Ali Fitzsimons
Last week, we made history with RGER Live, the first joint Reward Gateway | Edenred edition of our event, attended by over 450 HR heroes both online and in-person at the iconic BAFTA in Piccadilly, London. With our mission to build the Employee Experience Pyramid, the day was filled with inspiring insights, thought-provoking discussions, and memorable moments.
If you want to access all recordings, slides and other resources in full, visit our RGER Live On Demand Hub. But now let's take a deep dive into the day's agenda and explore some of our learnings and takeaways from the day.
A Warm Welcome
Host Hannah Power kicked off the day by uniting everyone with some engaging audience participation. We explored some reflective questions about what employee experience truly means, culminating in Hannah’s powerful definition: "Making sure everyone is really, really happy to come to work every single day."
Supporting Diverse Needs Across Your Workforce is Crucial
Hannah went from host to guest for our first panel and was joined by Nat Jutla, Recognition & Benefits Lead at Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), for a conversation on how businesses can address the diverse needs of their workforce.
Host of the panel and our own Head of Community Connections, Charlotte Neal started the session by sharing her experience managing multiple chronic conditions, and emphasising the importance of having streamlined access to benefits. This accessibility allowed her to navigate her health challenges while maintaining her role.
Similarly, Hannah shared how the health fertility benefit enabled her to identify a health concern early, resulting in a timely referral. For her, it wasn’t just about accessing benefits but receiving life-altering insights.
Nat highlighted the importance of flexibility in policies. She argued that while policies are essential, they shouldn’t be rigid. Individual teams and managers must have the discretion to address employees' unique situations. By listening and adapting, Defra ensured their benefits genuinely support employees and their needs.
In this panel, we learnt that policies should not be one-size-fits-all solutions. Flexibility, communication, and trust are vital in ensuring benefits are accessible and adaptable to the workforce's diverse needs.
A Holistic Wellbeing Strategy
The second session was led by Christina Kelly, Reward Manager, and Chris Britton, People Experience Director at Reward Gateway | Edenred. We explored the critical role of employee wellbeing in today’s workplace, highlighting findings from our 2024 HR Priority Report, which revealed that 35% of UK employees have reported a decline in wellbeing over the past two years. This underlines the need for employers to integrate wellbeing support into standard business operations.
The report also points out a perception gap in wellbeing support between employees and HR managers, indicating a need for improved communication. Fostering connection is especially essential in multigenerational workplaces, where employee sentiment significantly impacts engagement and satisfaction.
We explored how Reward Gateway | Edenred supports employee wellbeing through various benefits focusing on financial, mental, and physical health. Our partnerships with Nudge for financial wellbeing and Unmind for mental wellbeing ensure our employees have access to a well-balanced wellbeing offering.
Boosting Self-Esteem Through Recognition and Learning Opportunities
Emma De Maudave, Client Success Manager at Reward Gateway | Edenred got our afternoon agenda off to a great start with an insightful panel on the importance of boosting self-esteem through recognition and learning opportunities. Emma was joined by Devi Patel, People Development Manager at The Instant Group; and Alicia Lever, Reward Analyst at New Look.
Alicia discussed the challenges faced by retail companies with partially offline workforces, stressing the need for mobile-friendly solutions. The introduction of a mobile app had significantly increased the number of eCards and rewards sent out by managers at New Look, enhancing the immediacy and impact of the company’s recognition programme.
Devi highlighted that implementing a recognition platform led to an 11% increase in overall engagement within a year, illustrating the link between recognition and self-esteem. She emphasised the vital role of managers in understanding team members personally and recognising what makes each individual feel valued.
The Critical Role of Appreciation
For our closing session of the day, Nebel Crowhurst, Chief People Officer at Reward Gateway | Edenred, took us to the apex of the pyramid and discussed the importance of appreciation in the workplace. She addressed the challenges of retaining and attracting talent, highlighting that creating a culture of appreciation extends beyond simple recognition. Nebel shared research from our upcoming Appreciation Index report, indicating that employees who feel appreciated are more engaged and perform better. The session then explored personalised employee experiences and data-driven approaches to address workforce diversity.
Our report is due out in November and we can't wait to share more groundbreaking data and insight with you.
Don't worry, even though RGER Live has been and gone, you can still access all of the recordings and videos from RGER Live 2024 in our On-Demand Hub and keep an eye out for our upcoming events.