The challenge
When Kristin Hay joined Knight Frank Australia as Partner and Chief People Officer, the business needed to modernise its culture and redefine the employee experience.
“I came into an organisation that was ready for change, and one of my priorities was to build a clear employee value proposition and bring it to life in a practical way,” says Kristin.
The organisation had ambitious goals, but several challenges stood in the way:
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Outdated systems that weren’t meeting employee needs
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A workforce that was physically dispersed, with many staff based at regional shopping centres and client sites
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A lack of clarity about what the organisation truly offered to its people
Industry:
Property
Number of employees:
940+ employees in Australia
Platform features:
Employee recognition, employee communications, benefits and discounts
The solution 
Knight Frank turned to Reward Gateway | Edenred to help activate its EVP and create a single hub for recognition, rewards and benefits.
Kristin describes the platform as a “one stop shop”:
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Employees can recognise peers and managers can deliver awards tied to values
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Service awards, project rewards and referral bonuses all run through the platform
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A public recognition feed makes achievements visible across offices, sites and regions
“Engagement with the platform has been incredible – 95% of our people are active on it. It’s become the destination for recognition and benefits across Knight Frank,” Kristin explains.
The platform also supports employees with discounts on essentials, travel and fuel, proving especially valuable during cost-of-living pressures.
“One of my team booked their honeymoon through the platform and saved over $700. Stories like that spread quickly and help people see the real value in what we’re offering,” she adds.
Driving adoption
Knight Frank approached adoption like a campaign, blending data and storytelling to encourage usage:
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Usage campaigns and reminders to keep recognition top of mind
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Transparent reporting at state and national level, sparking conversations with leaders
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Storytelling across the business, reinforcing impact by sharing real savings and recognition moments
“We check back in constantly. If a team isn’t using it much, we’ll talk with leaders about why. It’s too important an engagement tool to let it sit idle,” Kristin says.
Recognition champions also play a key role. One employee is known for sending recognition every single day, which has had a measurable impact on his team’s engagement scores.
Knight Frank continues to evolve its EVP to reflect changing employee expectations, with recognition and benefits central to the strategy. The next step for them is deepening the link between recognition activity and engagement outcomes, giving leaders even greater visibility of cultural impact.
