Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day 2019
Workforce Development For All is the 2019 universal theme for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. Although the official day was April 25th, 2019, Fuzion hosted our “Work Day” on July 17 to allow students to participate without missing out on a school day. A key theme this year was to help our daughters and sons see what their future could look like as part of a team and to discover the power and possibilities associated with a balanced work and family life. Fuzion associates not only brought their sons and daughters to work but also nieces, nephews, and children of close friends. In addition to hearing about the many roles and responsibilities at Fuzion, our guests experienced hands-on learning, fun, and philanthropic activities to mirror our work culture.
After a quick check-in and meet and greet breakfast, Mary Miller, director of human resources, welcomed our “Work Day” guests. Barry Staldine, president and chief executive officer, shared his insight on the collaborative effort of our departmental teams and other factors that impacts how an insurance company functions. Representatives from many departments provided an overview of their team’s roles and how they fit into the Fuzion puzzle. “Work Day” presenters included:
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Anna Garst, Product Owner, and Josh Conway (aka Henry the HIPAApotomus), System Administrator
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Melody Royer, Director of Operations, and Julie Peterson, Operations Manager
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Erika Davis, Senior Corporate Counsel
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Allison Gray, Data Analytics Manager
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Jeff Ferrand, Chief Fraud Officer
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Moira Shaw, Human Resources Generalist
After learning about the various functions at Fuzion, “Work Day” guests chose two departmental sessions to attend to get a more in depth understanding of that department’s responsibilities and how their team contributes to the overall operation of Fuzion. This was followed by a block of time where they could choose from a variety of activities; including interviewing an individual associate about their job function, shadowing their parent host, competing in a Lego sculpture contest, participating in an office scavenger hunt or bingo game, or completing a long-term care insurance word search.
Fuzion culture includes a spirit of giving back to the community and we wanted “Work Day” guests to experience this spirit of connecting with our community through philanthropy. Participants very much enjoyed the cooperative effort needed to assemble art supplies for Emma’s Art Kits in partnership with the Cancer Support Community of Central Indiana. One of our youngest attendees, Lockelan Wuertz, son of Matt Wuertz, Director of IT, cited this as his favorite activity of the day stating “I liked it when we sent the doodle pads to the kids with cancer.”
Our high school attendees served as group leaders for our younger guests and many took advantage of some in depth conversations about different departments’ activities. Cassidy Parker, daughter of Traci King-Parker, Senior Lead Operations Analyst, shared that “The day was a great opportunity to learn about interesting careers and the various departments at an office job. Even though I’m more of an artist, it was interesting to take a look inside of a computer and learn how coding works.” Cassidy did not miss the opportunity though to show her teenage creativity with us by adding a lot of emojis to her quote for emphasis added.
The 2019 Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day came to a close with a group wrap-up followed by an all-associate outing to see the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field at Fuzion’s annual summer outing. This event was a wonderful opportunity for students to experience a day in the office with hosts that like to share their experiences with tomorrow’s workforce and leaders.