How to maintain a strong sense of community and connection among employees during a period of rapid growth? With a dedicated employee engagement platform.

Here is how Pura Vida Miami did it together with Speakap.

Pura Vida Miami isn't just a restaurant; it's a Miami staple known for its commitment to healthy, delicious food and fostering a vibrant community. Founded in 2012 by husband-and-wife team Omer and Jennifer Horev, Pura Vida Miami has grown from a single location in South Beach to multiple locations across South Florida. Their philosophy is simple: establish a standard of health & wellness in the community, by providing access to healthy and nutritious food, always.

The Challenge:

How to maintain a strong sense of community and connection among employees during a period of rapid growth?

Pura Vida Miami has had a ton of growth over the last year and plans to continue that. Yet, with growth comes the challenge of maintaining a strong company culture.  Pura Vida Miami thrives on a culture built around recognition and connection. The question is, how can they ensure these values are understood and embodied by both existing and new employees, especially as the company expands geographically?

Moreover, scaling recognition programs effectively becomes crucial with a larger team. How can they ensure everyone feels valued despite the increasing size?

Finally, continuous growth can create departmental silos and physical separation. How can Pura Vida Miami prevent this and maintain a strong connection between employees, fostering a sense of shared purpose across the entire company?

The Solution:

Vida Life, an employee app developed by Speakap

The focus when seeking out a solution to these challenges was to find something that would allow for improving employee engagement, increase interaction and collaboration among managers & employees, and improve training and onboarding processes. Moreover, for Pura Vida Miami it was important to find a solution that would ensure employees to quickly access important information. 

““We are committed to fostering a culture that ensures every team member believes in our vision. Identifying unique methods to acknowledge your team should be a fundamental practice for all companies- they are the core of what we do! ”

Joelle Elias,  Executive Director of Operations at Pura Vida

To address the challenges and achieve the goals they had set, Pura Vida Miami introduced an employee engagement app, Vida Life, developed by Speakap.

Here is why they chose Speakap:

  • The employee app integrates with 7shifts, Pura Vida Miami's existing scheduling tool. This eliminates data silos and ensures information flows smoothly. 
  • Updates can be targeted to specific teams based on roles and locations, guaranteeing everyone receives relevant information without information overload. New hires and geographically dispersed staff also benefit from real-time messaging and updates, keeping everyone in the loop and fostering a sense of shared purpose.
  • Vida Life goes beyond just information dissemination. It serves as a central communication hub where employees can share feedback, participate in discussions, and celebrate achievements. This transparency and inclusivity create a stronger sense of community, allowing Pura Vida Miami to maintain its culture of recognition even during rapid growth.

The Results:

359% user growth in 10 months and a thriving culture of recognition

Monthly Active Users of the employee engagement app experienced significant growth from January - when it was launched fully to all employees - to October, marking a 359% increase. 

“The charm of what we created via Speakap lies in its ability to unite people throughout South Florida. Each team member can witness the celebrations, appreciations, and creations unique to every location.”

Joelle Elias,  Executive Director of Operations at Pura Vida

Moreover, Speakap became the go-to hub for all employee interaction.  With an impressive 84% activation rate, the app wasn't just downloaded – it was actively used by the vast majority of employees.

Beyond the numbers, Pura Vida Miami also experiences additional benefits:

  • Targeted messaging within the app ensures employees are updated in real time about policy, process and menu changes, and get only the updates relevant to them.
  • Monthly contests and prize programs tied to company goals added an element of fun and motivation.  This "gamified" approach to communication kept employees engaged and actively participating.
  • Pura Vida empowers employees to publicly acknowledge the outstanding efforts and dedication of their colleagues.
  • The Vida Life app played a key role in keeping everyone on the same page during the expansion of 6 new locations, facilitating the smooth flow of information.

If you're interested in learning more about how Speakap can help your frontline team, book a demo with us here.