Take a Child to Work at Merc!

It was a fun day of learning and exploring at Take a Child to Work Day

If you think every workday starts with inboxes, meetings, and calendars, think again. On Take a Child to Work Day and Beyond, we welcomed some eager future Merc-ers, our kids!  Backpacks and bag lunches were swapped for visitor badges and donuts, and they were ready to walk in their grownup’s shoes for the day! Some even twinning with their mini-me’s!

Kids joined us from across our footprint, at Grand Rapids headquarters, in offices from Cadillac to Troy and plenty of stops in between. This year’s theme, The Future Is at Work, and we can tell, the future is bright!

8:30–9:00 a.m. | The Kickoff

The day kicked off with introductions, which revealed two universal truths: recess remains undefeated, and kids have
very strong opinions about their favorite school subjects. Math, art, and science had plenty of fans in the room, rounding out the group nicely.

Brett Hoover (Chief Human Resource Officer) and Tara Randall (Chief Experience Officer) officially got things started, sharing a favorite Mercantile story, how our own Earnie the Otter applied for a job, nailed the interview, and earned his place as our favorite bank mascot. It’s an otterly amazing story.

And even better, Earnie himself was in the house, and the morning turned into a full-on on Earnie dance party! Can every day start this way?

9:00–10:00 a.m. | Group Activities

After Earnie took a bow, kids interviewed their grownups about what they do and why it matters, played Kindness Bingo, and played a round of Would You Rather? work style. The activities sparked conversations about what it really means to be part of the Merc team.

10:00–11:00 a.m. | The Building Tour

Every good travel blog has a walking tour, right?
The building tour quickly turns into an adventure, hallways explored, departments discovered, everyone was on the move. Along the way, kids get a behind the scenes look at how a workplace functions and how many different people it takes to support customers, coworkers, and the community.

11:00–11:30 a.m. | Wrapping It All Up

There was excitement over boardrooms, fascination with technology, and more than a few surprised expressions as they realized just how much happens during a single workday. It’s all in a day’s work, right?

 We had the best time with our kids today, seeing Mercantile through your eyes. Thanks for spending the day with us!