UKTV has created an ideas culture within the business, which helps it stand out from the crowd in a competitive industry.
The TV broadcaster builds on this strategy to become a destination employer for top talent. It operates a strong focus on reward and recognition with three schemes to incentivise people to be creative, including a peer nomination scheme, on-the-spot thank yous from manangers and an employee awards ceremony.
It also offers staff the chance to apply for up to £1,000 grants to take non-work, life-enhancing courses.
Darren Childs, chief executive officer at UKTV, says: “We offer great incentives for people to be creative. I believe the brilliant, talented people who got through the tough recruitment process should be rewarded for their curiosity and creativity, at every step of the way. We have great initiatives such as ‘on-the-spot thank you’, which offers rewards such as a duvet day when people go above and beyond; and The Learning Curve, which offers employees the chance to apply for some non-work-related, but life-enhancing, training.”
It also has a strong focus on listening to its people, promotes equal opportunities for new employees and has a communication strategy that takes a top-down approach, with Childs taking full responsibility.
It moved offices in 2014 and its new space was designed to be fun and collaborative, with breakout spaces and an outdoor terrace to inspire creativity and engage people.
Childs says: “I want staff to feel that UKTV has the perfect environment in which they can do their best work. Our environment is not stale and staid; it’s bright and buzzy. We’ve got the head of a 50ft parrot, a first-class train carriage and tables that go through walls.
“It is about creating an environment where there is constant stimulation, constant movement and the ability to create the kind of serendipitous encounter that can lead to a creative breakthrough.”