Avomind x Techspace Berlin: Employee Engagement & Motivation in Uncertain Times
- Avomind
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Employee engagement has become one of the defining challenges for modern organizations. Economic volatility, rapid organizational change, evolving employee expectations, and increasing pressure on leaders have fundamentally reshaped how People teams think about motivation, performance, and retention.
Against this backdrop, Avomind partnered with Techspace Berlin for the 4th edition of the Techspace Berlin People Meetup - a curated, by-approval-only gathering designed specifically for senior People leaders navigating these complexities firsthand.
Rather than focusing on surface-level trends, the event created space for deeper reflection on what truly drives engagement across the entire employee lifecycle, especially during periods of uncertainty.
The Changing Nature of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is no longer driven by perks, office design, or short-term incentives alone. Today’s workforce is asking more fundamental questions:
Do I feel supported by my manager?
Is my work meaningful and aligned with my values?
Can I grow here—even when the company is under pressure?
Does leadership communicate clearly and honestly during uncertainty?
For People leaders, this shift has profound implications. Engagement must be intentionally designed into leadership behaviors, organizational culture, and everyday moments that shape the employee experience—from onboarding and development to change management and offboarding.
This was a central theme throughout the Avomind x Techspace Berlin meetup: engagement is not a single initiative, but a system that lives and evolves across the employee lifecycle.
Engagement Across the Employee Lifecycle
One of the most insightful discussions of the day focused on how motivation fluctuates at different stages of an employee’s journey—and how People teams can proactively respond.
Early Stages: Onboarding & First-Time Leadership Experiences
In uncertain environments, new hires and first-time managers are especially vulnerable to disengagement. Clear expectations, psychological safety, and early leadership support were highlighted as critical factors in helping employees build confidence and connection quickly.
Growth & Performance Phases
As organizations scale or restructure, high performers often face increased workload and ambiguity. Without strong leadership capability, this can quickly lead to burnout. People leaders discussed the importance of equipping managers with coaching skills that help employees stay motivated while navigating competing priorities.
Moments of Change & Uncertainty
Periods of transformation - whether driven by market shifts, funding cycles, or internal change - are where engagement is most fragile. Transparent communication, emotionally intelligent leadership, and consistent manager support were repeatedly emphasized as decisive in maintaining trust and commitment.
The Role of Leadership in Sustaining Motivation
A recurring insight from the meetup was clear: managers and leaders are the single biggest lever of employee engagement.
The speaker lineup brought together diverse People leadership perspectives:
Olena Didenko-Weber, Head of Operations at Avomind, shared practical observations from working closely with leaders across fast-growing and transforming organizations.
Kim Stringer, People Director at Techspace, reflected on building people-first environments while balancing business realities.
Yasmin Ahmed, VP People at simpleclub, offered insights into scaling engagement in dynamic, high-growth contexts.
Across all perspectives, one message resonated strongly: engagement is built (or broken) in everyday leadership interactions - through feedback, decision-making, empathy, and the ability to lead with clarity during uncertainty.
Why Senior People Leaders Need Curated Spaces
The by-approval-only format of the Techspace Berlin People Meetup was intentional. Senior People leaders face a unique set of challenges: balancing strategic responsibility with human impact, supporting leadership teams, and making decisions that affect entire organizations.
Curated spaces like this meetup allow for:
Honest peer exchange without surface-level answers
Discussion of real-world challenges, not idealized frameworks
Shared learning across industries and company stages
For Avomind, sponsoring and contributing to this event aligned naturally with our belief that strong People strategies are built through reflection, dialogue, and leadership development - not one-size-fits-all solutions.
What This Means for the Industry
As uncertainty becomes a constant rather than an exception, organizations that invest in leadership capability and employee engagement across the lifecycle will be better positioned to adapt, retain talent, and sustain performance.
The key takeaway from the Avomind x Techspace Berlin People Meetup was not a single tactic - but a mindset shift:
Employee engagement is a long-term leadership practice, deeply embedded in how organizations support people through growth, change, and challenge.
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