Work Happy by Silicon Reef
22 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingHello and welcome to “Work Happy” – a podcast series focused on using technology to explore better ways of working. I’m your host, Alex Graves, Co-Founder & CEO of Silicon Reef, a leading SharePoint Development Agency and Microsoft Modern Work Solutions Partner which creates people-led solutions that work. I’ve started this podcast to interview those who are leading the future of work within some of the biggest global brands including IKEA, The Cooperative and Virgin Media to name a few.As we learn to navigate hybrid working, we’ll be delving into the stories behind the successes and failures of the working world, uncovering what works and what doesn’t, and sharing best practices on building happy workplaces. In each episode, we highlight key practical tips and new technology releases across Microsoft 365 Teams, SharePoint and Viva for tech leaders, internal comms and employee engagement teams to implement. Our aim is to encourage people and organisations to find the balance between productivity, wellbeing and ultimately happiness at work. You can follow the show via our website at https://siliconreef.co.uk/ or on your favourite podcasting platform. Be sure to hit the subscribe button and please leave us a review if you’re enjoying it – we’d love to hear your feedback or suggestions on brands you want to hear from. See you soon for episode 1!
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Episodes
The Art of ‘Doing More with Less’ with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E5
June 13, 2023 00:00 - 35 minutes - 24.2 MBIn the world of modern work efficiency is the name of the game, but this can leave employee wellbeing by the wayside. Enter: The ethos of ‘Do More With Less’. Microsoft’s consolidation of multifaceted tools into a single source is confusing for some, but for those who understand the potential, it’s the key to spending time wisely. Martin Day returns to the Work Happy podcast to share how Microsoft’s tools are evolving, and how you can use their growing services to do more with less. This ...
Connect Your Team to Vision and Values with Owner of The Big Picture People, Craig Smith #S3E4
May 30, 2023 00:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBA brand’s vision and values are integral to the decisions made day to day, but are they imparted onto a business, or rather uncovered to already lie within their DNA? Being over 14 years into a journey of helping businesses share the big picture, Craig Smith - Founder of The Big Picture People - joins us on this week’s episode of Work Happy. He takes us through the importance of defining and aligning values between the business and its people, how to share stories with increased visibility...
Curating Asahi’s New Relationship Between Change Management & Internal Comms with Asahi Europe & International’s Sally Tidman & Soraya Abdelmageed #S3E3
May 16, 2023 00:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBThere’s an ever-growing link between internal communications and change management across the board, which is clear to see from observing Asahi’s two functions working so closely together. Asahi’s Head of Change Management, Soraya Abdelmageed, works closely with Sally Tidman, Internal Comms and Engagement Specialist, to combine the strengths of both teams. Sally & Soraya join us on Work Happy this week to share how they’re creating ‘Digital Heroes’, tackling the challenge of access, storyt...
Why You Should Care About Microsoft Viva with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E2
May 02, 2023 00:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MBMicrosoft Viva is an incredibly useful suite, but to many it presents a dizzying array of tools without the clearest idea on how to extract the most value from them all. That’s where Silicon Reef’s very own Martin Day comes in, joining Alex Graves this week on the Work Happy podcast to simplify Viva and why it truly matters to your business. We’ll hear how to pick the modules that best suit your team, allay fears that it’s the ‘death of the intranet’, and much more! This episode covers W...
How Fortnum & Mason Brings a Brand Story to Life with Employer Brand Content Producer, Sam Bleazard #S3E1
April 18, 2023 00:00 - 48 minutes - 33.2 MBWelcome back to a brand new series of the Work Happy podcast, kicking off with Sam Bleazard from Fortnum & Mason, inventors of the Scotch egg… Sam is an Employer Brand Content Producer, and while that Scotch egg fact may seem trivial, it’s part of the all-important brand story and human experience that should underpin any successful business. Join us for the start of series 3, where we dive into how vulnerability mirrors strength in business leaders, why you should roll out the red carpet ...
How Pearson Epitomises Work Happy with VP Global Employee Comms, Kim England #S2E5
November 23, 2021 01:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBPearson is an educational company with a rich, 177 year history, and the global reach of its over-20k full time employees has impacted an unfathomable number of students. As a company ahead of its time in utilising video, flexi-time and WFH, they’ve quite literally written the book on remote working… We’re joined by Kim England, VP Global Employee Communications, to share the incredible plethora of ways that Pearson are epitomising the culture of Work Happy, their Remote Working Manifesto, ...
Orchestrating GSK’s Global Campaigns with Comms Director, Cheryl Field #S2E4
November 09, 2021 01:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBFor a business the size of GSK operating around the globe, the comms challenges around language are more than just tone of voice - translating their messaging throughout the multinational pharmaceutical giant is a vital step for Communications Director Cheryl Field. With around 20k employees in the Pharma Supply Chain section of the business alone, finding the right channels and tools is key to spreading the essential messages to every corner of the company. Cheryl joins Alex this week on ...
How NHS Digital Retains Staff & Puts Wellbeing First with Heads of Internal Comms, Helen Hartley & Penny Richards #S2E3
October 26, 2021 00:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBIt’s often been said that two heads are better than one - so consider the collaboration between Penny Richards & Helen Hartley in their joint role as Head of Internal Communications at NHS Digital as an exhibition of the key role that effective communication plays in any organisation. Naturally for NHS Digital, wellbeing is a priority for those working on the frontlines, in the back end, and everywhere in between. In this episode of Work Happy, we discover how Penny & Helen are measuring e...
SharePoint News, Viva Connections & Employee Engagement with Martin from Silicon Reef #S2 BONUS 1
October 19, 2021 00:00 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBInternal news has been brought into the 21st century - gone are the generic weekly news emails, left to gather dust unread in employees’ inboxes. SharePoint, News Boost and Viva Connections present an appealing arsenal of tools for internal communicators to bring teams together. In this bonus episode of the Work Happy podcast, we’re taking a dive into Viva Connections, SharePoint’s helpful tools for boosting particularly pertinent new stories, and using data analytics to personalise & revol...
The Power of Data & Sentiment Analysis with Department for Transport’s Digital Channels Lead, Tom Miles #S2E2
October 12, 2021 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBEngagement is more than numbers and metrics; the freedom to provide feedback, and the sentiment behind that feedback, is immensely important to employee engagement. It’s vital at the best of times, but with the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ on the horizon, the role of internal comms has never been more essential… Sharing how an open approach to intranet comments and sentiment analysis is helping keep the Department for Transport’s team in touch with their values. Tom Miles, their Digital Ch...
‘Smart Working’ & Reviving Post-Boardroom Creativity with AXA Global Healthcare’s Head of Internal Comms, Joe Malone - #S2E1
September 28, 2021 00:00 - 50 minutes - 34.6 MBWork Happy is BACK for Series 2, with more visionary communicators from some of the largest brands across a variety of sectors sharing how their internal communications & Microsoft Technologies help shape culture and encourage their teams to Work Happy. Kicking off our return is AXA Global Healthcare’s Head of Internal Communications, Joe Malone. With past experience in journalism before working on internal comms with AXA Health, Joe is well equipped to compose clear and compelling messagin...
The Best of Series One of the “Work Happy” Podcast with CEO of Silicon Reef, Alex Graves - #10
July 20, 2021 00:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBOver the course of a fascinating first season of the “Work Happy” podcast we’ve come to learn so much from some of the biggest national & international brands about how the internal communications landscape has shifted in recent times. Approaching the season finale, it seems only appropriate to review a selection of the most poignant points from the first 9 episodes, from IKEA’s bible and focus on togetherness, to BT’s incredible radio show and personal approach to flexible working. If yo...
Cultural Change on a Global Scale with Shell’s Change Communications Lead, Dana Poole - #9
July 13, 2021 00:00 - 38 minutes - 26.3 MBWith a left brain and right brain, each to focus on more analytical information or on emotions, the way to truly capture someone’s attention is to combine vital info with engaging storytelling. Having distilled down the secret sauce that separates information from true communication, Dana Poole is now leading comms change on a global scale with Shell. Dana joins Alex Graves as the final guest of this first series of Work Happy to discuss the rewarding nature of helping people with the too...
The Digital Champions Revamping BT’s Platforms with Comms & Engagement Manager, Lauren Tiller - #8
July 06, 2021 00:00 - 47 minutes - 32.7 MBCommunication is a vital part of any business, but within the nation’s largest telecommunications provider it presents a whole host of challenges and opportunities. Our guest this week, BT’s Lauren Tiller, is a Communications and Engagement Manager in IT, and has been helping to lead a transformation in the tools used, liaising with comms teams and ‘Digital Champions’ to help implement them most effectively. Joining us on this week’s episode of the Work Happy podcast, she delves into the...
Leading Transformation & Change at Dignity & Pal International with MD of The Good Comms Company, Kate Goodman - #7
June 29, 2021 00:00 - 38 minutes - 26.4 MBIn times of great change like we’ve faced for the better part of 15 months now, transforming the foundations of an organisation’s internal comms strategy becomes a greater challenge, with increased importance placed on communicating culture through new and more accessible channels. With experience shaping change at Aviva, RAC, Pal International and Dignity to name a few successful endeavours, Kate Goodman has really demonstrated an ability to nurture the titular element of her business, The...
How Comms Can Evolve Culture with UCL’s Head of Employee Experience, Kate Faxen - #6
June 01, 2021 00:00 - 46 minutes - 31.7 MBCommunications strategy in a world-renowned educational institution is a tall order, and for UCL’s Head of Employee Experience Kate Faxen, keeping the best interests of its staff at heart is essential as we come back to the workplace. Giving Alex a look at how the “Belong” programme and data from regular staff feedback is guiding the decisions that UCL are making, Kate joins us for episode 6 of ‘Work Happy’ to break down their evolving mix of channels, how senior staff sponsorship can usher...
A Global Approach to Flexi-Working with TUI’s Dawn Robinson & Samantha Dye - #5
May 25, 2021 00:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBAs challenging as 2020 was for all of us, worldwide travel bans proved to be an incomparable hurdle in the travel industry. Now as the dust settles and the allure of abroad seems stronger than ever before, TUI are taking notes on the lessons from lockdown and implementing them throughout their global team. TUI’s Dawn Robinson and Samantha Dye join us on ‘Work Happy’ to detail the degree of flexibility that’s expected from a future workplace, consider how they’ve shifted channels to invite m...
Motivating the RNLI’s lifesaving family with Internal Comms Manager and Officer, Jess Noble and Hayley Johnston - #4
May 18, 2021 00:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBThere are few endeavours more noble than saving lives on our coastlines, so looking after your staff and nurturing the family spirit is a key contributor to the success of a lifesaving charity such as the RNLI. For an organisation which has historically relied on working in person, the task of strengthening their internal communications required bold, fun initiatives from Internal Communications Manager Jessica Noble, and Internal Comms Officer Hayley Johnston. Find out how RNLI’s weekly ...
Crafting Virgin Media’s authentic internal network with Internal Communications Director, Jess Lonsdale - #3
May 11, 2021 01:00 - 41 minutes - 28.2 MBConnecting with employees in a business environment can be approached in much the same way you would a customer, where authentic content with the audience at the heart of the conversation is paramount. Such is the approach taken at Virgin Media by their Internal Communications Director, Jess Lonsdale. On episode 3 of ‘Work Happy’ Jess joins us to talk about the values at Virgin’s businesses that have kept her with the company for nearly 15 years, the evolution of their collaborative work th...
Co-Op’s strategy for connecting it’s colleagues with Channel Strategy Manager, Rebecca Sykes - #2
May 11, 2021 00:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBWith over half a decade of experience at Co-op, Rebecca Sykes has been taking strides to overhaul their approach to communications among their 70,000 colleagues. While this is no small task, the rewarding nature of celebrating their team’s stories has driven the creation of such campaigns as ‘Safer Stores, Safer Colleagues’, and their contributions to diversity and inclusion. In this second episode of ‘Work Happy’ Rebecca goes in depth on the introduction and implementation of Office 365 an...
Building IKEA’s culture of togetherness with CEO Communication Leader & Global Head of Co-Worker Communication, Daniela Rogosic and Guy Britt - #1
May 10, 2021 23:00 - 37 minutes - 25.7 MBWelcome to the SERIES PREMIERE of Work Happy - a podcast series focused on using technology to explore better ways of working. We’re kickstarting this podcast with a breakdown of the methods behind IKEA’s incredible, almost family-like culture. From their emphasis on togetherness, to their dedication to highlighting motivating stories from stores around the world through Yammer, there’s no stronger advocate for IKEA’s internal communications strategy than Daniela Rogosic and Guy Britt. I...
Welcome to "Work Happy" by Silicon Reef - Trailer
March 26, 2021 14:00 - 1 minute - 1.05 MBHello and welcome to "Work Happy" - a podcast series focused on using technology to explore better ways of working. I'm your host, Alex Graves, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Silicon Reef, a leading SharePoint Development Agency and Microsoft Partner which creates people-led solutions that work. I've started this podcast to interview those who are leading the future of work within some of the biggest global brands including IKEA, The Cooperative and Virgin Media to name a few. At the ...