Fostering Inclusive Connections and Growth: Insights from Our Recent Conference

In September 2023, more than 90 staff members came together for our annual conference, held in the beautiful Globe Room at our central Brighton office. This gathering was not only significant (the first whole company in-person event post Covid) but also immensely successful, focusing on two key themes “reconnection and growing together”.

It was an opportunity for our people to rekindle connections, listen to captivating keynote speakers, harmonise in musical collaboration and collectively celebrate our prestigious B Corp Certification. In this blog post, we’ll explore the valuable insights we gained from this experience and outline our forthcoming initiatives to nurture inclusive connections and drive growth, with our customers and each other.

Standout moments included a well-documented bongo drumming session, led by Jamie Morgan (The Sussex Drum) and a captivating keynote speech by Alan Chambers MBE. Alan shared his remarkable journey leading the first successful British unsupported expedition from Canada to the Geographic North Pole. His speech revolved around key themes such as teamwork, creating vision, effective leadership and building mental strength.

Afternoon sessions were facilitated by Bailey & French, where colleagues developed a greater understanding of their own strengths and others, through a series of talks, conversational exercises and activities. Following the conference our people enjoyed a summer evening social, hosted at the fantastic and nearby venue Shelter Hall, a chic seaside food court with global eats and drinks.

Growing Together: Prioritising Open Communication

Following the conference, we asked attendees how they could contribute to fostering inclusive connections, leverage strengths for relationship building and promote further growth and reconnection. The responses collected from our diverse staff were insightful and inspiring, highlighting three clear themes that resonate with our values and goals:

Using Our Strengths

The first theme focuses on harnessing both individual and collective strengths. Our colleagues expressed a strong desire to seek opportunities for “strength-finding”, this involves recognising and utilising the unique abilities and talents of each team member.

Growing Together

The second theme emphasises our commitment to growth and collaboration, with a strong emphasis on open communication on in-person opportunities. Cross-team collaboration was cited as a key driver for growth, and events like the conference are seen as catalysts for achieving this.

Better Connections

The third theme highlights the importance of understanding one another. It encourages us to acknowledge different working styles and prioritise conversations about well-being alongside workload discussions. Building better connections within our teams is the cornerstone of our future success.

Next Steps: Commitment to a Connected Workforce and Customer Engagement

With these insights in hand, we are actively focusing on our commitment to a united workforce and outstanding customer engagement. Our management team have defined a strategic path, addressing key areas that lay the foundation for our progress which include:

Fostering a Connected Workforce: Our people are dedicated to formulating strategies that promote inclusivity, open communication, and collaboration within their teams and others. These efforts are instrumental in shaping our overarching strategy and ensuring our continued success.

Enhancing Customer Engagement: Simultaneously, we have empowered our teams with a mission of elevating customer engagement. This involves planning how to deepen our understanding of our customers’ needs and establishing meaningful connections with them.

Our conference was a resounding success, resonating with the themes of reconnection and growth and the insights gathered have provided us with a clear roadmap for the future. By prioritising our strengths, nurturing collaboration, and fostering better connections, we are poised to strengthen our organisation and deepen our customer relationships.

As we embark on this journey, we remain committed to the values that define us: inclusivity, growth, and excellence. Together, we will continue to thrive, developing our connected workforce and nurturing ongoing customer partnerships.