Kristopher Kettner’s Post

MVP alerts! 🚨🎉🎉 Looking after your people, making them feel safe, keeping them engaged, helping them grow; these topics have always been so close to my heart. The continuous journey of learning and empathy you must go on to be good at these things is as unique to your business and team as it is challenging. Huge congratulations to Forza Restaurants, for showing us what great can look like. If you're interested to read more, to find inspiration for your team and business, you can read about what Forza is doing here. Not to mention the other incredible businesses on the list. #happiestplacestowork #codehospitality #HR #peopleandculture #hospitality #bestemployers #awards

Of all our achievements at Flock Consulting, this one stands out as one of the best. When I started Flock five and a half years ago, my main goal was to create a workplace where people loved coming to work. Before that, I had worked in toxic environments where staff were merely seen as tools for income, and customers were not viewed as long-term partners. One day, I decided that instead of constantly complaining to my wife, I should take action. That's when Flock was born. From the beginning, I knew we needed to build everything around a strong set of values and a positive culture. These principles drive everything we do, both internally and externally. They shape how we work together as a team and how we engage with our customers. I firmly believe that a happy team that enjoys their work leads to happy customers through the high quality of work driven by a passion to always do our best. To me, this is not rocket science, yet I still see many toxic environments and leaders who haven't realised that true leadership doesn't come from creating a toxic workplace. Being shortlisted for this award fills me with pride, knowing we are on the right path. The application process was a great way to show our team that we truly care. Despite our high score, we identified areas where we can still improve. This is an ongoing journey, and our aim is to keep enhancing the work we have done so far. Big thanks to the whole team who make Flock and Reportabl. one of the Best Places to Work Spencer Ho Glenn David Daniel Matthee Mark Turner Darren Morrow Amanda Kwok Katie Double Hannah Oldroyd Andrew Wong Andrew Watts Sanae Herd Bee Kaan Rose McPherson Kieran M. Nicole McRae Ph.D., CPIM #greatplacestowork #values #culture

Reflecting on an incredible experience at the SITE Young Leaders Conference in Vegas! I’m so grateful to have had the chance to attend this event for the second year in a row - it’s always such a privilege to be surrounded by bright, like-minded young professionals in our industry. There’s truly something special about this community that makes me feel empowered and inspired to keep growing. This year’s conference left me with some powerful takeaways that I’m excited to carry forward: ⭐ Channel your inner legend: We’ve all had those moments when imposter syndrome sneaks up and makes us doubt our abilities. When that doubt comes creeping in, think of one of the most powerful people you know and channel yourself to present with their confidence and grace. 🤖 AI is here to help us: Instead of being something to fear, AI can become a powerful tool that enhances our efficiency and creativity, giving us more time for the work that really matters. It’s not about AI taking our jobs—it’s about giving us the opportunity to refocus on what brings value to our day-to-day. 👪 Work-life integration > Work-life balance: A huge takeaway was rethinking the concept of “work-life balance.” Instead, it’s about work-life integration—finding a way to blend both aspects of our lives in a way that feels meaningful and aligned. Our careers and personal lives don’t have to be in competition. When we integrate both in a harmonious way, we create a more fulfilling path forward. Attending this conference was such a meaningful experience, and I’m excited to implement these insights into my own career and life journey. Here’s to the future leaders of our industry! 🚀 #siteyoungleaders #meetingsandevents #imex24

IT’S OFFICIAL // We’re one of the best places to work.    This week we made the list of Australia’s best places to work in the Marketing & Media category and suffice to say our whole team is still feeling the buzz.   The AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list acknowledges organisations that are pioneering new ways of working and pushing boundaries when it comes to workplace policies and practices. It’s something we have always been able to hand-on-our-heart say we do but are very honoured to now be recognised for.   One of those pioneers at Cassette, who thinks beyond the ordinary when it comes to shaping our workplace, is our COO Laura Bartal:   “We’ve always invested heavily in our staff training and development, but we noticed departments had become increasingly siloed because of the pandemic. The agency’s 20-year anniversary presented a pivotal opportunity to introduce a more open and collaborative team structure that would encourage inter-agency engagement and connection, and in turn create a more integrated work force.”   Importantly, our place on this list reflects the hard work, character and collective passion of our entire team. Together, we’re proud to have shaped a workplace that makes us all jump out of bed in the morning.   The Australian Financial Review Inventium #AgencyCulture #AFR #BestPlacesToWork #AUBestWorkplaces

We are proud to announce that Pi has been named in the prestigious ‘Sunday Times best places to work’. The ‘Spotlight Awards’ recognize unique qualities in this year’s Best Places to Work, highlighting organizations that excel in boosting staff happiness within specific areas and demographic groups. Pi is delighted to be highly commended for ‘best places to work for employees aged 55+’. The panel states: 'It’s as easy as pie for older staff to feel loyal to this London-based consultancy. The firm gives everyone the chance to become a shareholder after two years. There is flexible working and it scores 91 per cent engagement among the 25 survey respondents aged 55-plus, who represent more than half of the workforce of 49. After employees’ feedback, the company introduced a comprehensive medical cash plan and higher employer pension contributions Read more about the ‘Sunday Times best places to work’ and the ‘Spotlight Awards’ here: https://lnkd.in/geiJ5tQ9

We are proud to announce that Empowered Hospitality has been certified as a Great Place to Work for the second year in a row! In broad terms, the Great Place to Work Trust Index™ Survey measures the level of trust in an organization and the consistency of the employee experience. This means assessing how often employees can count on clear and honest leadership, fair treatment, and employee recognition. Here's what our team had to say:  ✅ 96% of employees feel E|H is a great place to work, compared to 57% at a typical US-based company.  ✅ 100% of employees agree, "Our customers would rate the service we deliver as 'excellent.'"  ✅ 100% of employees agree, "People care about each other here."  ✅ 100% of employees agree, "When I look at what we accomplish, I feel a sense of pride." This achievement reflects years of listening, adapting, and investing in our team. We'll continue to prioritize these values in the years to come! Read more: https://lnkd.in/g6guPQQ7 #greatplacetowork #recognition #companyculture

Attending The Caterer People Conference and Awards was a powerful reminder of the resilience, passion, and growth driving our industry forward, even in challenging times.   "Surviving the tough times shows our strength; thriving afterwards shows our spirit."   Kate Nicholls OBE shared an optimistic perspective on the recent budget, pointing out that "there is light at the end of a long dimly lit tunnel."   Hearing Robyn Filep and Eleni Kasparis from Becoming on Positive Psychology was insightful—they reminded us that focusing on team strengths can uplift everyone. After all, "We rise by lifting others." (Robert Ingersoll). When people can play to their strengths, we see energy, engagement, and retention soar.   Perceptions about our industry often skew negative, but I agree with Trudi Parr Assoc CIPD from Mollie's | B Corp™—let's flip the narrative. Let’s start amplifying inspiring stories from within that feel true to our culture and values. It’s these stories that fuel pride and purpose.   On humility, Jodi Goldman 👊🏻💋gave a masterclass on embracing "humble brags" as a way to shine and celebrate each other. It’s a skill worth building—especially for leaders who want to spotlight their teams.   Representation, equity, and inclusion remain pressing priorities. Lorraine Copes of Be Inclusive Hospitality reminded us: "Diversity is a fact, inclusion and equity is an act." Yesterday’s room wasn't fully representative—especially in race and ethnicity—signalling that we have work ahead to create truly inclusive and representative spaces. Which at some point I have high hopes we wont have to keep talking about.   Michelle Moreno networking session was a refreshing push out of our comfort zones, reminding us how connection is key in this industry.   And a heartfelt congratulations to award winners Craig Prentice and Sean Wheeler BEM FIH. Craig Prentice’s Extra Mile Award for Walk for Wellbeing with Hospitality Action raised an impressive £135,000 this year, while Sean Wheeler BEM FIH Special Achievement Award capped his 40-year career of transforming workplaces. I couldn’t be prouder of their well-deserved recognition.   Final thought taken from Lorraine Copes session - "In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth, or to step back into safety. - Abraham Maslow, Psychologist. Where are you going?

Well done to everyone who got their submissions in for the eoa Awards at the annual conference, you are all winners to have got to that point and should be proud of what you have achieved in your EO businesses 👏 Reflecting on the past year I’m so grateful to have been nominated by my colleague and to have won an award. It has absolutely unlocked doors for me to new opportunities, as well as changing my perception of myself and where I and Stephens Scown can help others in their EO journeys. This next fortnight brings that into sharp focus as I will be lucky enough to: -Host the next monthly virtual knowledge share with my colleague and fellow Trustee Dave Robbins (big shout out to the other half of my double act), taking place this Thursday (you can still sign-up if interested, it is free). -Attend Salad’s Employee Ownership Networking event (big shout out to Arabella Lewis-Smith for her energy and support of the EO community) to join their panel to share my experiences, and to get to meet and learn from lots of new EO peers (places are limited, they might be at capacity now). -And the line-up for the November 2024 annual employee ownership association conference has just gone live today (big shout out to Oliver Smith for his guidance and Lesley Robinson for her support) in which I am fortunate enough to be presenting a session sharing my journey and insights into becoming an Employee Owner of the Year (definitely a plug to sign-up to hear me talk – whichever role you have in an EO business I will be sharing practical steps you can take away [link in comments 👇]). My upcoming fortnight and the wider past year would not have been possible without numerous supportive colleagues (Catherine, Catherine, Gavin, Samantha) and peers and shows how supportive and collaborative the EO community is, how much better we can all make our businesses when we share our experiences and insights, and how empowering it is to work toward the cause of purposeful, successful and employee-engaged workplaces. I can’t wait to learn more 💡 (Photo from last year’s conference – can’t wait to be back to see everyone) #EmployeeOwnership #EmployeeEngagement #Culture #Business

Arabella Advisors was honored to participate in the recent B Corp Champions Retreat—an invaluable opportunity to not only celebrate the work we and our peers have done over the past decade, but to identify lessons for the next phase in our evolution as a mission-driven organization. After attending the event, our colleagues Sophie Gardner, Andrew Plumley, and Emily Taub walked away with three major takeaways: 1) Regrounding ourselves in our values as a B Corp; 2) The importance of devoting resources to employee wellbeing, both professionally and personally, and 3) How to “walk the walk” of integrating equity and belonging. Even as organizational values shift and the world evolves, maintaining our commitment to these values will always be a priority for us. If you’d like to learn more about these takeaways or are interested in becoming a B Corp yourself, check out our colleagues’ recent blog post reflecting on the event: https://ow.ly/7SlL50Rbmnz.

Have you ever faced the challenge of creating a workplace where technological innovation and employee well-being go hand in hand? This is a common dilemma in the tech sector, but we have good news: you're not alone. I'm excited to share our upcoming webinar event with you: 'Cultivating a High-Performance GPTW Culture in Tech' featuring Ana Gabriela Alfaro, our Talent Experience Manager at BEON.tech, who has driven impactful change in our company culture. Join us on Thursday, July 11th at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET to gain firsthand insights into building a high-performance Great Place To Work (GPTW) culture in the tech sector. Ana will share how a robust workplace culture not only boosts team engagement but also sets the stage for sustained success 📌 This isn't just another webinar—it's a chance to see behind the curtains of building a thriving tech environment and what it really takes to earn GPTW recognition. I believe the strategies Ana will discuss are game-changers for anyone looking to elevate their organizational culture. Register now to secure your spot and lead your team to new heights! ✅ https://lnkd.in/dd_EtZwa