Yapping with cherie hale - the right way to embrace secure communication at work
Should you use WhatsApp at work? - here’s how frontline workers make the best out of yapster
We’ve all heard it before: secure communication at work is key to a thriving business. Over the last few years, workplace communication has become increasingly digitalised. Unfortunately, with digitalisation comes risks – especially when leaders don’t have the ability to monitor the interactions of their teams.
At Yapster, we believe that making your business safer is about protecting your data and engaging your workforce through Social Leadership. With Yapster, you can reach out to frontline employees at the touch of a button – wherever they are. We abide by our mission to make work meaningful — or at least not suck. And that starts by fostering a safe, GDPR-compliant environment and encouraging a healthy work-life balance (turning off notifications on your days off can be a lifesaver). On Yapster, Social Leaders are in full control of their communication platform and can engage their teammates through inspirational posts and messages.
We’ve sat down with Yapster champion and Deputy General Manager at Brewhouse & Kitchen Cherie Hale to discuss secure communication for frontline workers and the implications of using WhatsApp at work.
Brewhouse & Kitchen is an award-winning chain of ‘brewpubs’, boasting 23 locations across the UK. They’ve chosen Yapster as their communication platform and are channelling the power of Social Leadership to ensure the engagement and success of their teammates, but also the safety of their data. Let’s dive in!
“If i was ever to further my career (…), I’d be bringing yapster with me. it’s such a great tool to have as a company” - Cherie hale, deputy general manager at brewhouse & Kitchen
Cherie Hale, Deputy General Manager at Brewhouse & Kitchen
Yapster: Hi Cherie! Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today. To kick things off, could you tell me more about yourself and your hospitality journey?
Cherie: Of course! I’ve been in the industry for maybe now 12 years. I started off teaching drama, dance, and music, but I found that hospitality suited more to my needs… I love training people. I love to communicate with people! I started off with my mum when I was younger in a pub… so I’ve grown up within the industry. I started waitressing when I was old enough; then I worked with Fuller’s Brewery for a few years and that taught me a lot about craft beer.
I did some time at a 5-star resort here in Wales and they taught me so much about how to deliver such an excellent service. And then I came to Brewhouse & Kitchen, started off there as the deputy – and I’ve been there for over a year now! I’ve learned a lot along the way… I’m a firm believer in teaching everything that I know.
Yapster: That’s amazing! What are your leadership aspirations? How do you envision leading? (...)
Cherie: I think because I’ve grown up in the industry I’m always ready to get my hands stuck in. I know how to problem-solve... I’m a firm believer in not asking anyone to do something you wouldn’t first do yourself. I don’t like to call myself the leader because I’m one with them. I’m one of the team members – I’m there on the frontline when things are needed.
Yapster: As a frontline worker, have you ever found yourself using WhatsApp in any of your previous roles? How did you find it? Any pros and cons?
Cherie: In a previous position we used just WhatsApp and it is… acceptable. It’s very fast and people are always on their phones. But… you don’t turn off. (...) And yes, you can mute it but… you’re still gonna look at it… With a platform like WhatsApp, it’s hard to differentiate between your personal life and your professional life.
As a member of management you are on your phone, you are trying to keep up with the business… You are always looking. So it’s hard to turn off on those days off. (...)
Yapster: When did you first come across Yapster? How do you feel about the platform?
Cherie: Brewhouse & Kitchen were the first company that I’ve worked for that used a social work platform like Yapster. And within the year that I’ve been with the company I have become the Yapster Queen – that’s what I’m called! (laughs) I think I’m one of the top social influencers on it. It’s amazing because it’s a separate place – you don’t need to be on it on your day off like you might do on your WhatsApp. I think it’s fantastic. It brings not only your business and your site together but the fact that you can reach out to other sites…
I can message the CEO with a question and I know that he’ll come back to me on a professional level. And I know that it’s not using my personal details, it’s not using any of my personal photos, statuses or anything like that… I think it’s a great platform and I’m one for it. I’m very encouraging of my team to use it as well so if they have any questions or queries for me it’s always: ‘Please use Yapster’. I don’t like them using my personal social media such as WhatsApp…
I am a firm believer in using a professional platform. And it’s quite fun as well! (...) I’m always sharing my team’s successes on there, even if it’s something as simple as making their first-ever coffee or completing their training! (...)
Want to improve your work-life balance? Manage Yapster’s notifications so you can ‘turn off on your time off.’
Add a picture to your profile so anyone from your team can reach out to you and connect.
Yapster: Would you say the communication tool you use has impacted results and engagement within your team?
Cherie: Oh my goodness – absolutely! With a business like ours, we’re constantly introducing new products, new suppliers… You send your Yap to anyone and everyone’s got it. The fact that everyone in the company has it as well… I know that I can send that one message and everyone’s gonna receive it. You’re not having to worry about going to a different group chat… It’s all there. (...)
I like to run the incentives on there so we’ll put weekly updates about how my pub is doing and what beers we need to sell and there are little competitions we run… It gets everyone on board. Before you can start doing the promotions and driving your business forward, everyone needs to be on the same platform. (...)
Yapster: And so, in terms of your day-to-day duties, do Yapster’s features help you perform certain tasks? How does the platform make work easier for you?
Cherie: Yeah, definitely. For example, we’ve just recently launched a new maintenance platform that we’re all using and all of the training given to us by our CEO is done on Yapster. So there’s a group chat – a group Yap, as it were – with constant updates… I find myself messaging on the management chats there, and saying: ‘Can anyone help me out? I’m trying to find so and so’. And they’ll ping back and say ‘Yeah, here it is…’ We check it constantly. You never know who might need help – and you might need help…
Yapster: Prior to using Yapster, have you ever had any concerns regarding secure communication at work such as GDPR, the protection your personal data, or the protection of your company’s data?
Cherie: Yeah, absolutely. Since GDPR laws changed, people could access anything from you. I mean, I’m a firm believer in keeping my personal and professional lives separate. So I won’t have any of my team members on my social media… But with WhatsApp, they’re seeing a photo of you that’s not necessarily the most professional one… They’re seeing statuses, they can search your information on different portals… You know, data is constantly being leaked, it’s being sold to companies… So it’s nice to have a secure place to work in. (...)
Yapster: Would you say that starting using Yapster has affected your work-life balance in any way? Have you noticed a difference?
Cherie: Yeah, (...) you’re constantly checking your WhatsApp, your personal messages… But having that solely through Yapster, you’re not working on your day off. I mean, you can silence Yapster on your days off, which is great, so you know that you can put your little timer so you don’t get any notifications… When you come back, that’s when you can start work again.
(...) With a platform like Yapster you can just leave that for the next day. And because everyone’s on it as well, you know that if someone does need you, or does need something from you, they’ve got the accessibility to everyone. They’ve got the answers there so they’re not solely relying on you.
Yapster: I feel like one of the drawbacks of WhatsApp as well is the fact that a lot of bullying and harassment can happen on these platforms because it’s not monitored by anyone. Have you ever witnessed a situation where someone received inappropriate messages at work before you started using Yapster?
Cherie: Not since I’ve been with Brewhouse & Kitchen but in a previous role… It was a separate group chat for a front-of-house team and I remember one of my team members at the time coming to me saying that she had felt a little bullied, I suppose, within this chat. And like you said, it’s not monitored. The members of management weren’t in there. And it made this person feel very uncomfortable coming to work… which I’m completely and utterly against.
It’s a safe environment and that’s the kind of environment I like to create for my team. But because it’s a platform that’s not regulated, it’s not in your contract… there’s only so much you can do. Whereas having a monitored platform like Yapster, you know that things are recorded professionally. It gives you the grounds to take things further if you need to.
Yapster: Would you say that a communication platform can truly make a difference when it comes to employee engagement and satisfaction?
Cherie: Having a communication platform like this is key. It makes everyone feel involved. Everyone’s opinion is valid. Everyone can get behind things… You know, it’s inspirational – it really is. I think if I was ever to further my career, even away from Brewhouse & Kitchen, I would be bringing Yapster with me. It’s an amazing tool to have as a company.
Yapster: At Yapster, we’re passionate about Social Leadership. What are the tools you use through Yapster to make your voice heard or allow your teammates to share with their teammates? Do you send out videos? How do you communicate, in practice?
Cherie: We post weekly updates for them. But I like posting videos for the team so if we’re introducing a new cocktail (...), I’d share a video of one of my bartenders making it and send it out to everyone… And then, everyone comments: ‘Well done, I love that!’ They show their enthusiasm, they get behind it! They wanna do it as well.
(...) I use it for rewarding my team, so when we get a really good review I’ll get a little snapshot of it, post it up, and then everyone can get that recognition… Any positive events we’ve got coming up, any positivity… is always on Yapster to share with the team (...) to show them that, you know, we care about them as well as their management team. That’s what I use it for… or just promote my team – and the pub! (laughs)
If you’d like to learn more about secure communication at work and take the first step to monitor conversations between teammates, here’s a guide to our permissions features. Let’s start Yapping!