For the past seven years, Michael Coniff has honed his expertise in the bustling world of finance at Expedia Group. Currently residing in Springfield, Missouri, Michael holds the position of Financial Operations Analyst, playing a vital role in ensuring the company’s financial health and smooth operations. This blog offers a glimpse into Michael’s time at EG, delving into his insights and experiences working in the “Queen City” office.

What does a typical day look like for you?

While my day can take on a variety of forms it always begins the same: Greeting and socializing with my team. On my team, we value the importance of team morale and camaraderie in that it helps each of us do our best work and fosters the growth of trust between us. After the usual morning coffee-talk, I dive into responding and catching up on emails from our coworkers overseas. I work closely with Expedians in London and due to the time difference, it’s important to address their questions quickly while our workdays overlap. From there, the day shifts between meetings, projects, and reoccurring tasks. One thing is for sure, “typical” for me, is not so typical at all.

What do you enjoy most about working at Expedia Group?

Simple: the people. The first thing many think about when it comes to Expedia Group is travel, travel benefits, or simply embracing the culture of travel, but day to day it’s the people who work here who are passionate about the success of the organization that make it special. While you can certainly find great people at any job, the combination of great fun-loving people and the excitement of powering travel can only be found at Expedia Group. From little things like cultural potlucks to in-office mental wellness activities (like candle making, snow globe making, personality seminars, etc.) to the big things like holiday celebrations, or work anniversary celebrations, at the heart of it all is taking care of the people who make the Expedia Group magic happen.

What makes your team special?

We know how to work hard and have fun. From taking a few hours in the afternoon on special occasions to play board games, to planning off-site lunches at different cultural restaurants around town, to celebrating personal wins of team members with cards, snacks, cake, you name it… there is always something on the horizon to empower us to enjoy working together. And while it may appear that we put more emphasis on the fun stuff to those outside looking in, in the past few years I’ve seen greater growth on this team than any other team or company I’ve ever worked for. New records in financials, more promotions from within the team, huge process improvements, and the ability to adapt to ever changing technology, everyone on the team has bought into the “together we can do anything” mentality.

Can you share any career and/or personal growth you’ve experienced while at Expedia Group?

You know, I started at Expedia Group before I had any children, and now I have 4. So, the line between growing in maturity as a father and as a working professional have certainly been blurred over these 7 years. With that said, the number one growth I’ve learned through working here is tactfulness. From responding to emails with grace and kindness to conducting meetings about sensitive cultural issues to working through communication problems with other coworkers, being tactful is not just a courtesy, it is a way of life at EG.

Why do you enjoy working in Springfield?

Springfield is quite the melting pot of diversity and cultures. I started a tradition with those on my team of eating a different ethnic restaurant each month. There is a wide range of restaurant options from Thai, to Indian, to Greek, to all manner of Mexican and Chinese (did you know Springfield is the birthplace of Cashew Chicken?) to choose from. But ultimately, and as I said before about working at Expedia Group, it’s the people that make Springfield a great place to work. The Expedians of Springfield are wonderfully unique individuals, but they all share one thing in common: that midwestern hospitality. Everybody is willing to open up their home for game nights, nacho parties (yes these are a thing), or a good old-fashioned cook-out. We might not have mountains or beaches, but we’ve got good people who know how to have fun and make the most of what Springfield has to offer.

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