Employee Engagement Examples of Excellence

Hosted by EngageEmployee.com

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116

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Jul 2026

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About the show

Engage Employee podcast brings you the hot topics and tips in the employee engagement industry. Hear from a range of industry leading brands, including Mercedes, Ericcson, Virgin Media, Fortnum Mason & more, as they share their journeys, success stories and future plans that you can implement into your business.

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60 recent

July 21, 202630 min

From Headcount to Skill Sets: Rethinking Hiring, Roles and Career Paths in an AI-Driven World

AI is reshaping jobs faster than most organisations can rewrite a role profile – and simply counting headcount is no longer enough. In this live panel from the Engage Employee Summit, Marie Shaw (LHH), Nicole Knott (PwC) and Ian Wallis (HMRC) explore what it really means to move from hiring for roles to building for skills in an AI‑driven world. They discuss the big societal and technological shifts they’re seeing – from graduates booing Big Tech speakers to six generations now working side by side – and why AI has become both the biggest disruptor and the biggest upskilling opportunity of their careers. You’ll hear how each organisation is rethinking internal mobility, skills matrices, mentoring and career paths, and why internal talent is increasingly more realistic than hoping “AI‑ready” people exist in the external market at scale.

July 21, 202625 min

ASOS Case Study: Intentional Storytelling: Driving Connection and Shaping Behaviour

In this Engage Employee Summit podcast episode, Stephanie, Head of Culture Change at ASOS and an organisational psychologist, reveals how “intentional storytelling” transforms abstract strategies into real experiences that people remember, share and act on. Drawing on work across ASOS, Carlsberg, Halion and Euromonitor, Stephanie explains the psychology behind storytelling – from social identity and emotional encoding to social proof – and why people might join for the job title but stay because of the stories they’re part of. She brings this to life with vivid examples: colleague‑led stories during a demerger and stock‑market listing, global “Olympics” and 007‑style missions to embed behaviours, and small symbolic moments – like a can of beer on a desk – that quietly anchor culture and leadership expectations.

July 21, 202624 min

Communicating Through Constant Change: From Noise to Meaning

When change never stops, most employees experience internal communication as noise – not meaning. In this Engage Employee Summit podcast episode, a live panel with Nicole Sarmiento Quevedo, Project Office & Campaign Lead Global Internal Communications at Merck, Juliette Green, Head of Internal Communication, Engagement & Culture at RAC and Linzi Elder-Gibbins, Head of Internal Communications at Shoosmiths explores how internal communication teams can turn constant change into clarity that actually lands. Drawing on very different contexts – from 63,000 colleagues across 60+ countries, to roadside patrols with five minutes a day to read anything, to time‑poor lawyers – the panel lifts the lid on what happens when comms are brought in early as true strategic partners versus “can you send a newsletter on Friday?”. They share real stories of slowing major programmes down to avoid “car‑crash” change, designing around frontline realities, and using pilots, champions and employee voice to move from sell‑and‑tell to listen‑and‑adapt.

July 21, 202629 min

What Really Drives People to Go the Extra Mile?

What really makes people go above and beyond at work – and how do you bottle it without your recognition scheme fizzling out after launch? In this Engage Employee Summit podcast episode, a live panel with Lewis Rooke, Head of Reward & People Operations at Gymshark, Sophie Parsell, Strategic People Lead at British Red Cross and Mark Probert, Managing Director, EMEA at Achievers gets under the skin of what meaningful recognition actually looks like in practice. Together, they unpack why “thank you” is nowhere near as simple as it sounds – from cultural differences and budget constraints to tech, data and the danger of recognition feeling performative. You’ll hear how Gymshark builds everyday appreciation into team meetings, why British Red Cross held back part of its pay pot to fund frontline recognition, and how global platforms are using nudges and analytics to turn one-off gestures into sustained behaviour change.

July 21, 202621 min

Designing Cultures for Every Mind: Aviva’s Neuroinclusion Journey

Designing a culture where every mind can thrive is no longer a “nice to have” – it is fast becoming a business imperative. In this Engage Employee Summit podcast episode, we sit down with Ori Chandler, Group Head of DE&I at Aviva, to unpack the organisation’s neuroinclusion journey and what it really takes to build workplaces that work for neurodivergent colleagues and their families. Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience from her “neurospicy household”, Ori shares why around 20% of the population being neurodivergent should be front and centre in any future‑of‑work conversation. She explains how Aviva is moving beyond awareness campaigns to practical inclusion – from flexible policies and low‑sensory spaces to workplace adjustment passports, leadership toolkits and active peer networks – and why these changes often benefit everyone , not just neurodivergent employees.

July 21, 202624 min

Culture, Confidence & Change in HR

In this Engage Employee Summit podcast episode, we dive into the realities of culture, confidence and change in one of the toughest environments there is: retail HR. Our guest is Maxine Granville, Head of HR UK & Ireland at Kiko Milano, who has been leading transformation in a fast‑paced, high‑pressure retail setting where attrition was as high as 100–120% in previous years. Maxine shares how she builds clarity and trust when everything feels uncertain, why transparent communication matters more than ever, and how she helps teams focus on what they can control. She talks candidly about resilience, psychological safety, and the power of leaders saying “I don’t have all the answers, but we’ll figure it out together.”

July 16, 202626 min

Building a Workforce Ready for What’s Next

In this Engage Employee Summit session, senior leaders unpack how they’re navigating static or constrained hiring markets, restructures and uneven global talent conditions while still building the capabilities their organisations need for the future. They explore practical ways to close skills gaps, strengthen succession plans and manage workforce risk with greater confidence, sharing real examples of how they balance immediate pressures with long‑term talent priorities.

March 4, 202628 min

Measuring What Matters: Building a Smarter Engagement Strategy

In this episode of The Employee Engagement “Examples of Excellence” podcast, host Christina Lewis sits down with Clair Staines, Chief People Officer at Powwr, to unpack what an effective engagement measurement strategy really looks like in practice. Together, they explore the fine balance between data and intuition—what should (and shouldn’t) be measured, how to avoid the biggest myths and missteps, and how leaders can translate insights into meaningful action. From AI-driven analytics to the nuances of qualitative feedback, Clair shares practical lessons and tools she’s found most useful, along with advice for organisations just beginning to refine their approach. Whether you’re designing your first engagement strategy or rethinking the way you use data to drive change, this conversation will help you focus on what truly matters.

February 17, 202614 min

Transforming RNID: Internal Comms Through Crisis, Culture Change and Growth

Recorded live at our recent Engage Employee Summit, this episode features Frankie Garforth sharing the inside story of RNID’s radical transformation journey. From near-closure in 2018 to becoming a lean, agile organisation focused on social change, Frankie explores how internal communications helped colleagues navigate difficult decisions, embrace new ways of working, and stay connected to purpose. Listen as Frankie unpacks lessons for leaders, people teams and internal comms: from creating early proof points and having “grown-up” conversations, to celebrating small wins, learning from mistakes, and embedding accessibility as a non-negotiable. If you’re leading change or supporting it from the inside, this is a practical, honest and hopeful conversation you won’t want to miss.

February 10, 202621 min

Shaping Organisational Culture Through Meaningful Communication

Recorded live at our recent Engage Employee Summit , this episode captures an inspiring panel discussion from the Internal Communications stage: “Shaping Organisational Culture Through Meaningful Communication.” Join Natasha Liedl-McDowell (London Stock Exchange Group), Shalini Gupta (Arup), and Shetal Joshi (Ørsted) as they share practical insights on using communication as a strategic driver of culture. From authentic leadership and local nuance to listening tours and storytelling, discover how leading organisations are building trust, inclusion, and shared purpose through the power of internal communications.