My first day working at 9 Clouds, I knew there was something magical about this place. The reason? There was a donut sticker on the break room door.

Silly, I know. But little did these people know how much I love donuts. I mean, I really like donuts. It doesn’t matter if they are glazed or filled — I love them all.

Shortly after beginning at 9 Clouds, I celebrated a milestone birthday, so my husband brought treats to the office. Of course, they had to be donuts!

My husband also shared with the team one of the special things he did for my birthday: he purchased donuts for the weekly Minnesota Vikings Donut Club in my honor. Trust me, the Vikings take their donuts very seriously.

At 9 Clouds, all employees have quarterly reviews. During our reviews, we are encouraged to set both personal and professional goals. One of my goals (at the persuasion of my fellow teammates) was to officially start the 9 Clouds Donut Club.

And thus began the 9 Clouds Donut Club.

Our rules are not as strict as the Vikings Donut Club, which meets every Saturday morning during the season. We meet monthly, typically on special occasions or just whenever the craving hits. For example, we met on Fat Tuesday and enjoyed special Mardi Gras donuts.

As president of the Donut Club, I am responsible for getting the goods. I try to take into account everyone’s preferences.

For example, I know that Jenny likes maple donuts but is allergic to nuts. One of our employees has a gluten allergy, but we can’t leave her out — she gets her own special gluten-free confections. Sarah? She likes the pudding custard-filled donuts. John is not fancy with his donut preferences and just likes a classic glazed donut.

As the office coordinator at 9 Clouds, I am in the office only about 20 hours a week. That means I spend half the amount of time in the office as my teammates.

But by supporting my love of donuts and participating in Donut Club, the team has also shown me they embrace me as one of their own.

And you know what? Research has repeatedly shown that when employees feel like part of a team, they work harder.

National Donut Day is June 2. Trust me, the 9 Clouds Donut Club had a meeting.

“It’s really nice to have a common bond about something stupid like that.”
–Gus Frerotte, founding member of the Minnesota Vikings Club

Our team does a lot of fun things like Donut Club. To get to know our office culture — and how your team might improve your own — click the button below.