Crazy Little Thing Called NerdLove Week

By NerdWallet 
Published
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This post was written by Nicolette Lea, benefits lead at NerdWallet.

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Hand-crafted Valentines are just one of the special features of NerdLove Week.

Having employee appreciation events is not a new idea — in fact, most companies have ways of showing thanks for their employees. At NerdWallet, we try to celebrate employees every day, but once a year we do something really special: We dedicate an entire week to expressing our gratitude for each and every one of our Nerds.

Created by our People Ops team, our NerdLove week tradition began five years ago, and every year we find new ways to surprise and delight our Nerds. Taking place in the same week as Valentine’s Day, this series of events is something Nerds look forward to every February.

The structure of NerdLove is adapted from the best-selling book The 5 Love Languages, and each day is focused on a different “love language.” For instance, for “words of affirmation,” we crafted homemade Valentine’s cards for a local elementary school and gave coworkers public praise on a gratitude wall. During “acts of service,” our leadership team served ice cream to employees.

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One employee favorite is our “group gratitude” activity, where each team does something nice for another team at NerdWallet. For instance, the Marketing team created an integrated campaign showcasing one of our product groups, IPX; in turn, the IPX team created a mini award show celebrating the Marketing team.

For the “gift giving” love language, employees received a special NerdLove gift for no reason other than being a Nerd and working hard all year long. And for “physical touch,” we brought in on-site chair massages and manicures so employees could relax and pamper themselves, even if for just 15 minutes on a busy day.

Every year, this week lifts spirits, and the numerous smiles are contagious. There's little doubt that by the end of the week, employees feel valued by the company and grateful to work with the other people here — the true reason for and essence of NerdLove Week.

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Are you interested in learning more about NerdLove Week or hearing about the other fun employee perks at NerdWallet? Visit our careers page to see our open positions or reach out to [email protected] — we’d love to connect!

All photos: NerdWallet.