OK Blue Jays, let’s boost engagement

As the Toronto Blue Jays continue their playoff run and edge closer to what could be their first World Series championship in 32 years, workplaces in the Toronto area and in many places across Canada are feeling the excitement. 

For HR professionals, major sporting events like this present a unique opportunity to foster engagement, build community, and even give back. But how can organizations harness this energy effectively? 

The current Blue Jays’ playoff run isn’t just a Toronto story. As Michael French, National Director at Robert Half, points out, “The Blue Jays tend to have a very strong Toronto market and fan base, but they're also the nationally recognized team, and Canadians work all over the world - we truly are a global workforce now, so you'll see people celebrating the Blue Jays all over.” 

Sporting events can be a powerful catalyst for workplace engagement, and French observes that attitudes have shifted over the years.  

“I think if we looked at 30, 35 years ago, I'm not certain it was as embraced as it is now, but now in many organizations as you get into events like the Olympics, World Series, NBA Championship, March Madness, the World Cup, you'll start seeing jerseys and hats and more people jumping on the bandwagon,” he says. “For companies, it's easier to embrace and encourage it rather than fight the trend, so now you'll see companies encouraging teams to help build on the culture.” 

Celebrating sports teams who do well is also successful for employee engagement because they tend to be apolitical, according to Marvin Washington, College Dean at the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. 

“Even employees who don’t understand baseball can root for [Blue Jays first baseman] Vladimir Guerrero Junior and the Blue Jays pitcher who started the season in the low minor leagues - or the fact that Toronto hasn’t been in the World Series in more than 30 years!” says Washington. 

Integrating personal passions and the workplace 

The rise of hybrid and remote work has made flexibility a key value for many organizations, and French believes this can encourage celebration of sports in the work context. 

“[Flexibility] shows that work is more than just the place you go to at the dreaded office,” he says. “You have an integration of work and life, and that includes things that you enjoy, like celebrating your sports teams.” 

For HR leaders, the challenge is to channel this energy in a way that aligns with organizational values while supporting and fostering engagement.  

“The first thing HR needs to do is, well ahead of anything that's coming up, have a standard plan where the senior leaders have decided to get involved or support these events – it could be encouragement to organically do team-based functions or company-wide events,” says French. 

Giving back and supporting charitable causes 

Sporting events also offer a chance to support charitable initiatives, as sports teams usually have a charitable social cause connected to them, such as the Jays Care Foundation associated with the Blue Jays. Companies could also involve their own preferred charity as part of their events. 

“It's a great time to embrace the social side of your business, whether you embrace the team's charity or foundation or whatever group you're supporting in your office,” says French. “If you want to have team jersey days, it comes with a donation to whatever cause you're supporting or the team's charity, for example - it's a great way to add that giving back component.” 

Of course, not every employee is a sports fan, and HR needs to be mindful of inclusivity – particularly if there’s the potential for sports betting or alcohol to be involved at an event. French also points out the importance of fairness and balance in budgeting if a particular team is being feted rather than a broader event like the Olympics. 

“If you have a budget for one event but not others, that may not necessarily always be fair,” he says. “It's hard to support some sports but not others, so it may be more appropriate to celebrate once a team gets to a certain point, such as the World Series or other championship.” 

Organic engagement easier for leadership 

One of the most effective approaches is to let engagement happen naturally and let employees decide how they would like to celebrate, as long as it doesn’t affect work negatively. 

 “Some organizations may think, ‘What am I going to do?’ but let your people do it - it might just be changing their computer backgrounds or wearing shirts, jerseys, or hats,” says French. “It can be very simple and not involve a lot of leadership time.” 

If the team goes all the way and wins a championship, that could bring some additional considerations. 

“When I think back to the Toronto Raptors in 2019, that was the last time we were in any kind of normal environment [before Covid] and that was big, but now there’s a possibility that the Blue Jays have a parade next week,” says French. “As an organization, how do you embrace the post-win celebration? I tell people to be flexible and accommodating - your people may want to take part and you're better off to find ways to have them participate rather than have them sneaking around.” 

“The big thing is it's easier to embrace and celebrate it than to fight it.”