Joy Adan
4 min read
One of the best parts of my job as a journalist is meeting people who love making a positive impact in the lives of other people and have a ton of fun while they do it. Evan Smith is a person who is genuinely passionate about what he gets to do everyday. As one of Reward Gateway’s Employee Engagement Specialists, he gets to exercise his creative and consultative skills to connect with HR leaders and partner with their companies to make the world a better place to work.
We sat down to chat about what he enjoys most about this role and about working for a unique company like Reward Gateway.
What is it that excites you about your role as an Employee Engagement Specialist at Reward Gateway?
Employee engagement is something that I’m really passionate about, and the reason for that is we have the ability here in our work to actually make a difference to people in their jobs. Our mission is to make the world a better place to work – that really resonates closely with me. For me, helping other people enjoy their work helps me enjoy my work as well.
You mentioned earlier that you tap-dance to work everyday - what does that mean?
Every time I wake up I know that we’re gonna have a fun day at work, that we’re gonna work hard, because we all genuinely want to achieve together, and that I’m going to have good people around me.
There’s no such thing as Sunday night blues when you’re working at Reward Gateway.
You don’t ever not want to go to work because you’re actually keen to learn more, and contribute to this fantastic mission that we’re on.
Tell me about the parts in your role you really enjoy.
For me, my favourite part of the role is getting on the phones or getting in those meeting rooms and talking to people who are interested to learn about employee engagement.
Nothing makes me more excited than having a meeting with somebody who was maybe a little bit sceptical at first, and then at the end of that conversation, you know that they’re a believer, that they had it in them as well, and you’ve been able to take a problem of theirs and match it up with a solution that we provide.
Is there anything about the role that has surprised you?
No two days are ever alike. From one day when we’re filming personalised messages for our clients, to being out there and meeting people, and being able to mingle with other HR professionals at events. Not only that, but cross-organisational development in the business, both in Australia and internationally as well. Getting to know the market, the product and other aspects of employee engagement.
Can you tell me about your team and what it’s like to work with them?
It’s really interesting with my team, I often feel like I’m the least intelligent in the room! You’ve got this wonderful array of people who I learn off of every single day. They’re people who are selfless, who will always stop what they’re doing to help out with your own development and any questions that you have, and they’re always pushing you harder so you’re having team and individual success as well.
I came into this role really hungry for learning and development but also to bring myself to the next level, and level-up when it came to being a professional as well. And that’s something that’s been at the forefront of what I’ve demanded from this role, but also what I’ve received. At every single stage and every single person I come across; it’s always about that long-term progression and making sure we’re better tomorrow than what we were yesterday.
What has stood out about the company?
The thing that surprised me the most was how much we celebrate each other’s high moments and get around each other when we are having a tough time. Never before have I had people all over the world - CEO, right through to the most recent employee - pat me on the back when I’ve done something great. And that’s something about the culture here that makes you feel really human and really valued at Reward Gateway.
What do you wish people knew about Reward Gateway?
Reward Gateway is the best-kept secret in Australian work. We are the most fantastic business to potentially work for. If you’re a person who is hungry, who is keen to learn, and willing to work hard, the sky’s the limit in these four walls.
And I think that’s something a lot of people have yet to learn about Reward Gateway — that you’ll partner with a business who’ll invest in you and make you the best professional that you can possibly be.