The best way to establish a welcome working environment, according to Cindy Macintos, HR director at Pinnacle, is to ensure that a company is cherishing its core values but also listening to employees to see ‘what more can be brought to the table’.

Speaking as part of the ‘Workplace culture & wellbeing’ panel, Macintos was joined by
Christopher Dalli, CEO, L&L Europe; Richard Gordon, Employer Brand, Recruitment Marketing & Social Media Manager at GVC and the panel’s moderator Christina Thakor Rankin, co-founder of All-in Diversity.

Macintos explained that while workplace culture continues to be an ‘evolving topic’, companies must try to weave individual team dynamics into an overarching workplace environment.

She explained: “Workplace culture is an evolving topic, so you need to make sure that you cherish the parts that you think are important for your organisation, but I think you also need to listen to employees and see what can be brought to the table.

“We have an overall workplace culture, but we also have different dynamics within each team. Which is why I think you need to streamline the workplace culture. Our esports traders, for example, have a very specific bond, and very specific interests – but because we have so many different departments, you still have to weave these individual dynamics into one overarching culture.

“Shifting towards esports has had an impact on the overall work culture, but I think that it’s a good thing as long as you can get together at the end of the day and feel as though you are one organisation.”

Acknowledging the different dynamics that are often present across larger companies, Gordon highlighted that the current pandemic has ‘proven to be a real challenge’ when it comes to preserving a workplace culture.

Gordon explained that companies must listen to their employees through regular pulse surveys and polls to find out how people feel about working for a particular company, and use that information as a catalyst for change.

He added: “At the minute, it’s tricky. Many of us are working from home at the moment, and to try and keep that momentum going is a challenge, not to mention also bringing on new people when they’re not in the office but trying to embed them into that workplace culture is something that we’re having to really think about at the moment. It’s proven to be a real challenge.

“A company can carry out these big culture projects, and then think they’re done for a few years. But that isn’t the case. Workplace culture is constantly evolving, and things such as the coronavirus pandemic will only accelerate these changes. I think it’s really important that a company then keeps on top of monitoring how people feel about working for that organisation, and feeds that into how the company evolves, how it goes to market and how it adapts its working processes. It affects every touch-point of a company.”

The key to establishing a welcoming workplace culture lies in the recruitment processes, Dalli explained: “It very much depends on how you’re recruiting new employees. If you’re trying to recruit en masse, especially as some other companies have previously done by hiring 200 or 300 people at once, it’s impossible to make sure that your recruitment processes are on point.

“You can lay out the perfect policies and procedures, you can tell your team to stick to the letter, but in truth it’s impossible to actively ensure that you’re hiring the right people in such a short span of time. That’s one example where the bigger companies might be suffering from increased turnover simply because of the desperation to attract a proper workforce.

“Companies are saying it’s better to hire someone than have no one, and so they bring someone in, give them a chance and go from there.”

CasinoBeats Malta Digital, delivered in association with Gaming Malta, takes place from 30 June to 2 July 2020 and features 40 virtual exhibitors, numerous networking opportunities, 130 leading speakers, and countless business opportunities for 3,000 senior decision-makers from operators, suppliers, affiliates and other industry stakeholders.

Alongside the exhibition, networking and conference, all delegates also gain access to the full range of entertainment on offer, including free-play slots, daily competitions and a selection of prizes such as iPads and cash.

Find full details of CasinoBeats Malta Digital, including information about how to register and the discounts available on company group passes, at the event’s official website: https://sbcevents.com/casinobeats-malta-digital/