‘Kellogg’s work family’ | HR VP reveals grrr-eat initiative to promote culture

A Vice President of HR has shared details of an initiative that the company launched to remind staff that wherever they are working, they are still part of ‘one big work family’.

In a LinkedIn post, Sam Thomas-Berry, Vice President HR, Kellogg Europe, explained that the firm had sent staff a ‘little something’ in the post to make them smile.

She explained: “Throughout the pandemic the spirit of the Kellogg Europe team has been inspiring, and I couldn't be prouder of how we have supported each other.

“We’ve sent all our colleagues a little something in the post to bring a smile to their faces and remind them that wherever they are, we are all one big Kellogg family,” Thomas-Berry added.

Speaking exclusively to HR Grapevine, Thomas-Berry said that providing staff with these branded facemasks was a way for them to ‘say a little thank you’ for going the extra mile during the pandemic.

“Over the lockdown [period] our employees have been amazing. While clearly not as important as the NHS, the food industry was given key worker status by Government and our employees really did go the extra mile to increase our food product and supply to supermarkets to help feed the nation. 

“This was our way of saying a little thank you and hopefully bringing a smile to peoples’ faces,” Thomas-Berry added.

With many people working from home during the pandemic, statistics have shown just how much employees are missing the physical interactions with colleagues as well as the office ‘buzz’.

In fact, previous research from Vodafone found that 40% of remote staff have missed spending time with work friends, while 22% said that they have missed the motivational office environment.

While there are multiple benefits to homeworking, Thomas-Berry said that there are also huge benefits to being in the office with teams.

“Kellogg’s is very much a people-centred culture and those informal connections and conversations are part of what make us who we are. 

“So, this initiative was about giving everyone something which could connect us all in a fun way and a way that is uniquely Kellogg’s,” the firm’s HR lead explained.

During the pandemic, there has been a huge focus on the “mechanical aspects” of staying connected such as technology.

With that being the case, Thomas-Berry said that it can sometimes be easy to forget about the little gestures “that can spark the emotional aspect of connections”.

And it seems from the reaction on social media, this initiative has gone down well with employees.

“Our goal was simple – drop a little something into their daily lives to say thanks and bring a simple to their faces,” Thomas-Berry added.

Whatever the initiative may be, small gestures like this will likely go a long way in promoting company cultures when not all colleagues are able to be together in a central workspace.

Reminding staff that, even though they aren’t in a physical workspace with colleagues, they are still an important part of an organisation is key.

Have you launched any initiatives to promote a positive remote culture? Let us know in the comments below…