Events that build a resilient workforce, and promote employee engagement, participation, appreciation and connectivity can help support organisational resilience – a key part of futureproofing organisations.
While many European organisations are still grappling with the disruption brought about by the pandemic, Brexit, the cost of living crisis and supplier chain fragility, now is the time to build a futureproof company and a resilient workforce that can withstand the disruption and change yet to come.
Read time: 5 – 8 minutes
Key takeaways:
- The link between engaged employees and organisational resilience
- 6 tried and tested event-based tactics to support a happy, resilient workforce
- Case studies that show workforce resilience principles in action
A who’s who of human resources specialists, leadership consultants and Fortune 500 CEOs all seem to agree that there is one critical component needed to futureproof an organisation: Resilience.
According to McKinsey & Company, resilience is “the ability to deal with adversity and shocks and to continuously adapt and accelerate for growth.” At the heart of a resilient organisation sits a capable, adaptable, well-resourced, happy and, therefore, resilient workforce.
Therein lies the rub.
The modern workplace is on shaky ground. According to recent research by organisations such as Gallup in The State of the Global Workplace 2022 and workplace trends such as ‘quiet quitting’, the majority of workers today are not engaged, motivated or thriving.
If dissatisfied, disengaged workforces are costing the global economy trillions of dollars, imagine what your organisation could stand to gain by turning the emotional well-being tables for your people.
6 event-based tactics for building a resilient workforce
Mike Walker, Managing Director at MGN events, says: “To turn the tide on the stressed, disengaged employee epidemic, organisations need to consider refreshing their strategy for building a resilient workforce.
While the tactics involved might seem familiar – strategy and workforce planning, structure and process, people and talent — employers can take a new and creative approach to help support the development of an agile, resilient enterprise.
“Our clients are committed to holding events that help them build an engaged and resilient workforce. So we want to inspire other organisations by sharing six event-oriented tactics our corporate clients are putting into action today.”
1. Find the best people
Companies that focus on investing in their talent and culture will not only attract top talent but will also provide that talent with the greatest chances of success.
There’s no single solution for attracting the right talent, but as employees’ values continue to evolve, now is the time for organisations to showcase different facets of their company – their mission, vision or purpose — and get more creative in their efforts to reach potential employees.
While a traditional ‘open day’ might not appeal to or be realistic for everyone, organising events for prospective candidates that show your company culture in action, could prove a useful step towards attracting the right talent. Why not consider creating a virtual or hybrid open day?
Principles in action — case study: A digital event with global brand reach
- Reaching a global audience
- Making a big impact
- Building a content strategy to convey key strategic messages
- A compelling mix of live and pre-recorded sessions
- Hosting a discovery session with engaging speakers
- A bespoke, fully branded registration website
- A short, animated teaser video for use across marketing channels
- A chat show format session and chat functionality to encourage participation and open discussion
- High production values with TV broadcast quality
2. Train your people for personal development & career growth
A resilient workforMcKinsey research shows that approximately 45% of organisations anticipate a skills gap within the next five years.
Another 45% are already reporting skills gaps. Although the context of these statistics relates to technical skills and to attracting talent with the right skill set, organisations have much to gain from investing in training for their current pool of talent.
When it comes to providing skills training, according to a Chief article, Jon Clifton, Gallup CEO, stated that most managers have received “the exact kind of technical training in whatever it is that they do. But they haven’t been trained on the emotional or behavioural side.”
Today’s employers must encourage their employees to be the best version of themselves – both personally and professionally. Consider starting with providing your leaders with technical as well as soft, interpersonal tools and training so they can share them within their teams.
Principles in action – case study: Leadership conference for senior people managers
- Seminar days to support leadership training and development
- Breakout sessions to support solution-planning deep dives
- Breakout sessions to support team-building activities
- Content creation to support dynamic, interactive presentations
- Registration tracking for engagement trend management
- Staging and lighting to lend gravitas
- Videography for internal and external communications purposes
3. Give your people resources to manage their wellbeing
According to Gallup, ‘the relationship between wellbeing and engagement is vital because how people experience work influences their lives outside work, and overall wellbeing influences life at work.’
Many organisations recognise this paradox and work hard to offer their employees appropriate health and wellbeing benefits as part of a competitive remuneration package, it’s not enough. While pre-pandemic employee wwell-beingwas rising globally – today, it’s stagnant. And, the world’s employees are feeling more stressed than pre-COVID-19.
Today’s employers need to live and breathe and model emotional and behavioural well-being. It needs to be part of their culture. When it comes to internal employee events and walking the talk, it’s easy to prioritise wellbeing.
Principles in action — article: 7 great ways to improve employee well-being at internal events
- Well-considered, high impact and highly engaging content
- Build in plenty of comfort breaks and networking moments
- Offer relaxation sessions such as meditation or yoga
- Build in interactive quizzes, polls, competitions and challenges to spark interest and engagement
- Offer healthy, nourishing, satisfying and energising food and beverages
- Cater to the five senses to create the right ambience
- Spend time outdoors to benefit from fresh air or the benefits of forest bathing
4. Listen to your workforce and value their experience
In a recent Chief article, Jon Clifton Gallup CEO was reported as saying “there’s a huge percentage of employees who say they’re ignored at work.” To create a resilient workforce, organisations must regularly check in and revisit their employees’ needs and sentiments – a one-time investigation will not suffice.
Organisations can make internal employee events the perfect platform for regular all-employee check-ins, whether in person or digitally. In a culture founded on principles of psychological safety and innovation, these events can provide the perfect breeding ground for actively speaking with and listening to employees, enabling employees to have a voice in an important topic or conversation, and providing problem-solving or innovation incubators.
Principles in action – case study: Knowledge-sharing employee event
- Inspirational keynote speakers to inject fresh perspectives and applicable learnings
- Live streaming to include and engage geographically dispersed teams
- Q&A platforms to ensure everyone has a voice
- Virtual studio and professional broadcast equipment to deliver a quality
5. Help your employees adapt to change
According to a Harvard Business Review article focused on organisational resilience, there are three broad outlines to getting work done in the face of changeable environments. These are:
Organisational routines – which are the granular processes you use and which are efficient when work is predictable.
Simple rules – rules of thumb that help you speed up decision-making and processes
Improvisation – spontaneous, creative efforts to address an opportunity or a problem
By actively working on each of these approaches and developing a tool kit for change, organisations can prepare themselves to cope and leaders can build resilience throughout their organisation.
Principles in action – case study: Meeting of minds for senior international leaders
- Activity booths to enable leaders to interact with content and to support deep thinking
- Presentations to launch new internal initiatives and inspire the audience
- Regular breakout sessions to gather feedback, opinions and ideas
- Presentations to spark innovative approaches to problem-solving
- Ice-breaker activities help employees relax and refresh
- Ever-changing room set-up and seating to continually surprise and re-engage the audience
- Setting up in a venue that strikes the right notes and creates the right ambience
6. Provide a framework for social connectedness and meaningful recognition
We are living in a time of attention scarcity, which is troublesome because as human beings, social connectedness is key to our emotional well-being. There are a myriad of factors and actions that can help employees feel emotionally connected, rather than emotionally detached:
- Getting a regular phone call from a line manager
- Having time face-to-face with peers and leadership
- Seeing the senior leadership team behaving as accessible, empathetic people
- Intimate team moments and small-scale celebrations
- Company-wide parties, team building or offsites
Regular touch points provide the structure and channels for people to communicate and get the support they need to manage their stress, frustrations and worries.
Large-scale employee events promote employee recognition and help organisations bring their values to life. Through the use of these tactics, workforces develop the resilience, skills and ability to cope with uncertainty and change when it does arise.
Principles in action – case study: Fresh and engaging company away days
- Applying an overarching theme to create an immersive experience and puts everyone on the same page
- Using sustainability principles helps everyone to live and breathe the company’s purpose & values
- Intelligent lighting & props help the event transition from day to night
- Customer-focused discussions & industry insight sessions keep events engaging, relevant & thought-provoking
- Collaborative activities break down barriers & deepen connections between international teams & colleagues
- A multitude of themed zones representing international cultures & cuisines helps foster inclusivity & diversity
- Entertainment & mementos
Events that help build a resilient workforce
“Whatever your strategy for fostering a resilient workforce and helping to futureproof your organisation, we specialise in creating events that activate and engage employees.
Whether it’s a recurring employee engagement event, a party or an away day, a conference or virtual event, we help to set the scene for profound moments for human connection as well as for large-scale interaction and participation,” concludes Mike.
“We believe in helping our clients ensure their people feel truly immersed, appreciated and valued at their events. And we bring to bear an impressive range of technical expertise, storytelling capabilities and creative skills to make this happen.”
Get help creating successful corporate events that build and support a resilient workforce, employee engagement and well-being in our 5 step framework for event success. Get more tech inspiration for your next event or contact our team via the form below, on 01932 22 33 33 or by email at hello@mgnevents.co.uk
Further reading:
7 great ways to improve employee well-being at internal events
Building team culture in a work-from-anywhere world
People-first culture: 5 ways to spark and measure engagement at employee events
11 surprising and meaningful employee recognition ideas
5 tips for setting the right tone at your next corporate event
10 top keynote speakers for virtual events
Increase staff engagement with a personalised event
