22 episodes

Hello 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!

Work Happy by Silicon Reef Silicon Reef

    • Business
    • 5.0 • 4 Ratings

Hello 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!

    The Art of ‘Doing More with Less’ with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E5

    The Art of ‘Doing More with Less’ with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E5

    In 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 episode covers
    Modern work tools’ focus on becoming a single source serviceThe ‘Do More With Less’ concept, and how it avoids overworking teamsHow you can consolidate your existing tools into Microsoft 365’s growing offeringViva’s role in the future of Microsoft’s servicesTop tips for organisations looking to focus on doing more with less

    • 35 min
    Connect Your Team to Vision and Values with Owner of The Big Picture People, Craig Smith #S3E4

    Connect Your Team to Vision and Values with Owner of The Big Picture People, Craig Smith #S3E4

    A 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 of our business leaders, and much more.
    This episode covers
    Defining personal values and organisational values, and tying the two togetherCompany values not being imposed on a business, but uncovered withinUse of storytelling to convey a brand visionCurating a culture of collaborationThe need to flex to meet the needs of your organisation, and vice versaGetting the values off the wall and into the business

    • 39 min
    Curating Asahi’s New Relationship Between Change Management & Internal Comms with Asahi Europe & International’s Sally Tidman & Soraya Abdelmageed #S3E3

    Curating Asahi’s New Relationship Between Change Management & Internal Comms with Asahi Europe & International’s Sally Tidman & Soraya Abdelmageed #S3E3

    There’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, storytelling as an essential quality, and much more.
    This episode covers
    The relatively recent creation, and subsequent success, of Asahi’s change management functionHow storytelling is essential to creating change, particularly stories from senior leadersVideo as an effective messaging mediumOvercoming communications challenges like language barriers and reaching factory staffAsahi’s Digital Hero network

    • 43 min
    Why You Should Care About Microsoft Viva with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E2

    Why You Should Care About Microsoft Viva with Martin Day, Principal Consultant at Silicon Reef #S3E2

    Microsoft 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
    What is Viva and why your business should be aware of itWhich of the Viva modules can deliver most value to your teamHow to measure the adoption of these toolsPitfalls to avoid when trying to implement a vast number of Viva’s modules

    • 37 min
    How Fortnum & Mason Brings a Brand Story to Life with Employer Brand Content Producer, Sam Bleazard #S3E1

    How Fortnum & Mason Brings a Brand Story to Life with Employer Brand Content Producer, Sam Bleazard #S3E1

    Welcome 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 for employees, and the merging of internal and external comms.
    This episode covers
    The growing trend of merging specialisms, and cross-discipline work between PR and marketingWhy it’s vital that there’s a human experience underpinning a business’ storyHow to protect your brand when it’s presented on external platformsBlurring lines between internal and external communications

    • 48 min
    How Pearson Epitomises Work Happy with VP Global Employee Comms, Kim England #S2E5

    How Pearson Epitomises Work Happy with VP Global Employee Comms, Kim England #S2E5

    Pearson 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, measuring engagement on their well-populated social platform, and much more.
    This episode covers
    Keeping connected to a massive, global workforceFlexible working & identifying your best working hoursPearson’s social network Jive, and how it’s keeping their staff connectedEvolving Pearson’s long-standing values to reflect modern workingSupporting employee wellbeing through events, tailored content, and musicLinks and references at: https://siliconreef.co.uk/work-happy-podcast/

    • 45 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
4 Ratings

4 Ratings

DiggaG ,

Communications information

Great insights and real example on how internal communications professionals are getting the most from the Microsoft 365 applications.

amandaksh ,

Informative & Entertaining

Really enjoy listening to the conversations between Alex and guests. Really interesting how each company is handling their internal comms during and post pandemic.

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