Shaping living for the better is the key driver of Electrolux’s mission. This extends to the employee experience by establishing a sense of belonging and engagement for new starters, in addition to learning about the business, has been a key focus for human resources director, Sarah Gibbs.
After nearly two years of online orientations, Gibbs and her team invited nearly 40 new employees from across Australia and New Zealand to come to the Mascot head office to begin the program.
“Everyone was so excited to come. We know how hard it can be when you start out in a new job,” Gibbs said. “Establishing networks and learning about what makes Electrolux the company it is can take time, so we spoke to existing employees about what we could do better to improve what was already a popular program. This was our chance to showcase that new experience.”
Conscious of the variety of roles and the broad scope of workplaces, the team sought to create an immersive experience rather than simply telling attendees about the business. New employees were given the opportunity to network with other new starters, hear from business leaders and experience first-hand a variety of functions such as visiting the distribution centre, the national contact centre and retail stores.
“We’ve all sat through endless PowerPoint presentations, so we wanted the teams to develop an empathy for how the many parts of Electrolux contribute to our great culture and performance. The feedback has been overwhelming to say the least,” Gibbs said.
“From meeting with our managing director, Kurt Hegvold to hear more about Electrolux, the team had a fantastic time and learnt so much. We’re confident we’ve struck a balance that will positively shape the careers of this team and those who follow.”