Beitrag von Katie Wigent

Life is all about memories and experiences, right? In some time of reflection, I have compiled some of the best memories and experiences during my time at Express to share with you. When I first started at Express, I was brought on (thank you Vaughan Staros) to lead a customer experience program that was centered around Express' Brand Purpose. 'We Create Confidence. We Inspire Self-Expression'. With that, the experience was all about bringing our Styling Community together, and our associates, were the second largest component to that community (second to our customers). While leading this program, it allowed me the opportunity to meet and engage with amazing leaders throughout the country. I was able to build and lead immersion into the program, host change management sessions, lead store calibration visits, analyze the program performance, and most importantly, measure customer loyalty and associate feedback. I loved every second of that role, and I was able to immerse myself deeper into the brand, learn best practices, and take on new opportunities, such as leading Marketing Brand Events, hosting Associate Incentive Trips, and launch Customer Experience tools to drive consistency. While I was at Express, I also co-led the Professional Women and Allies Community Group and had the honor of moderating a panel for International Women's Day. As I mentioned in a previous post, that conversation was grounded in mentorship and it left me feeling inspired to be working with such an amazing community. And thank you, to my fellow leads Heidi Tharp Jennie Goff and steward Megha Patel! I was promoted last August (while on Maternity Leave!) to Senior Manager, Store Experience. My role grew into leading half of the Store Operations team focused on Field Communications, Learning and Development, Stores Strategy, Incentives, Recognition, Customer Experience and Initiatives. As a team, we led the Stores' Strategy, made significant improvements to the associate experience (through communication and immersion), and drove a store-centric culture through providing a feedback loop and store visit program. This Spring, I project managed our Field Leader Meeting where we brought our ELT, Regional Directors (Lee Vuolo Tracy Sundermeier Michelle Robinette, SPHR) and District Managers together to talk strategy for 2024. We delivered a virtual experience that left the audience engaged, clear, and ready to reboot the new year. And lastly, I would be remissed if I didn't acknowledge the amazing team I last worked with. Sherri Tamasovich Kimberly Graff Jennie Goff Betsy Spence Ariel Balske JESSICA BAKER Jeremy Saeger Becka Sanders Ruth Subedi I will miss learning and working with you! Thank you to each and every one of you who made my time at Express so memorable. It's these types of experiences that make you love what you do, and eager to take on more. If you have a memory or experience that I was a part of at Express, feel free to drop it below!

Friday Fulfillment: Celebrate Your Way to a Happier, More Energised Team! 🎉 TGI Friday! As another successful week comes to a close, let's talk about one of the most powerful (and enjoyable) ways to boost motivation and morale: celebrating achievements! 🙌 Did you know that 27% of employees say more recognition and appreciation would've convinced them to stay in a previous role? That's right - a little acknowledgment goes a long way in making people feel valued and fulfilled at work. 😊 But here's the really fun part: celebrating success doesn't have to be a boring, buttoned-up affair. Get creative and find ways to infuse some joy and laughter into your team's day! Whether it's a virtual happy hour, a silly awards ceremony, or a heartfelt shout-out in your team chat, taking a moment to recognise wins (both big and small) can work wonders. 🥳 At GMZ, we're all about helping our clients create cultures where everyone feels appreciated and energised to do their best work. From gamified recognition programs to leadership workshops on the art of celebration, we've got tons of ideas to make your workplace a little brighter. ✨ So go ahead, start spreading some cheer! Trust us, when you make appreciation a habit, you'll be amazed at the ripple effect it has on your team's happiness, engagement and performance. Fulfillment unlocked! 🔓😄 Ready to level-up your celebration game? Give us a shout - our team would love to brainstorm some fun ways to bring more fulfillment to your crew! #Celebrations #RecognitionMatters #HappyTeam #Leadership

We're on the countdown...1 week to go for our upcoming UNBelievable Workplaces Awards Celebration!!! I have the honor and privilege to be this year's Keynote Speaker! Join us for an enlightening journey as we delve into the art of crafting a purposeful and thriving organizational culture. In a world where cultures can either be designed with intention or left to develop by default, discover the power of shaping your culture deliberately.   >>> Culture by Design vs. Default: Unearth the fundamental differences between a culture intentionally designed and one that evolves by default. Learn how a thoughtful approach can lead to a workplace that fosters innovation, creativity, and employee satisfaction.   >>> You Won! Now What? Explore the aftermath of success and the critical role culture plays in sustaining and maximizing your victories. Discover strategies to leverage your achievements and maintain momentum for future triumphs. It's not to late to join in the fun, so sign-up today!

🌷🐰 Happy Easter everyone! 🐣🌼 As we celebrate Easter, symbolising rebirth and new beginnings, it’s a good time for reflection on what we've achieved and the possibilities that lie ahead. At Lidl Ireland, we've recently concluded our Talent Management Cycle for 2023-2024, a period dedicated to feedback, recognition, growth, and introspection. Now, as we embark on the new Talent Management Cycle for 2024-2025, it's an ideal moment for each of us to pause, reflect on the feedback received, and establish our objectives for the upcoming year. This presents an opportunity for reinvention, a chance to begin afresh, and a dedicated focus on our goals for the year ahead. Whether it’s mastering new skills, advancing in your career, or achieving personal milestones, I’d love to hear about the aspirations you have for your growth and development this year. 🌟 Also, watch the video below for some tips on setting objectives and achieving success in the year ahead! #Easter #NewBeginnings #TalentManagement #LeadershipDevelopment #SuccessJourney 🌟🌸

I love it when I see engagement scores come back from my Ambassadors (the temporary employees I place) and the customers I work with showing that when they take advantage of our industry-leading Ambassador Program® they are more engaged and ultimately more satisfied throughout the assignment! Creating remarkable experiences, every person, every time is our company Promise and why I enjoy the work I do. Let’s talk about how I can help you next. 

⚠️ Your instincts are telling you that recognizing people is important and there is data to back that up. Turnover is reduced by 31% with recognition practices in place. 😄 Acknowledgement and recognition work best when they are genuine and practiced fairly across all employees. Coming up with a system that is unique to your workplace will improve employee morale and help you keep your team together for the long haul and through tough times. 😉 Here are a few ideas of ways to recognize and acknowledge work that might feel good to you and your team: ✨ At the end of big projects, take time to congratulate the team that worked on it. ✨When your team has struggled through something and somehow pulled through, thank them for their dedication and perseverance. ✨Every so often ask the team, what are you (personally) proud of accomplishing? What are you proud that we (collectively) accomplished together? ✨Celebrate your employee’s work anniversaries by sharing the ways they have made an impact on your mission. If you’d like some support to create an employee recognition program that really speaks to your team, let’s work on this together, send me a message.

Yesterday, we hosted our 2nd #OTC Townhall monthly meeting. Here are the 5 key purposes for such a meeting: 1. Open communication: townhall is for open dialogues between employees of OTC. Also, each meeting we host someone from different department. This meeting our star was Ewa Szalewska, Head of People Function in HEINEKEN Global Shared Services. Ewa answered all our questions and brought closer various topics from HR we were interested in. 2. Information sharing: during the meetings we share important updates, changes and plans for the near future so everyone is on track with the happenings in OTC and across HGSS. 3. Feedback collection: meetings offer an opportunity for all the attendees to voice their opinions, ask questions and provide feedback on various topics. Also, after the meeting there is an online survey to fill in and share the feedback. 4. Engagement: meetings help us to build a sense of community and involvement as they are in 100% prepared by the employees. 5. Problem solving: townhall meetings can be used to discuss and address issues, brainstorm solutions and collaborate with each other. As informed recently, HEINEKEN Global Shared Services plans to hire over 400 people in 2024, so who knows, maybe soon we will prepare and participate in the townhall meeting together? 😊 #truetogertherness #heinekenkrakow #otc #townhallmeeting

Ever noticed how, despite all stand-up meets and briefings, only a handful step up during engagement activities? 🕵️♂️ Joining engagement activities isn't just a duty—it's a chance to unleash your inner superhero🦸♂️ From themed dress-up days to friendly competitions, there's a thrill for everyone. Embrace the camaraderie, let loose, and turn your work moments into memories. Because work should be a blast, not just a task 🕺 Let's break the cycle, Managers play a role, but it's a team effort. Embrace the opportunity to participate; it's not just about what your manager does, but what we all bring to the table. Be the change you want to see in your workplace—it starts with you💪 #TeamSpirit #EngagementRevolution #LeadByExample

Reward & recognition When you’re a people manager in a large institution, you generally have access to a reward & recognition system for your staff. It’s key that you understand it and use it - appreciating when timely recognition is needed and when reward is required. But I’m also a firm believer in the small (and self funded) acts of reward and recognition. In this case the recognition of hard work and my thanks, and the small reward in the form of a gifted book (which I can’t wait to read myself). What kind of reward and recognition would you like to receive? Image description: A flatlay colour photo of a pile of wrapped book with a thank you card on top, next to an unwrapped book “the art of ex•plan•ation” by Ros Atkins. 🙋🏻♀️ I’m Georgia, I’m a strategic comms specialist with over 13 years' experience 👩🏻💻 I post about comms - from neuroinclusive comms to leadership in comms - and the importance of flexible working as a tool to tackle the motherhood penalty 👩🏻💼 All opinions are my own, not my employer’s

We've got a great webinar coming up. Your employer brand matters. It contributes to every element of your employee experience—from joining your team to the ongoing decision to stay, do their best work, and help build your business. Here's where it gets interesting: Recognition is one of your top tools for clearly differentiating your workplace from others. Join our Webinar on March 6 to see how your recognition program can elevate your employer brand. Experts from our branding, communications, and awards teams will walk you through: ·      How to use recognition to communicate business priorities and unite people with shared purpose and values ·      How to leverage the power of culturally-specific awards ·      How authentic, on-brand recognition helps increase feelings of belonging ·      How one organization is using recognition right now to amplify what matters most to their people and the success of their organization Save your spot here: https://lnkd.in/gczEwzH9