Kris Legroe joined Telenet in 2013 and has been the Director of Employee Services since 2020. In his new role, he was immediately confronted with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic: remote working, a tight labor market, rising labor costs, and increasing competition. During this difficult period, Kris succeeded in strengthening Telenet’s Recognition & Employee Support approach in collaboration with Arteel.
Below is a brief summary of the live webinar held on January 31, 2023, in which Kris explains how he achieved this. The fact that over 200 HR leaders registered for the webinar speaks volumes about the strong interest in this topic.
Would you like to watch the full webinar in its entirety right away?
news.arteel.com/webinar-telenet
“Kris Legroe is a visionary in Reward & Recognition”
Nathalie Arteel does not hesitate to call Kris Legroe a visionary in the field of recognition and rewards. As early as 2013, Kris spoke with Nathalie about his ideas for a modern approach: reinforcing positive behavior, bringing company values to life, and delighting customers.
Thanks to Arteel’s solutions and their shared vision, Telenet now excels with its Recognition & Employee Support strategy. Today, these solutions are considered by many companies as exemplary of how it should be done.
Creating impact in both the minds and hearts of people
Alongside “Culture trumps strategy,” another well-known quote from John Porter is, “We need to connect more with people on an emotional level.” These quotes date back to when he had just become CEO of Telenet in 2013. Kris Legroe joined Telenet around the same time. Porter’s vision perfectly aligned with Kris’s Recognition vision.
This led to a long-term strategy focused on creating impact in both the minds and hearts of people, using Arteel’s programs and systems that are both effective and easy to use.
The History of Telenet’s Recognition & Employee Support Program
2018: After acquiring Base in 2016, Telenet integrated over 800 employees within a two-year period. At that time, Recognition & Employee Support solutions were still very fragmented and primarily focused on the individual.
2019: Recognition & Employee Support needed a more structured approach across the larger Telenet organization. Telenet began discussions with Arteel. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated decisions to act on this initiative.
2020: Launch of the GiftApp program to celebrate seniority and other milestones with a personal message from the manager. The Arteel platform was very well received due to its personalization options and the smooth logistical support provided by Arteel. This program continued even after the pandemic, with an expansion to include births and weddings.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Connection with each other was a major concern for Kris Legroe during the lockdowns. That’s why he, together with Arteel, launched several concepts around virtual teamwork workshops (such as learning to make cocktails).
These proved to be ideal moments for relaxation. During this period, Telenet built its own TV studio in their Mechelen offices, which could also be used to record important messages for internal and external purposes.
Kris notes that during this time, teams were encouraged to keep connecting, also physically whenever possible. This resulted in many walking meetings and “happy shots,” where each team received a small budget to organize their own outdoor activity in a safe way.
End of 2020: Telenet had already prepared a hybrid working policy, developed together with union partners. It specifies that all employees must spend at least 40% of their time on-site (reviewed quarterly). Since every week can be different, teams have autonomy to organize their time within these parameters.
Summer 2021: After more than a year and a half of virtual meetings, Telenet sought solutions to encourage employees to return to the office—and to avoid them coming in just to sit in online meetings. Welcome days for new employees, including workshops on hybrid working, were one of many initiatives. Office spaces were also redesigned with input from business units, resulting in new setups such as flex desks, co-working spaces, quiet zones, and focus areas—alongside existing catering and coffee spaces.
End of 2021 through 2022: Together with Arteel, Telenet launched a program to recognize and celebrate teams. This recognition came from the senior leadership team via Arteel’s IncentiveApp platform. High-performing teams that act according to Telenet’s values could win and choose from unique activities and experiences, such as a fine dining experience, kayaking, or a hot-air balloon ride.
“IncentiveApp and GiftApp also contribute to positive employer branding for Telenet, as teams and employees enjoy sharing their experiences on social media channels, which extends the impact far beyond the company walls.” – Kris Legroe
Extra focus on call center employees
Call center employees deserve extra attention, as they work according to a strict schedule and might otherwise be underrepresented in recognition programs. A specific program was developed for the call centers, allowing colleagues to give each other credits as a form of recognition. Here too, the credits are always linked to exemplary behavior aligned with company values and accompanied by a personal message. Employees can accumulate these credits to choose from a wide range of gifts available on Arteel’s platform.
Even the external call centers working for Telenet take part, which helps to strengthen the Telenet culture beyond the organization itself.
A loyalty platform for customers was also set up. If a customer has been treated poorly, call center employees can send an “apology gift.” Similarly, if a customer has experienced something significant, such as a bereavement, a call center employee can send a gift to express sympathy. Remarkably, this can be done without approval from a manager. For Telenet, this is a natural extension of their company values toward customers.
“The company values are reinforced and go viral. This creates an incredible vibe within the call centers and generates positive energy. After 50 days, 96% of the 1,290 employees participated, initiating over 10,000 positive recognition interactions.” – Nathalie Arteel
Why not give cash instead of gifts for recognition?
The most frequently asked question during the webinar was why cash doesn’t work as a form of recognition. Kris and Nathalie explained that cash has much less impact than a recognition program. With cash, it’s far less likely that a team or colleague will use it to plan a fun activity together. When you can choose a gift yourself, you naturally reflect more on the impact it creates.
Cash also lacks a way to share and make appreciation visible. A recognition platform is the ideal solution for Telenet because it starts from the motivation of the individual or team and is closely linked to company values, creating a lasting impact through experiences that people will remember for a long time.
