Olga Yakimakho EB

EXCLUSIVE: Olga Yakimakho, director, leadership and organisational development at Special Olympics International, will discuss creating a sense of belonging among a workforce at Employee Benefits Reset 2020.

The strategy session titled ‘Why employee belonging is more important than ever‘ will take place at 10am on Monday 12 October in the first ever Employee Benefits online series of keynotes, how-to and strategy sessions, which will run from 5 – 16 October.

During her session, Yakimakho will discuss the impact that belonging and inclusion can have on a workplace, comparing the two factors that influence engagement and productivity. Due to the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, Yakimakho believes that now is the right time for employers to look at belonging, and the best ways that they can improve this.

She will also touch upon her experience at the Special Olympics, as well as in previous roles, looking at the impact that creating a sense of belonging has on employees where this has been a priority for the organisation.

Yakimakho said: “It is difficult for managers to instil a feeling of belonging in their teams, it is so elusive and requires a lot of resources. Despite this, there are proven ways to strengthen belonging. Employers that don't address this head-on will suffer from it in the long term.

"For businesses that adopt this culture, they will begin to notice that employees will care more about the cash benefits that they gain from the business, and consequently become more productive and engaged because they will feel like they are being cared for by an employer."

Attendees can register to attend all keynotes and sessions for free.