Being a volunteer in the movement has unlocked countless opportunities for Jo Moffatt. From podcasting to networking to chairing conferences.
By Jo Moffatt
In November I had the exciting task of chairing the Employee Engagement Summit, the first to be held virtually for delegates and speakers from a state-of-the-art TV studio suggestive of Newsnight or Question Time.
I was there in my capacity as Engage for Success Strategy and Partnerships Director with, I’m suspecting, a little help from my seven years alongside Jo Dodds as co-host of the weekly radio show podcasts.
Over the years, being an EFS volunteer has opened more and more doors: from speaking at industry conferences and events, hosting panels, to chairing flagship conferences like last month’s. Once, I’ve even found myself standing in for David MacLeod and lecturing a class of MBA students!
Along the way, my participation in EFS has led to meeting so many interested and interesting practitioners, consultants and service providers – and having stimulating conversations and opportunities to learn. And many of the best speakers I’ve been lucky enough to hear have been signed up to guest on EFS radio.
In my mind such serendipity and organic networking is fundamental to the success of Engage for Success as a social movement and to the quality of the volunteer experience for all our supporters.
It’s been a great journey for me personally and professionally for the last eight years which brings me bang up to date with the Summit.
What a platform for me to share our Engage for Success purpose of ‘Inspiring people and workplaces to thrive’ with a wider audience. In my opening remarks I made the point that never has our purpose been more important than now, wherever those workplaces may be and whatever format they may take.
Recent months have pushed the ‘people agenda’ to the fore with a clear recognition of the importance of so much that we talk about at Engage for Success. But, will the looming economic crisis and potentially catastrophic levels of unemployment put at risk the real progress that we’ve made in recent years?
I called on Summit delegates to commit themselves and their organisations to preserve and build on the great progress we’ve made. To hold businesses and senior teams to account, to lead responsibly and keep their people and their engagement front and centre in decision-making.
As volunteers at Engage for Success we need to do the same, on steroids if needs be. We must share the evidence that putting people at the heart of our businesses is the only course for a sustainable, productive and profitable future for our organisations, our colleagues and ourselves.
We are the volunteers who ‘Inspire people and workplaces to thrive’. And that can help to unlock doors.
