Bonfyre Tackles Local Remote Worker Isolation and Improves Employee Engagement as COVID-19 Disrupts Workplace Relationships - Bonfyre

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Bonfyre Tackles Local Remote Worker Isolation and Improves Employee Engagement as COVID-19 Disrupts Workplace Relationships

Local Clients Including Commerce Bank, Hill Investment Group and MTM Leverage Technology to Maintain Connections Among Employees; Local SMBs Invited to Access Bonfyre for Free

ST. LOUIS, MO (May 20, 2020) — Bonfyre, a St. Louis-based company building human connections at work through a digital platform with the most important tools to measure and drive employee engagement, today extended the company’s commitment to tackling remote worker isolation and improving employee engagement as COVID-19 continues to disrupt workplace relationships. The company is offering its software at no cost for six months to local small and medium businesses to help improve communication and connectivity.

According to a special survey “The Impact of COVID-19 on Businesses in the Eighth Federal Reserve District,” Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis estimates that about 40% of employees are working remotely. In this survey, banking, real estate, and agriculture sectors and other professional services all have a significant share of remote workers. The Eighth Federal Reserve District serves all of Arkansas and portions of six other states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.

With more area employees working remotely because of COVID-19, and many continuing to do so in modified ways for the foreseeable future, companies will benefit from creating a dedicated digital space for social interaction on topics outside of ongoing work. Delivered through mobile devices in real time, Bonfyre gives companies a modern way to help employees stay informed, build community and grow relationships.

“Now more than ever, business leaders are aware of the need to foster meaningful connections within their ranks,” said Matt Hall, President of St. Louis and Houston based Hill Investment Group. “Bonfyre’s solution helps add a human touch, whether it’s employees sharing family photos, trading recipes, or celebrating achievements. Having a dedicated space for maintaining and building strong relationships is especially important, so that people have as close to the experience of walking by each other’s desks as possible, just in a virtual way.”

Even though many people have been working remotely for years, social isolation remains one of the biggest drawbacks of remote work arrangements. In Buffer’s 2020 State of Remote Work report, when asked “What’s your biggest struggle with working remotely?” 20 percent listed loneliness while another 20 percent answered difficulties with communication and collaboration.

To combat this issue, more and more companies are turning to digital platforms designed to improve the employee experience – driving a 200% increase in Bonfyre user activity over the last quarter. Recognizing that for small and medium businesses virtual work may be completely new territory, the company is concerned that many may not be fully prepared to support a transition to it.

“Happy and connected workers are the heart of any business’ success. To thrive in the new world of work, we need technology to get work done and to build human connection with our work and the people we work with,” said Mark Sawyier, CEO and Co-Founder of Bonfyre. “We are proud to be based in St. Louis and want to do whatever we can to help other businesses navigate and emerge out of this crisis stronger.”

Because small and medium businesses have been among the hardest hit in the area, Bonfyre is offering its versatile software at no cost for six months for them. For more information, businesses can visit https://bonfyreapp.com/smb-solution.

“With the increased physical distance, business leaders must set a tone that encourages non-work interaction among teams,” said Rob Seay, Bonfyre’s Director of Employee Experience. “For example, our company has a ‘Watercooler Wednesday’ discussion thread, just to have something fun and normal to chat about online every week. In the end, it’s our social relationships and connections to each other that will support success in an era of increased remote work.”

About Bonfyre

Powered by a delightful, mobile-first communications channel designed to build human connection with our work, Bonfyre is a single frontend destination for the most important tools to measure and drive employee engagement. With everything in one place, Bonfyre automates engagement at scale by making it easy for every employee – regardless of location, role, or language – to take the right digital actions to move the needle on KPIs like retention, engagement scores and more. Based in St. Louis, Bonfyre is a valued solution within a variety of organizations like Commerce Bank, ConEdison, MTM and Option Health Care.

Media Contacts:

Andrew Carlson
andrew.carlson@bonfyreapp.com
314.446.6301

Greg Severin
greg@lawingconsulting.com
314.239.4143