The Shape of Work

#14: Kristina Vaneva on employee engagement as the key to organizational well-being

May 24, 2021 Springworks Season 1 Episode 14
The Shape of Work
#14: Kristina Vaneva on employee engagement as the key to organizational well-being
Show Notes

In this episode, Springworks' Head of Business Operations, Anoop Suresh talks to Kristina Vaneva, Director of Employee Engagement & Internal Communications at Atlantis Resorts in Dubai, a multi-industry award winner of several accolades related to human resources. 

With over 14 years of experience, Kristina talks about her own personal mission to create hope and positivity while encouraging happiness at the workplace. 

She shares her learnings from a career journey traversing all the way from Malta, a small but progressive island in the Mediterranean Sea, to Dubai where she currently serves as the Director of Employee Engagement at the wondrous Atlantis resorts. At Atlantis, she and her team have made great strides in reducing employee turnover and significantly improving employee work-life balance.

Employee engagement in the hospitality industry

We welcomed Kristina Vaneva, the Director of Employee Engagement & Internal Communications at Atlantis Resorts, Dubai on ‘The Shape of Work’ podcast.  Kristina is on a mission to create hope and positivity in people’s workplaces and personal lives. In the span of twelve years at Atlantis Dubai, Kristina has successfully managed the Employee Engagement Department, part of the HR Division and has received several personal as well as team industry awards.

Creating positive, thriving workplaces

Interestingly Kristina runs her own YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/c/KristinaVaneva) where she shares her experiences in employee engagement. This could be helpful for those looking to create an Employee Engagement/ Internal Communications department, or to revamp strategies for something already in existence in order to help create positive, thriving workplaces all over the world.

She believes that if the place you work has great camaraderie and a sense of belonging, then the 8-10 hours a day will fly by and you will consider it less as work.
The challenges of diversity and employee engagement in the hospitality industry
Kristina replies that it’s actually the challenges that keep her engaged. She enjoys ensuring every day at work is different and that every project, campaign and engagement strategy, involves a diverse set of expectations. Some people have worked in the organisation for over 10 years and don’t want to see old information which has just been regurgitated. They want to be surprised. 

Follow Kristina Vaneva on LinkedIn.

Produced by: Priya Bhatt
Podcast host: Anoop Suresh

BONUS: This episode covers plenty of employee engagement tips to make your workplace happier and more productive. To make things better, here is an Ultimate Employee Engagement Guide for 2021.