Euros 2024: Using Worldwide Events to Engage Your Employees
And just like that, the UEFA Euros 2024 Championships are here!
With 24 nations taking part in games across Germany until the final on 14th July, excitement is well and truly underway after a long four-year wait.
In our eyes, a special worldwide occasion like this is worth celebrating – even in the workplace!
Why? Not only is it a fantastic opportunity to engage staff, but it’s also a great way to boost motivation, performance and camaraderie across the company.
Want to know more? Here’s some insight into the steps we take to make the most of world events like the Euros:
Step #1 – Strategise
It all starts with an idea – and ideas are only brought to life with the help of collaboration and brainstorming sessions!
To make sure we’re always ahead, we host a monthly Employee Engagement meeting to discuss upcoming events and new activities that will interest staff. We also use this time to bring forward staff suggestions, so everyone plays a part in shaping our strategy.
From this, we realised that promoting the Euros on a company-wide scale is achievable through blending innovation and teamwork. As such, we sought support from all departments, and came up with the below plan:
- Each Team Leader’s team represents a country competing in the Euros, with agents acting as ‘players’ and back office staff acting as ‘coaches’ to keep motivation high and join in on the fun!
- With the help of our inhouse IT team, and our existing custom-built incentives app, we created a points-based system relating to performance, with data presented on a real-time league board to show which ‘country’ is in the lead
- On 14th July, the winning team will be entered into a big prize draw!
Step #2 – Action
With a solid plan in place, the next step is assigning roles and actioning tasks to make the idea come to life!
From purchasing decorations to designing promotional material, building IT algorithms to briefing wider teams – there’s a lot to consider! And it’s important not to miss a beat when using a worldwide event like the Euros to engage your employees as these deadlines are immovable!
As such, it’s important everyone understands the role they play, and necessary deadlines so plans run as smoothly as possible. We normally take a ‘divide and conquer’ approach, with all departments involved being briefed together via Teams, and everyone being made aware of one another’s tasks, so everyone is in the know of timescales and progress etc.
Step #3 – Decorate!
We love a bunting…or 50!
A Friday decorating session is a great way to raise awareness, spread team spirit across different departments, and get everyone in a feel-good mood! We gave each team decorations (to reflect their competing country) – so the team enjoyed decking out their desks and building anticipation together.
We also adorned the kitchen with football buntings, ceiling decorations, country flags, banners and a game tracking chart, as well as ensuring the games are always available to watch in the staff areas! This is to ensure the atmosphere of the Euros feels closer to home, without the travel to Germany!
Step #4 – Communicate
To create a buzz and keep up momentum – consistent communication really is key. To ensure this, our Marketing and HR departments come together to lay out a comprehensive communication plan from launch to finish.
To get the message across and build hype when hosting something company-wide, we do this in several ways:
- Utilising our inhouse messaging channel, MChat, to create group chats for each country’s team so managers, coaches and players can spur each other on and chat about matches etc.
- Pinning posters up around the building and leaving flyers in the communal kitchen
- Sending email newsletters internally
- Briefing teams via internal meetings/catch-ups
Step #5 – Award Accordingly
With the Euros revolving around football, celebrating this world event at work will naturally stir up friendly competition. That’s why it’s important to recognise and reward staff who show commitment to their work and team.
As such, we have implemented a ‘Player of the Week’ award, given to a staff member for special effort over the previous week. Not only does this spotlight give staff a ‘job well done’ for their great work, helping them feel valued and celebrated, but it also creates a higher sense of drive and determination across the company – especially when there’s a trophy and surprise prizes at stake!
To keep up with our Euros 2024 shenanigans, make sure to follow us on social media via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and LinkedIn!
25.06.24
