ABP Celebrates Employee Appreciation Day

Authored by: ABP Board Member and HR Director of Landbay, Naomi Braisby

Employee Appreciation Week

As a HR director I recognise an organisations employees are the very essence of its success. Taking time to appreciate our employees isn’t just about the  occasional thank you, but creating an environment where individuals can contribute, their efforts are recognised and a culture of continuous appreciation is created.  At Landbay we have put in place a range of initiatives to truly appreciate our employees year round.

Putting Employees First: The HR Business Partner Model

Our employees are not just assets; they are cherished stakeholders in our journey. That’s why we launched our HR Business Partner (HRBP) Model, an approach that places individual empowerment at its core. With four dedicated HRBPs with a small HR to person ratio it means HR can work hand-in-hand with teams across the organization, they can get to know every individual, give personalised HR support, ensure that every voice is heard, valued, and respected.

Through regular monthly catch-ups, drop-in sessions, and by use of our anonymous employee engagement tool, we’ve cultivated a culture of openness and accessibility. Our “open-door” policy ensures that HRBPs are readily available to offer guidance and support, seamlessly integrated within our teams.

Empowering Employee Voice

Our all-company weekly stand-ups provide a platform for executives and employees alike to share updates, ideas, and questions. Quarterly town hall meetings, led by our CEO, offer transparency and insight into our business performance and vision, reinforcing the crucial role each employee plays in our collective success.

Nurturing Growth and Development

We believe that every individual’s journey is unique, which is why we’ve scrapped traditional performance appraisals in favour of personalised career pathways. By empowering employees to drive their development through coaching, mentoring, and internal training initiatives, we’re fostering a culture of continuous growth and learning.

A Psychologically Safe Environment

As we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of the financial services industry, our people remain our greatest asset. We commit to maintaining a psychologically safe environment, where employees feel empowered to contribute and innovate.

A Time for Celebration

We also have a number of recognition opportunities that are designed to capture the big and the small.  We have annual Employee Awards which are peer nominate but also recognition boards in communal area’s where people can post thanks to others.  We also recognise it’s important to notice the small stuff, we have created a gratitude cupboard where we store thank you cards and small chocolates that any staff member can pass on their thanks to others, this could be for little things like helping them with an excel file, picking up a piece of work for them as they are stretched or offering their advise when the needed it.

Wellbeing and Work Life Balance

At Landbay we prioritise wellbeing and work life balance.  We host regular events throughout the year to support the four pillars of wellbeing; Mental, Physical, Social and Financial.  These include activities like workplace massage, health checks, yoga, box fit, puppy therapy, financial webinars, social breakfasts to list just a few of the great things we have done.  We also work in a hybrid working pattern to allow people to maximize their work life balance.

By incorporating these strategies and initiatives organisations can show appreciation and cultivate a positive and appreciative workplace culture for their employee’s year round not just for one week a year.