Employee Engagement

Strategies for Success

Paysafe’s virtual employee engagement events improved connection, well-being, and leadership.

By Marta Chmielowicz

When Paysafe was confronted with the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic last March, it faced significant challenges. The culture of the organisation was largely office-based and centred around town halls, events, and parties; the executive leadership team was in the process of restructuring; revenues fell dramatically overnight; and the heightened risk of cyberattacks required new measures to protect the business.

To overcome these obstacles, Paysafe launched a new global employee engagement initiative: the “Safeguarding Paysafe People” campaign. This programme focused on maintaining an engaged, connected workforce by making mental and physical well-being a priority. In addition to increasing the frequency of communications from the CEO, introducing well-being surveys, running webinars, launching a weekly newsletter, and offering a subscription to the Headspace meditation app, the company delivered two key virtual engagement events.

The first was a virtual “Paysafe Day” -an opportunity for employees to engage in an informative town hall session in the morning and a “well-being half day” of organised activities in the afternoon. Optional local wellness activities ranged from cocktail-making classes, meditation, HIIT sessions, yoga, and small meetups.

The goals of this event were numerous, including:

  • to increase feelings of connection across the global workforce;
  • make employee well-being a specific focus point;
  • offer recognition to high performers;
  • show appreciation and loyalty; and
  • drive better understanding of business performance.

To accompany this event, the company created an all-employee channel for live announcements, messages, and employee photos. The effort was a big success, shown by the results of a well-being survey conducted the day following the event. Paysafe’s employee engagement score increased by two points to 78 and its “connected remotely” score increased by several points to 77.

The second event was a three-day virtual leadership event designed to align leaders around the theme “Return to Growth.” Throughout the event, leaders discussed people strategies that align with company values and shared ideas to improve the ways the senior management team operates and communicates. A cascade plan ensured that employees throughout the company heard the strategy and their role in helping achieve it.

Thanks to these initiatives, Paysafe has maintained a highly engaged workforce, with engagement levels ranging from 80% to 89% throughout the lockdown period, compared to the benchmark rate of 74%. Engagement surveys reveal that employees feel connected, motivated, productive, and well-informed.

Tags: Employee Engagement

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