My first month at jellybeanis now at a close and like time in general, it has flown by. So now I feel less like a ‘new’ Bean and more like an ‘old’ Bean, which is probably more fitting.

Like all those who start at a company, or in fact are new anywhere, I was very aware of those crucial, sometimes awkward first impressions. A particular situation that seems to feature most in these scenarios is the initial greeting, whether it is a client, friend or colleague. What struck me most when I joined jellybeanis that, more often than not, I was kissed by the client, even at the first meeting which, I found quite unusual. One of our clients even commented “that is what we do now”.
Was this a new way of breaking down barriers? I would be very interested to know if this is indeed the norm between agencies and clients. What is the current protocol? I am sure this has been covered in many a magazine but it seems to have passed me by. Perhaps this could be a potential subject to cover in training? Sometimes a handshake/hug/kiss mishap leads to awkwardness, which is fine – but if you’re not careful, it can lead to an unwanted kiss, or worse; head-butting. It did happen to a friend who I believe is still recovering from the embarrassment.

It does not appear that there is any difference between sexes when it comes to the initial greeting. If anything it comes across slightly chivalrous from men. In this respect do we follow our European counterparts more than our American colleagues? In America kissing is seen as very personal and reserved for family and loved ones. However, in contrast their neighbours in Mexico kiss everyone!

The relationship between client and agency has always been an interesting one, and one to nurture and build on so that it becomes an extension of the company. At Jellybean it is evident from the relationships we have developed with our clients that we are very much seen as part of the company’s marketing team.

I am very proud to have become a Bean and to be part of the fantastic work that is created by jellybeanwithin the foodservice industry. I also look forward to kissing plenty more clients – haha.

jellybean is a leading foodservice pr agency. We help top brands with food service pr, food service marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

I was recently lucky enough to visit Sri Lanka – a fantastic island of culture, scenery and wildlife and, in between enjoying all of the above, the local cuisine proved a real treat. Although famous for its tea and spices it was clear that Sri Lankan food has much more to offer besides.

Our first chance to sample the local food was early at breakfast on day one. Presented with a traditional Sri Lankan spread, we were offered dhal, roti (a type of coconut flat bread similar to naan), string hoppers (little nests of noodles) and sambol (a spicy mix of grated coconut, chilli and onion) and tucked in – although admittedly rather tentatively at first, not quite used to the fiery kick of sambol so early in the morning.

Whilst curry for breakfast definitely took some getting used to, in the evenings we enjoyed some great dishes. Fish and seafood were prominent on menus and the local seer fish with prawns, crab and octopus became a firm favourite of mine. We also tried Jackfruit curry – widely grown in Sri Lanka, the fruit has a meaty texture making it a great vegetarian option.

Sri Lanka was heavily hit by the tsunami in 2004, and 12 years on, the coastline is gradually coming back to life, boasting some fantastic beach front restaurants. One we discovered was Top Secret whose prawn, mango and coconut curry along with a piña colada (or two) became one of my holiday highlights.

My final tasting test was Arrack – the locally distilled whisky. Having watched men climbing palm trees to collect the sap from coconut flowers used to make it I thought I’d better give it a go, but one sip was more than enough for me and a bottle came back in my suitcase for dad to enjoy instead!

Sri Lanka was a fascinating country to visit, only improved by the food and hospitality we received – a holiday destination I would recommend to anyone.

jellybean is a leading food service marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with food service pr, food service marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Yes, they serve duck and waffle.  To celebrate the big milestone that was my Mom’s 50th birthday, we thought it be no better occasion to check out the exclusive Duck and Waffle restaurant.

Due to its overwhelming popularity, we had to book the table 3 months in advance – easily making this the most well planned event in our family history.

After a series of travel blunders on the day (with all trains to London being cancelled!) we piled into the car and madly dashed to London.  Despite heavy traffic we arrived in Liverpool Street with five minutes to spare.

On the 40th floor Duck and Waffle is the highest restaurant in the UK. With glass windows surrounding the entire floor, the seating area offers an almost 360 degree view London – and at night, the views were spectacular.

After what seemed to be the fastest elevator ride in history, we were warmly greeted by the maitre d’ and were ushered to our table.  Seated next to the window our table offered amazing views. The dark decor and dim lighting in the restaurant highlighted the spectacularly lit up London skyline.

Surprisingly there was not a lot on the menu, and unsurprisingly, everything was slightly bizarre.  Starters included ‘foie gras crème brûlée’ and ‘spicy ox cheek doughnut’ – both too intriguing to turn down.  With 6 of us at the table, we decided each to order a different starter with the aim of sampling as much of the menu as we could. It comes as no surprise that for the main course, all six of us ordered the famous ‘duck and waffle’.

Unexpectedly, the starters each arrived at separate times – although a shock to the system at first, it actually worked out better as it gave us the opportunity to savour each of the dishes individually.

Out of the six starters we ordered – while each delicious – my favourite was the freshly baked onion jam and stilton bread – warm, soft, fluffy bread drenched in oozing melted cheese and topped with decadent caramelised onions.  If Heaven was a taste this would be it.

After our starters were all cleared up it was time for the dish we had all been waiting for – the notorious duck and waffle!  Any reservations one might have had at the start were quickly overcome by the delicious aroma that the dish brought with it as it was served.

The duck leg was served between a waffle and a lightly fried duck egg, and was accompanied by a little pot of wholegrain mustard maple syrup (!) on the side.  All conventions say this shouldn’t have worked, but it did.  Well.

By the time we had polished off our plates we had all eaten far more than our stomachs could cope with, but after waiting so long for a reservation it seemed a shame not to try any of the desserts.

The dessert menu was just as bizarre as the main, with ‘mushrooms on toast’ being the first item on the list.  We settled for ‘torrejas’ – a sweet Cuban toast with maple caramel apples and cinnamon ice cream – and their ‘chocolate blondie’ – served with pistachios and raspberry sorbet.

When the desserts turned up we were wise to have only ordered two dishes between the six of us as they were huge! I’m sure if we weren’t so full from the earlier courses we could have devoured another portion – they were absolutely delicious.

With dinner finally finished and our bellies just about ready to burst, we paid the bill and headed back to the car before the inevitable food coma kicked in.  As a first time guest I can confirm that the restaurant undeniably lives up to the hype. I definitely plan on going back (reservation depending!), although perhaps during daylight hours to see the beautiful view from a different perspective.

A definite recommend.

jellybean is a leading food service marketing and communications agency. We help top brands with food service pr, food service marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

jellybeanis a keen advocate of working hard to maintain a highly engaged workforce – so being offered the opportunity to attend an Employee Engagement Seminar last week was a great chance for us to check up on the methods we use and how we can further increase employee engagement going forward. What do we need to take back to our little foodservice marketing agency in order to maximise the motivation and engagement of our workforce?

Our speaker was Russell Beck, Head of Consulting at Impellum, and from beginning to end, Russell provided fantastic insight, statistics, examples and tips to improve engagement levels and better engage with the wider team.

A recent survey by Investors In People (Jan 2016) found that 49% of workers will look for a new job this year. Workers cited poor management and not feeling valued as the top reasons to move. ‘Better pay’ dropped to third place in ‘unhappiness factors’.

It’s clear that employee engagement is one of the most critical factors in business, but often the least understood. So what is ‘employee engagement’? A simple definition of the term was written by David Mcleod (part of the UK Government task force set up to look at employee engagement). He says:

“Engagement is the workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals, motivated to contribute to organisational success and are able at the same time, to enhance their own sense of wellbeing”

Our employees are fundamental to the business – they are our one true business differentiator. Our employer brand IS our people! They are the ones that talk about the business, with friends, family, colleagues, clients, strangers, hairdressers, etc. They also use various social media channels on a regular basis, and can spread the word farther and wider than ever before. With this in mind, it is essential to maximise employee engagement wherever possible.

So what is in it for the business? Engagement is the driver for:

• Productivity
• Customer satisfaction
• Innovation
• Reduced absence
• Retention
• Health and safety

All of these things combined, work together to increase profit – a clear business case!

Some of my key take outs from the seminar on how to go about improving employee engagement are here:

Company Alignment – Engagement is about emotion – about people caring and wanting to do well for the business. Be clear about what your company stands for, what your values are and what your story is.

Managers – It’s not enough for managers to fulfil basic admin duties, they need to be empathetic, genuinely interested in an employee’s long term career and personal life. This enables them to better understand, better connect, better motivate and therefore better engage with their team. It’s worth investing in your managers, to spread the engagement throughout the wider team.

Relationships – Work and life are blurring – it’s no wonder as we spend a third of our waking hours at work. As a result, employees crave a meaningful relationship at work. Have they got a best friend, a confidant, a social relationship? Positive relationships with colleagues helps productivity, motivation and employees feel connected to what they are doing.

Recognition – Receiving praise shows employees they are valued. This is free and easy to do – so praise regularly for work done well.

Feedback – Managers giving little or no feedback results in 4 out of 10 employees becoming actively disengaged. It is vital in showing team members that they are important in the wider scheme of things and you want them to do well.

Satisfaction – there are a number of contributing factors to job satisfaction:

• Salary will always matter. Pay people fairly – employees want to feel that they are paid what they deserve.
• Companies are offering a wider range of benefits now, increasing candidate’s expectations. Meaningful benefits such as flexible working hours or childcare incentives could make a difference to employee engagement.
• Workload – it’s all about balance. Challenged but not overworked, comfortable but not bored. If the balance is wrong they won’t be engaged.
• Clarity of expectations – employees need to be absolutely clear about what is expected from them, both on a daily basis and long term. Without a clear vision and regular feedback/recognition, employees can become frustrated, and therefore disengaged.
• Enablement – sufficient training and equipment is needed to prevent very quick disengagement. Have they got the right tools, have they been trained, does the equipment work?
• Environment – employees need to be comfortable in every sense – is the temperature right, is there enough space, is it too noisy, do they have a social area etc.? All of these things impact on how well employees perform and how they engage in the workplace.

Lots to think about! Engagement should be all year round – it’s a constant. Engagement levels change rapidly and any changes need to be picked up before there is an impact on the wider team, company vision and therefore profit.

Businesses can no longer afford to hire someone, pay them and leave them alone. No matter whether you work at a foodservice marketing agency or a hospital, everyone wants to be engaged on a deeper level – a point to get up and go to work. What makes us ‘Beans’ get up and go to work? A vast array of things…. challenging briefs, friends, variety of work, knowledge sharing, learning, personal development and growth, social activities, great clients, the list goes on. Enough from me now…back to work!

jellybean is a leading foodservice marketing agency. We help top brands with foodservice pr, foodservice marketing, digital and design. If you feel we could help you with your marcomms, strategy, public relations, creative or digital then drop us a line today.

Keep reading! Why not read our blog on jellybeanranked in B2B Agency Benchmarking Report 2019