WIXLIB

7 Inspirational Storiesof Connection,Recognition andSupport duringCOVID-19

IntroductionHi there,Every day, companies around the world are learningto adapt and evolve as COVID-19 forces millionsof employees to adjust how, where and when theywork.Yet, in spite of the challenges and constraints we’refacing as a global community, many organizationsare responding effectively and learning how to adaptMany of our 1,800 clients are using their RewardGateway platforms to connect, recognizeand support their people during challengingtimes. Their stories inspired me and I hopethey also inspire you. Even in difficult times, wecan still reach our employees in meaningfulways to support business goals and maximizevisibility, wellbeing and connection.to ensure their success in the coming days andIf you’re interested in learning more aboutmonths ahead. They are pivoting, innovating andany of our solutions, we’re here to help.strengthening their teams and culture in the midst ofthe crisis.2 IntroductionKylie GreenSVP of ConsultancyReward Gatewaykylie.green@rewardgateway.com

High-volume retailer uses engagement platform to communicateimportant announcements to staff and boosts morale withwellbeing initiativesIndustryRetailNumber of Employees9,800 Challenges: Informing furloughed employeesof store closures en masse Opening up channels for twoway conversations with LeadershipTeam and frontline employees Boosting spirits and wellbeing toimprove employee morale3 DunelmDunelm has been using its platform,“Home Comforts,” as a key player in itsinternal communications strategy, usingblogs to communicate with and gatherfeedback from employees, as well as to hostemployee perks, recognition and more.During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak,the platform was vital to quickly get outannouncements on furlough and storeclosures. Since the beginning of March,Dunelm has published nearly 30 blogs,with a total of close to 115,000 uniquereads. The “Announcements” feature wasespecially helpful as it sent out an alert toevery single employee to announce storeclosures following country lockdowns.Since the store closures, Dunelm hasalso implemented a Wellbeing Center,where employees can access hundredsof videos and articles to help with theirwellbeing and use the blogs to keepemployees up to date with critical companyupdates and to share positive news.

“I just wanted to say that havingHome Comforts has beenabsolutely critical during this.The two-way conversation andfeedback has been vital, positiveor negative! Being able to answerquestions has put a lot of peopleat ease, and we’ve raised a lotof awareness for the platform.Following the lockdown news,it was great to get out such animportant message from ourCEO in one go to reach all ouremployees.”Ben Waterfield,Engagement Manager4 DunelmSpecial features on Dunelm’s coronavirushub include:Self isolationformColleagueQ&Afor employeesupdated regularlyJob RetentionProgramfor furloughedemployeesCEO blogsand videowritten content

Examples from the Dunelm hub5 Dunelm

Utilities company uses platform to connect and recognize remoteand on-site essential workersIndustryUtilitiesNumber of Employees6,500Challenges: Communicating with mix of onsite and remote employees Using a challenging time to growconnections among dispersed employees Enhancing visibility and appreciationfor employees’ hard work6 Thames WaterThames Water has been a Reward Gatewayclient for a decade, and through that timethe utilities company has used its platform toconnect and engage its employees throughwellbeing, recognition, communications anddiscounts. When the COVID-19 pandemicstarted to affect Thamesemployees, the business turned to itsplatform to get out critical messages toits large workforce around any changesto its essential service of providingclean water to its customers.During the third week of March, recognitionincreased from employee-to-employee and forspecial awards that employees could redeemon a gift of their choice. The most populareCard was the “Great teamwork!” eCard,showing the importance of collaborationand team spirit despite challenging times,with eCards reaching an all-time high inApril. Employees are also turning to Thamesdiscounts for extra savings and money backin their pockets, with employee spendingincreasing year-over-year in the spring atpopular grocery stores and markets.

“During these challenging timeswith our employees either onsite or working remotely, makingsure we connect with our peoplehas been critically important.We’ve used our platform to getout important messages arounddeveloping COVID-19 news, andas a space where employees canrecognize the great contributionsfrom their peers.”Jenny Adair,Reward Manager7 Thames WaterSpecial features on Thames’s platforminclude:Dedicatedblogswith coronavirusupdatesTailoredeCardsfor peer-to-peerrecognitionEmployee discountsat hundreds of retailers

Examples of eCards and Wellbeing focusfrom the Thames Water hub8 Thames Water

Marketing and advertising firm moves to 100% remote working,using new platform to reinforce values and purpose amongdispersed staffIndustryMarketing and AdvertisingNumber of Employees350Challenges: Showing appreciation and recognitionacross newly remote workforce Connecting employees to increasecollaboration and teamwork Increasing understanding ofcompany values and connectingemployees to company culture9 C spaceWhen the COVID-19 pandemic forcedC Space and its 350 employees to shift toan entirely remote workforce, connectingemployees while still maintaining highlevels of client satisfaction was critical.C Space used its new employee engagementplatform, “The Spot,” to create a spacewhere values-based peer-to-peer recognitionand award nominations could happenfreely. Some of the most popular eCardsbeing sent are “put we before me” and“I got this,” demonstrating a strongsense of teamwork and collaborationthroughout the organization.They encouraged usage of blogs as well,letting employees post blogs to quicklycommunicate to their colleagues that theyhad time to help on time-sensitive projectsor if they needed others to step in becauseof childcare constraints. Other blogs includeweekly all-staff recaps from the ChiefPeople & Operations Officer and Town Hallvideos from C Space Global CEO, CharlesTrevail to ensure that all employees arekept in the loop and up-to-date on timelyannouncements. Its dedicated coronavirushub contains information about how CSpace is handling client deliverables,advice on how to work with clients duringchallenging times and up-to-date articles andinformation on self-care during COVID-19.

“We are truly grateful for the rolethe Reward Gateway platformis playing in helping us navigatethis crisis. It’s become a centralhub for communications. TheValues Nominations are beinghighlighted at staff meetings, and90% of our people logged in lastweek. When we look back, wemay see this as a key moment inshaping our culture and drivingbehavioral change.”Phil Burgess,Chief People & Operations Officer10 C spaceSpecial features on C Space’s platforminclude:Video townhallsDedicatedcoronavirus hubwith CEOCharles TrevailUp-to-date articleson self-care and working withclients during COVID-19

Examples from the C space hub11 C Space

Construction company uses engagement platform to buildconnection, communicate important announcements and boostmorale with wellbeing initiativesIndustryConstructionNumber of Employees550 Challenges: Improving culture, motivationand wellbeing Connecting employees temporarilyworking from home Keeping employees informed and upto-date while reducing email volume12 Henley Properties GroupHenley Properties Group has over 550employees working across its state-basedheadquarters, construction sites and displaycenters in Victoria, NSW, Queensland andSouth Australia. Even though the majorityof the workforce was familiar with workingremotely or with dispersed teams, thepandemic introduced new engagement andcommunication challenges. Historically, emailwas used as the go-to method for officialcommunications and people announcements,but daily changes to health and safetyupdates meant inboxes were flooded andgetting through was challenging. Findingways to connect clearly and to strengthenculture across the dispersed workforceduring an uncertain time became a bigfocus for Henley’s People & Culture Team.The team committed to increasing blogfrequency on the company’s engagementplatform, the “Henley Hub,” and took theopportunity to refresh the homepagedesign to make it more inviting andexciting for employees to log in, readand engage with the content.They launched a COVID-19 informationhub to host relevant state governmentupdates and a rolling feed from theWorld Health Organization, as well as anonline Wellbeing Center that provides allemployees with online resources, exerciseand meditation videos and recipes tohelp support their physical and mentalwellbeing through this challenging time.

The homepage contains quick links toemployee benefits including discountsfrom their favorite retailers, and a handycounter highlighting the amount ofmoney individuals have spent through thediscounts program, which is collectivelyover 1.3m since the Henley Hub inception!The team has also created multiple blogfeeds for different purposes, including “TheHenley Herald,” which contains companyand community initiatives such as theinternal “Push-Up Challenge.” Other feedscontain weekly coronavirus updates fromthe CEO and leadership team, resourcesto promote employee wellbeing, and light,happy news to promote fun and community.For the first time, employees from aroundthe business have offered to add theirown content — from managers offeringblogs on topics ranging from ergonomic13 Henley Properties Groupstretches to homeschooling tips and evena brand new segment – the “sustainabilitysector,” which gives tips on energy savingand promotes environmental causes.These acts showcase how the Henleyworkforce supports fellow team membersby leaning on their virtual community.Special features on Henley PropertiesGroup’s hub include:The “HenleyHerald”and multiple newsfeeds containingcompany updatesFun, tailormade eCardsto inspire andconnect employeesDedicatedcoronavirus hubwith government andsafety updates“We can confidently say HenleyHub is the one place employeescan go to find what they need.When somebody comes to us withan important update or an ideathat will help other employeesat work, we’re able to publishit really quickly and easily. Itgets them excited to see it andshare it, which means people arestaying well-informed with what’shappening within our business.It’s also a nice relief on a Friday,giving us something fun to lookforward to.”Emily Day,People and Culture Advisor

Examples of eCards and the Henley Hub14 Henley Properties Group