Belma Kubur
At our recent RGER Live: Adapt, Align, Evolve event, we hosted a panel with HR leaders from Auto & General, Fujitsu and NBN Co. The conversation covered one of the biggest challenges in HR right now: how do we connect people to strategy in a way that feels human, purposeful and measurable?
The discussion was full of practical advice. Here are five of the key takeaways.
1. Make performance the common language
If you want your people initiatives to land with senior leaders, you need to talk their language and that usually means performance.
It’s not about reducing engagement or culture to numbers. It’s about showing how your work directly supports the organisation’s priorities, whether that’s boosting retention, improving capability or helping teams perform at their best.
“Everything ultimately comes back to performance. My job is to help the business draw the map — what’s the friction that’s stopping performance? And how do we prove value through data and metrics?” — Matt Kershaw, Auto & General
Takeaway: The more you link your employee engagement platform to performance outcomes, the easier it is to win support and keep people initiatives firmly on the business agenda.
2. Co-create the employee experience 
People support what they help create. Fujitsu learned this during a global HR transformation. They didn’t just roll out a new system, they involved employees in shaping it from the start.
Focus groups, workshops and employee personas helped them design an experience that worked across countries and cultures.
“We had subject matter experts from every country involved. The brief was: everything is up for grabs. We created personas of who we are today and who we aspire to be — and designed to that aspirational brief.” — Michelle Meldrum, Fujitsu
Takeaway: Don’t build programs in isolation. Bring employees into the design process and use their insights to make change stick.
3. Build recognition into everyday rituals
Recognition isn’t something you do once a year at an awards night. It works best when it’s woven into daily routines.
At NBN Co., teams use their recognition platform to say thank you, for celebrating anniversaries over lunch and giving shoutouts in town halls. Leaders even call employees to personally congratulate them. And those small gestures go a long way.
“We enlist change champions to create rituals — from a quick ‘you’ve done a great job’ in our recognition system to celebrating anniversaries at lunch. Leaders call recognition recipients to ask about the work. That really resonates.” — Michelle Chong, NBN Co.
Takeaway: Recognition doesn’t have to be complicated. Create simple, repeatable rituals that show people their contributions matter.
4. Share stories that bring strategy to life
Data is important, but stories are what people remember. When leaders share real examples of how employees make a difference, it reinforces purpose and makes strategy feel tangible.
But the stories have to be authentic. The most powerful ones often come straight from the frontline, shared by team leaders in a way that feels personal.
“Stories must be organic, not manufactured. Engage frontline leaders as custodians — share them in team meetings, not just mass comms.” — Matt Kershaw, Auto & General
Takeaway: Encourage leaders to collect and retell stories from their teams. It’s one of the simplest, most human ways to connect people back to purpose.
5. Live your employee value proposition, don’t just market it
An employee value proposition (EVP) on a careers page means nothing if it doesn’t match the employee experience. Fujitsu’s “Work your way” promise is a great example of an EVP that people actually live.
Even before COVID, flexibility was part of their DNA. Employees were trusted to shape their day, and reskilling became a core part of the culture. It wasn’t just a slogan, it was how things got done.
“Work your way existed before COVID — and we’ve never mandated a return. We support flexibility and reskill people into new roles. We live our people promises.” — Michelle Meldrum, Fujitsu
Takeaway: Test your EVP against reality. Use an Employee Survey to ask if what you promise matches what they experience. If not, it’s time to close that gap.
Wrapping it up
The message is clear: people don’t connect to strategy through posters or PowerPoints. They connect through leaders who are close to the work, rituals that make recognition part of everyday life, and promises that actually hold up in reality.
When you align your people practices to both performance and purpose, that’s when real growth happens.
Want more? Watch the full session on-demand to hear Matt, Michelle and MC share their stories in full.
Ready to create a platform your people will love? Whether you’re starting fresh or levelling up an existing program, Reward Gateway | Edenred makes it easy to connect your people to the things that matter, all in one place.
