtful human resources approach can be bestowed this honor. These select companies are honored by the National Association for Business Resources (NABR).
The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For® competition identifies and honors organizations that display a commitment to excellence in their human resource practices and employee enrichment. Organizations are assessed based on categories such as communication, work-life balance, employee education, diversity, recognition, retention and more.
