Spark - REOTY Winners Q&A

Celebrated across New Zealand and  Australia, Retail Employer of the Year recognises businesses that embrace, promote, and have outstanding employment brands. 

Businesses campaign and generate votes by asking the general public, past and current employees a simple question: “If you could pick one brand or business to work for, who it would be?” The businesses with the most votes - submitted at voteretail.com, across each of the three categories are recognised and announced as Retail Employer of the Year Finalists and Winners. 

One month into this year's Retail Employer of the Year campaign, we’re excited to be sharing insights from last years REOTY Winners. 

This weeks' Q&A in New Zealand was completed by Jody Stephens, Area Coach at Spark, 2019 Retail Employer of the Year Finalist and Medium Category Winner. Jody has been at Spark for 12 years where she comments, “I love coming to work, every single day.” Jody has shared insights including 3 tips for businesses starting their employment brand positioning journey. 

Tell us what it's like to work at Spark:

It’s amazing!  I love coming to work every day. No day is ever the same here and it keeps me on my toes and it drives me to constantly learn.

What does your business do to foster the culture that you aspire to have?

I can bring my whole self to work. We’re such a diverse and inclusive company – we’re free to be who we are! I believe this gives us the ability to really engage with our customers, and we’re all unique and encouraged to be unique.

What do you think positions the Spark employment brand to stand out or apart from your competitors?

Employment branding is competitive in our sector, so to stand out we need to be able to offer awesome customer experiences which are driven by the openness and celebration of diversity in our business. Our passion is evident in every interaction we have!

What do you believe is the biggest benefit to your business in relation to your employment brand?

Having teams than can bring their true self to work means they are free to engage with customers on their level, rather than following a script. The teams enjoy being at work, and it reflects in the service they deliver to our customers. Our culture drives what we do, and how we do it.

If you were advising a business starting their employment brand positioning journey, what 3 tips would you give them to get started?

1. Set clear culture guidelines for your business

2. Make sure you’re meeting the market at pay

3. Invest in your people! 

Voting and campaigning for Retail Employer of the Year is open until Thursday, 31st October. Finalists and Winners will be announced later in November. For more information, contact your local Retailworld office or, visit voteretail.com.