Posted on July 4, 2024
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Happy staff means better results for clients
Over the past few years, Cliftons has strongly invested in various ESG programs to ensure we are a robust and sustainable business – now and in the future. With over 25 years experience in delivering remarkable events for our clients, we know this holistic approach to business success will play a key role in remaining an event partner of choice for many years to come.
One of our key focus areas has been investing in our people, culminating in our recent recognition for the second year running as one of the AFR BOSS Best Places to Work in the Retail, Hospitality, Tourism & Entertainment category.
Supporting our people, flexibly
A significant driver for employees is workplace flexibility, yet as a venue hosting in-person events, a core requirement of the Cliftons business is to have employees working onsite. After all, our clients need our people there to ensure events run smoothly and to manage logistics, AV, food, and more!
We recognised that we needed to take a more creative approach to offering workplace flexibility than the conventional working-from-home model many other businesses offer. This led to the creation of our ‘Reconnect with Family and Friends’ initiative.
‘Reconnect with Family and Friends’ directly addresses the challenge of employee well-being and work-life balance. Under this policy, employees can work remotely for up to two weeks from another location, interstate or overseas. It allows staff to connect with their loved ones without sacrificing their job. This flexibility supports mental well-being, strengthens personal connections across locations, and ensures employees feel supported. Amidst salary budget constraints and fierce labour market competition post-pandemic, the policy has also provided Cliftons with a vital employee retention tool.
Since introducing this policy, 12 employees have accessed this benefit to visit family overseas, care for elderly family members, and join family celebrations. It has been used by employees in corporate and sales roles and a venue manager who successfully pre-planned in conjunction with other managers to ensure somebody covered their onsite work.
We also provide gender-neutral paid parental leave, with 12 weeks at full pay. We also provide new hires with a paid break before starting, so they can come into their role feeling refreshed, and give staff four paid ‘Me Days’ a year that can be used for well-being, volunteering, or life’s big moments. To further support flexibility, staff can access unpaid career breaks or buy back up to three weeks of additional leave.
Putting well-being front and centre
We also know that supporting our people is about more than offering different leave options – it’s how we make them feel valued and supported AT work that matters too. That’s why we provide a comprehensive suite of tools, policies and guides to support employee well-being, mental health and resilience. Programs include:
- Yearly flu shot offerings.
- Manager guides to support well-being campaigns like RUOK Day to ensure our people are prepared for difficult conversations and to direct people towards resources for help if they need it.
- Regular celebrations for birthdays, anniversaries and welcomes.
- Team events for important days, like International Women’s Day, NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week, bring the team together to stop and reflect.
- Coffee roulette (is a fun way to connect employees randomly for connection and sharing experiences).
- Job-crafting strategies to help employees and managers align jobs with personal needs, career goals and interests.
- Using SMART Work Design principles to redesign jobs and embed behaviour change.
With the business events industry often involving high-pressure environments and demanding schedules, there is a significant risk of stress and burnout among employees. Our business can, at times, demand adaptability, sometimes compromising predictable schedules or work environments. By taking a holistic approach to employee well-being, we strive to minimise these potential impacts and ensure our team is given the tools and support they need to perform at their best.
Our people are at the heart of delivering remarkable experiences
We know that it’s the Cliftons team that is critical to delivering remarkable experiences for our clients. By creating a workplace where our people feel valued, we know that investment pays dividends in the quality of the experience we can provide our clients and their guests. We’re proud to have built a strong team culture underpinned by our team values, FLIPIT: fun, leadership, innovation, passion, integrity, and teamwork. Our team embodies these values in client interactions, and we look forward to demonstrating them to you at your next event.
To start planning your next event, reach out to our team for a no-obligation discussion about your goals and how we can bring your event to life.
About Cliftons
Event Solutions
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In the spirit of reconciliation Cliftons Event Solutions acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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