Events & Webinars

People Development Summit 2024

It was great to meet so many HR & people leaders at the People Development Summit in Madrid back in March. If you were at the event and would like to know more about OpenBlend, get in touch with us today. 

The Workplace Inspirathon 2023

Inspiring Workplaces hosted their annual, 24-hour Inspirathon which spans the globe and aims to unite everyone through a shared purpose to improve the world of work. 

OpenBlend's Founder and CEO, Anna Rasmussen discussed why enabling effective 1:1 conversations that focus on an employee's unique development needs is critical to  satisfying the 'crave for learning' that we're seeing in today's workforce. 

Happier at Work Podcast: Mastering the art of performance management

Our Founder & CEO, Anna Rasmussen spoke to Aoife O’Brien about what it really means to belong at work on the Happier at Work podcast - and it made for a great conversation.

Anna began by referencing the link between belonging and motivation, before going on to explain why belonging is a relative term that takes on a different meaning for every employee.

Power Hour 2 – Peoplefirst – A holistic look at driving your wellbeing strategy

By putting people first, organizations attract and retain top talent, increase productivity, and foster a positive workplace culture. Ultimately, people-first policies benefit both the employees and the organization and result in better business outcomes and a more satisfied workforce.

OpenBlend's CEO and Founder, Anna Rasmussen joined Gethin Nadin and Jo Newman to discuss why a people first approach is critical to the success of your wellbeing strategy. 

Inspire:London: Inspiring transformation in your wellbeing strategy for 2023

18th January 2023 | London

To be a truly peoplefirst workplace, you have to make the wellbeing of your people a priority. Their wellbeing in and out of work, their emotional, physical, financial and mental wellbeing.

OpenBlend's CEO and Founder, Anna Rasmussen joined four other storytellers at the Inspiring Workplaces event to discuss transformational wellbeing strategies for 2023. 

What Can Managers Do To Support Employees Who Are Going Through The Menopause

According to research from the CIPD - the professional body for HR and development, three out of five (59%) women aged between 45 and 55 say the menopause has a negative impact on them at work. In this session, we discuss the role managers play in supporting employees going through the menopause. 

How To Effectively Support Disabled Employees In The Workplace

Anna Rasmussen and Diane Lightfoot, CEO of the Business Disability Forum discuss how managers and organisations can to effectively support disabled employees in the workplace, working to create an inclusive culture to allow all team members to thrive.

How to ensure inclusion is present in one-to-ones and the business benefits.

In this webinar, OpenBlend’s Anna Rasmussen, sits down with Dr Joanna Abeyie MBE, Founder and MD of Blue Moon to discuss: 

• What inclusion really means and looks like in one-to-one conversations
• Practical techniques managers can use to create psychological safety and openness with their employees
• Business benefits seen by many organisations already using this approach 

Don't let proximity bias hold back performance

In this webinar, Anna Rasmussen was joined by Karl Burnett from A+E Networks, and Amanda Fishburn from Dr. Martens to discuss: 

• How to stay connected with your remote and hybrid workforces to enable people to perform at their best. 
• Whether managers see their remote or hybrid workers in the same light as in-office staff?
• How proximity bias can threaten a culture of high performance

How to think differently about driving performance

In this recording, Anna Rassmussen and Nicola Forbes-Taylor deliver a breakout session at the HR Grapevine Live event. During their session, they discuss: 

• How to tap into the superpower of a people manager
• The importance of understanding personal and professional drivers to enable your teams to perform at their best 
• Why incorporating your teams key drivers will prepare you for hybrid working 

Dispelling the Fear of Coaching in People Management Conversations

Managers can be intimidated by the term 'coaching', when in reality it's a communication style.

In this webinar, OpenBlend's CEO and Founder, Anna Rasmussen is joined by a panel of experts to discuss: 

• The reality behind the term 'coaching' 
• How we can best support our managers to adopt a coaching mindset without any fear
• Why this communication style is critical for the workforce of today

Employee Experience: Have Expectations Shifted Through the Pandemic?

In this webinar, Anna Rasmussen and David Blackburn from FSCS chat all things employee experience, including: 

• How the pandemic has impacted the employee experience 
• Techniques businesses can use to ensure their employee experience is where it needs to be 
• What current employees are expecting from their organisations today 

Building Resilience: Life After Lockdown for Employees

As the possibility of reopening businesses is hopefully drawing closer we thought it would be useful to run a webinar to prepare for this. OpenBlend's Founder and CEO, Anna Rasmussen is joined by Nicola and Alex to talk life after lockdown: 

• Strategies and ideas to lift and build into your organisations to make this transition as smooth as possible
• The importance of resilience and reflection 

Mindset Hacks

The second webinar of the series with our associate coach, Tracy James.

'Mindset hacks' will teach you how to be aware of unhelpful thinking habits and maintain a growth mindset in challenging times where productivity can run low in times of isolation.

Empowering Managers to Lead Change

Welcome back to part two of our webinar series with LMA Recruitment, as we discuss how to empower your managers to lead change.

We don't yet know how the world will be changed as a result of the pandemic, but one thing is for sure: managers will need structured insights into employee’s wellbeing, engagement and productivity.

How To Rebuild Culture After Furlough

In this webinar, in partnership with LMA recruitment, we discuss how you can prepare for returning back to the office and rebuilding your culture, whilst managing expectations of both furloughed & non-furloughed staff.

The panel includes:

• Nicola Forbes-Taylor, CPO for high growth start ups & Consultant
• Alex Mecklenburg, leadership coach and co-founder of the creative consultancy Truth & Spectacle
• Anna Rasmussen, CEO and Founder of OpenBlend

Forming New Habits

In this final session with our associate coach, Tracy James.

Tracy will help you identify and introduce new positive habits into your life using tools and hacks to help make them stick. We hope this series of webinars has proved useful to you in this time of complete remote working.

GROW through difficult times

The third webinar of the series with our associate coach, Tracy James.

During this guided GROW workshop you will be asked to choose an area of your work/life Blend, or an objective, that has been impacted by recent events. You will then review this through the lens of the GROW model to help you figure out a way to move forward.

Worry Less, Think More

The first webinar of the series with our associate coach, Tracy James. This series provides practical tips to help us all think differently and adapt to our new realities.

'Worry less, think more' provides thought hacks to help you manage worry and anxiety. It will give you an understanding of what anxiety is and how it manifests for us.

The New Normal: Supporting a Remote Workforce

This webinar took place in early April when we were in the early stages of complete remote working. In partnership with The BTN, our CEO, Anna Rasmussen caught up with James Ballard (Co-Founder at The BTN and Annapurna Recruitment), to look at how individuals, managers and businesses can support a remote workforce.

Press play to rewatch the webinar.

Supporting Individual Performance Objectives: One Size Doesn’t Fit All

In this webinar, hosted by OpenBlend's Founder and CEO, Anna Rasmussen, we explore why understanding your team as individuals is crucial to driving productivity

A people-centric approach is the failsafe way to make sure each individual thrives and brings their best to work. And any business can adopt this technique. 

The Importance of a People-Centric Approach

Many businesses are now beginning to focus on the themes and best practices that will drive people forward. Because without putting your people first, how can businesses expect to retain a team, nurture their talent and scale?

In this webinar, OpenBlend's CEO and Founder, Anna Rasmussen, discussed:

• How to define a people-centric approach for HR
• Day-to-day initiatives and strategies for your organisation
• The ROI opportunities of shifting your approach.