Kirstie Loveridge, Executive Vice President of People & Culture for AEG Europe.
It’s often easy for a company to rest on its laurels when it comes to employee benefits and engagement. However, I believe a business must place a strong emphasis on staff wellbeing, with clear communication, to succeed.
Employee wellbeing and benefits are fundamental aspects of a successful workforce and essential for a thriving business. In today’s dynamic work environment, prioritising genuine employee wellbeing offers more than just job satisfaction. It fosters a culture of productivity, innovation, and loyalty, which are key drivers of long-term success for both employees and employers alike. As a leader myself, it’s my duty at AEG Europe to prioritise and invest in the health and growth of our teams, understanding that our people form the cornerstones of our business accomplishments.
AEG Europe have recently been recognised as one of the best places to work in the UK by The Sunday Times, solidifying our reputation as a best-in-class employer, committed to fostering a culture of excellence and inclusivity. We’ve found that committing to the development of your employees, valuing creativity and community, creating opportunities to engage with one another, and embracing inclusion at all levels across the business, makes a huge difference in both business operations and garnering new talent.
In my experience, companies benefit greatly from prioritising employee learning and development opportunities to sustain ongoing success and growth. An example of what works for us are our management and leadership development programmes, which have proven instrumental in enhancing leadership skills and driving operational excellence. Additionally, our mentoring programme plays a key role in supporting professional development and fostering relationships across our teams.
In addition to necessary training and clear career pathways, it’s important to consider what makes for good employee engagement, as lack of vision can lead to stagnation or costly employee churn. Hybrid working, and real concerns about the world around them, can leave employees feeling unmoored, so businesses need to work a bit harder than simply offering a Friday drinks trolley and football table to create authentic engagement. That said, I’ve never known a team turn down free pizza and cupcakes – a staple in the AEG Europe workplace that’s guaranteed to put a smile on people’s faces.
But we don’t stop there.
In my role as Executive Vice President of People & Culture, I oversee a team of over 1,000 employees in incredibly diverse roles across AEG Europe’s array of businesses, spanning venues, touring, festivals, ticketing and more. When I left university, I knew the industry that excited me most was hospitality. At 21, I went into staffing major sporting events – such as Royal Ascot, Wimbledon Championships, and Henley Royal Regatta – where I was responsible for recruiting and staffing over 2,000 catering roles. Those early years taught me so much, which led me to work with some truly inspiring leaders, and the learnings I’ve taken from them have been the key to my own success. In business, I’ve seen the best results with a clear operational focus, working within strong leadership teams who recognise that a business is firstly, about its people, and that was the greatest learning anyone could have. Additionally, I learned the power of leading by example, ensuring that not only does everyone have a voice, but every voice in the room is heard.
Surveying your workforce regularly to gather feedback is an invaluable way to shape the culture of any business. For instance, our annual employee engagement survey focuses on several key areas, from fostering inclusivity in recruitment and onboarding, to promoting diversity and community, all through transparent comms and partnerships.
After collecting data from employees, it’s key to take absolutely everything into consideration and act on the feedback accordingly. Communication is crucial during this process – to openly showcase to colleagues that their input matters and is being acted upon, fostering a culture of transparency and inclusivity. It’s vital to be honest about what can and can’t be achieved – honesty fosters trust, which is vital in creating true employee engagement. In AEG’s case, responsive actions to the survey have included staff training programs, exclusive perks and celebrating personal achievements, which in turn forge a collaborative and best-in-class culture.
To secure a spot on The Sunday Times’ Best Places To Work shortlist, we followed a similar course of action, with an internal survey of full-time UK employees. The engagement score of 86%, surpassing the industry average by 14%, is something I’m personally really proud of, demonstrating the power of true employer listening and responsiveness to galvanise a team, whatever the size. This is further evidenced by the fact that 90% of our colleagues said they were proud to work for us, which was proven when our LinkedIn post sharing the news became our most reshared post ever.
Today’s workforce also desires to be part of a community where their contributions are valued and celebrated. Our Employee Network Groups (ENGs for short) are an example of how this can be achieved. Ranging from Pride and embRACE, to Women, Family and Mental Health & Wellbeing, these groups offer a sense of belonging through diverse activities, including expert panels, coaching sessions and development resources. Most importantly, they play a crucial role in shaping our policies and initiatives. For instance, our inclusive family leave policy ensures all salaried employees receive enhanced paid leave, flexible working, and structured return to work coaching, alongside the development of our long-term illness policy, menopause support, diverse intern programs and giving back days for charity.
Fostering an environment where ideas from any quarter are welcomed will ensure businesses benefit twofold from experience and fresh thinking alike, with employees feeling seen and valued. It’s also crucial that we, as leaders, prioritise learning and development opportunities from the outset. This ensures everyone understands the opportunities available for their growth within the company. Ultimately, there’s no one-size fits all to any employee engagement solution. Factors including the size of your business and ongoing recruitment commitments mean that what works for one organisation may not work for another. It’s the job of people and culture figureheads to do the work to effectively understand and engage their workforce on their journey.
