Employee Appreciation Day leadership advice

Long story short: On Employee Appreciation Day, make your HR message matter

March 3, 2023 11:56 AM

The first Friday in March is Employee Appreciation Day — how are you going to celebrate your staff today?

The most obvious way is to create a workplace that celebrates them every day — with a supportive culture, inclusive benefits and stellar leadership. In our top stories this week, leaders from HUB, Gympass, Mastercontrol and Beam Benefits are sharing how to lead by example, by prioritizing strategies and benefits that holistically support employees.

At HUB, the company's new chief human resources officer, Amy Halliburton, has just 20 days of work under her belt, but her to-do list for improving communication and connection is already a mile long. It helps that she already feels connected to HUB's mission.

"I really felt a connection to the mission of HUB, around empowering our people to learn and grow and make a difference in their communities," she says in an exclusive Q&A with EBN.

Do you work with someone that deserves to be celebrated? We're launching our 2023 Excellence in Benefits Awards nominations — nominate an outstanding HR leader, adviser or tech innovator and they could be featured on EBN and at our in-person conference this September in San Diego, CA. Fill out the form right here by April 15, 2023. And check out the rest of our top stories to find innovative ways to celebrate your staff.

HUB's new CHRO reveals her game plan for recruiting

As HUB's new chief human resource officer, Amy Halliburton says her priorities will be focused on the continued challenges of recruiting and scaling HUB's workforce, as well as streamlining communications among disparate HR teams across the company. Both of those areas have gotten more challenging post-pandemic, but are also open to change and growth.

"It's just a huge opportunity to make sure we're all seeing things the same way and are focused on all the right things for the company," she says. "Over time, it will get to the point where we have more connection points between the various leaders who report to me and make sure we can create a community."

Read:

HUB's new CHRO reveals her game plan for recruiting

What do your benefits say about your company's culture?

When a list of benefits stands alone on a job posting, it can sound like standard issue workplace jargon. That's why more employers are advertising their company culture as a way to set themselves apart. By intertwining the two, companies can create a more compelling presentation and entice talent.

"We typically think about benefits as a very tactical thing — health insurance, 401(k), they're very tangible. But employers are increasingly articulating the merits of their culture as a way to attract and retain talent," Alex Frommeyer, CEO of Beam Benefits, tells editor Lee Hafner. He shares how to do this effectively and authentically, while strengthening a benefit's relevance and worth in the process.

Read:

What do your benefits say about your company's culture?

Perk Up! Achieving total body health

Instead of sweating it out alone in a gym before work hours or scarfing down a sad desk salad before back-to-back zooms, employers are taking a more integrated approach to health and wellness at work. Encouraging employees to prioritize their total well-being can lead to increased productivity, improved physical and mental health, and a more dynamic workplace culture that's appealing to job seekers and current employees alike.

In this week's episode of EBN's podcast, Perk Up, HR leaders from MasterControl and Gympass share how they're prioritizing mental and physical health through benefits, team building activities, and a personal focus on their own well-being.

Listen:

Perk Up! Achieving total body health

Hybrid work 2.0: The future of career development

After two years of lockdown and operating in conjunction with COVID guidelines, we saw a more concerted effort among companies returning to in-person work, writes Yael Malek, chief people officer of Bluevine, a fintech company that provides banking services for small businesses. She notes that many tech firms were executing on their promises to return to offices, and incentivizing employees back in with perks such as catered lunches and espresso bars.

During that same timeframe, Malek joined Bluevine as its new chief people Officer. On her first day, she was tasked with leading the shift to hybrid work, one of the biggest workplace experiments to date. She shares her process and the benefits that have emerged for employees and employers alike for career growth, company culture and workplace connection.

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Hybrid work 2.0: The future of career development