Top 25 Best Workplaces in Asia: Kikki.K
Rank: 7, Number of employees: 535
Headquarters: Melbourne, Founder and CEO: Kristina Karlsson
Kikki.K is one of Australia’s favourite stores for stationery. The company believes that one of the biggest ways to drive motivation and behaviours is through the power of stories. The company ensures that its values of transparency and fairness and team code trickle down to every conversation. They, in fact, are a way of life for employees. The CEO provides regular updates at the kikki.K head office meeting on business vision and direction and via emails to remote teams. This open and honest communication connects the entire team and keeps them focused on the business’ vision. Kikki.K performance review templates include assessment against the values and team code. This is a great way for employees to embed certain behaviours at work.
At the end of every day, the retail stores e-mail an “end of day report” to the GM Retail, which summarizes their day. Part of this report requires them to provide an example of when a team member has gone above and beyond for a customer or another team member. An above and beyond story may be as simple as a team member assisting a mum laden with bags and baby to the car, carrying their kikki.K goods, or as elaborate as wrapping and delivering a Valentine’s Day gift on behalf of a secret admirer. Some of the best stories are then published in Team Talk Weekly for everyone to read. They are also shared in daily retail huddles and in emails from the Regional Managers to their teams. Further, kikki.K have an Above & Beyond wall at Head Office where many stories are posted. Other inspiring stories are pasted into a kikki.K journal and kikki.K create Above & Beyond books, which are placed in reception for kikki.K guests to enjoy when visiting kikki.K offices. These practices are also followed in store, with every store having their own beautifully decorated Above and Beyond Wall in the backroom for all team members to read and be inspired by.
A monthly peer driven reward and recognition program called Caught in the Act rewards Team Members who display great examples of kikki.K Team Code. Kikki.K recognise that it is the combined efforts of all Team Members—working in line with kikki.K Team Code—that leads to the overall success of kikki.K. As such, kikki.K encourage opportunities for those efforts to be acknowledged and rewarded. Any Team Member can nominate any other Team Member via the company intranet for the monthly $100 reward, with one winner from retail stores and one from the head office.