This week – finally, after a postponement in October – saw the return of our annual WorkBuzz Live! event for 2022. If you missed out, here’s what we covered throughout the day – and check back soon for video recordings of every session.
Introductions
Giving everyone a warm welcome, WorkBuzz Live! 2022 was kicked off by our Founder and CEO, Steven Frost. Steven laid the foundations for what to expect from the day, as well as discussing WorkBuzz’s journey for far – and where we’re headed in the future.
Dawn Smedley, our Head of Culture, then introduced the theme of this year’s event: “Making moments that matter”. Dawn explained that engagement can’t be forced and is each employee’s choice, so organisations need to create workplace cultures that people choose to engage with. That’s why creating and reacting to individual moments that matter is critical in the race to gain and retain talent.
Insights from the SoEE 2022
Ian Barrow, our Senior Employee Experience Consultant, dived deep into the key findings from our State of Employee Engagement 2022 report. He covered all the key findings, including:
- Hybrid working being a double-edged sword
- Employee listening becoming a constant conversation
- Employee wellbeing still being high on the agenda
- Culture being HR’s secret weapon
- How setting engagement KPIs helps create moments that matter
Download the State of Employee Engagement 2022 report here.
Speaker spotlight: Debra Corey on recognition
Our first external speaker of the day was Debra Corey, consultant, best-selling author, and Chief ‘pay it forward’ Officer. Debra’s session centred on how organisations can use recognition “to put an exclamation point on different moments that matter”. Debra discussed why recognition needs to change in the workplace, the golden rules of recognition, how to build a recognition pyramid, and the role managers play.
Product roadmap
Next up was WorkBuzz Chief Technology Officer Lewis North, who discussed some of the exciting platform updates we have in store. This included our onboard and exit surveys solution, multi-language capabilities, and a sneak peek at some new upcoming features.
HR discussion panel
Our HR discussion panel was up next, hosted by Neil Hayward, an ex-FTSE 100 HR Director, Executive Director and Board Advisor at WorkBuzz.
Joining Neil were Kay Makin, Head of People at Integrated Service Solutions Ltd, Kylie Cheston, Head of Human Resources at Aspris, and Di Gwinnell, Group People & Culture Director at edyn group. Each discussed the HR challenges facing them and their organisations today.
Speaker spotlight: Ije McDougall on diversity & inclusion
Our second speaker of the day was Ije McDougall, Founder of The Kairos Initiative, Magistrate, and HR/Employment Law Expert. In her session, Ije discussed all things equality and diversity, asking our attendees a range of questions that made them think about this topic on a more personal level – and beyond the usual buzzwords associated with the subject.
Roundtable discussions
Next, things got interactive, as attendees took part in roundtable discussions hosted by Melisaan Foster, our Customer Success and Experience Director. Everyone shared and discussed personal experiences they’ve had in the workplace, including:
- Their biggest challenges around employee experience
- Moments that mattered to them from their career
- The one thing they’ll do differently based on what they learned at WorkBuzz Live!
Customer spotlight: How WorkBuzz has improved employee engagement for LKQ Euro Car Parts
Donna Fearnley, Group HR Director, UK & Ireland at LKQ Euro Car Parts, shone a light on the organisation’s employee engagement journey — and how WorkBuzz has been an integral part of its strategy.
Since launching its first survey with us in April 2021, the business has worked hard to put its customers and colleagues at the heart of everything it does. Look at for a full customer Euro Car Parts case study coming to workbuzz.com soon.
WorkBuzz awards & wrap up
To finish off WorkBuzz Live! 2022, it was only right to recognise some of our outstanding WorkBuzz customers and those who’ve helped us grow into the organisation we are today. We gave congratulations to our 5-Star Employers, those businesses who have been with us from the very start, and our Customer Advisory Board.
We also handed out prizes (including our famous WorkBuzz hoodies) to the winners of our scavenger hunt that took place throughout the event.
Thanks to everyone who attended this year, and we look forward to seeing you all at WorkBuzz Live! 2023. Keep your eyes on your inbox for recordings of all our sessions coming soon.
