Groupon Employee Spotlight:
Jodie Forde

Meet Jodie from our Comms team, based in the UK! 🇬🇧 Since joining in 2016, she’s been the driving force behind internal comms, leading with warmth and creativity 🌟 Jodie’s also the proud chair of Wellness @ Groupon 💚, where she champions well-being and team spirit. Discover her inspiring journey, filled with passion, adaptability, and a bit of fun along the way! ✨   

"Jodie's energy and passion for our internal comms and people programmes is unwavering! Her ability to juggle large scale projects, while never missing a deadline and delivering with what seems to be a never ending energy is an inspiration for us all. Anyone who has had the pleasure of working with Jodie knows that she always delivers, is a true team player and a vital part of our global communications function." , Emma Coleman, VP, Communications, Engagement and Inclusion.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your role at Groupon.

Hi, I’m Jodie 👋🏼 I’m based in the UK and have been with Groupon since 2016. I lead internal communications and engagement within a small but mighty team - Comms! I am also the chair of our Wellness @ Groupon ERG - proud moment 💚

How did you get started in your career, and what brought you to Groupon?

I began working at 15 in the travel and hospitality industry for two well-known UK brands. Over the course of the next 10 years, I took on various roles across different UK locations with both companies. Eventually, I began managing venues and also helped improve standards and customer satisfaction at other sites in my region, before moving to a head office position in the customer service team. This increased my passion for problem-solving and led to a new role in Internal Communications to focus on aligning leadership strategies with frontline teams. My role sat within the Commercial department, so along the way, I developed additional skills in CRM, web design, marketing, social, and sales operations. In 2016, a recruiter from Groupon reached out and offered me an exciting opportunity to support the Internal Communication efforts for the UK and IE. The company sounded exciting - a thriving business that was embarking on a journey to streamline its processes at a regional level, with a strong employee culture (something which was really important to me - we spend 70% of our lives at work after all). So I took the plunge, joined Groupon, and have honestly never looked back. I continue to learn, grow, and develop my skill set every day with people who inspire me to keep trying harder, and have fun while doing it! 

In your opinion, what are the key elements necessary for individuals and teams to excel and achieve high performance in a dynamic environment like Groupon?

Resilience, adaptability, and an open-minded approach. We’re trying to transform our business - it’s a journey and a very bumpy one at times! Resilience helps us quickly recover and learn from any setbacks we experience, adaptability allows us to pivot as priorities and business needs shift, and remaining open-minded helps foster collaboration and innovation in our teams. We need to welcome fresh ideas and diverse perspectives to solve problems creatively to help us work smarter, not harder!

How do you balance the pursuit of high performance with maintaining a healthy work-life balance?

I’m really passionate about my job so I have to work hard to find the right balance and not let it ‘come home’ with me at the end of each day. Whether it’s a long beach walk with my pup (Maggie 🐕), listening to podcasts or dinner with friends and family, I try to have something planned for after work that physically disrupts my thoughts and forces a change in what occupies my mind during downtime. I also like to prebook slots of leave throughout the year to have something to look forward to and help me recharge frequently. For me, high performance doesn’t mean constant hustle, it’s about working smart, knowing when to step back, and always making time to reset - we’re no good to ourselves, our teams or our loved ones when we’re burned out!

Can you describe a time when you faced a significant challenge or setback in achieving your goals, and how you overcame it to deliver successful outcomes? 

One moment that stands out is the 2021 Presidents Club Programme. Just four weeks before the winner's trip, the pandemic threw us a major curve ball forcing its cancellation, resulting in potential financial losses and disappointment for both our team and trip partners. Ultimately, we identified a solution that reduced the financial impact to all involved and still enabled us to recognise and reward our winners, but it took a full team effort across Finance, Sales and HR, to find a viable solution for everyone involved. This experience highlighted just how powerful cross-team collaboration can be - it truly is the most underutilised resource in our toolkits!

As Groupon undergoes transformational changes, how do you adapt your approach to ensure continued success and contribute to the company's growth objectives? 

It has felt unnatural, incredibly challenging and even scary sometimes, but I’ve learned that by embracing the change I can unlock further opportunities. I try to focus on tackling one day and one problem at a time. Dwelling on yesterday won’t help you move forward, and you can’t fix a leaky bucket by plugging all the holes at once! 😅 Instead, I take a step back, evaluate the potential impacts of each task/solution, and prioritise the one that delivers the biggest result with the least disruption. Additionally, asking for help when I’m unsure and speaking up when I believe there’s a more efficient way to achieve the same result has helped me feel more in control of the way I can personally help contribute to our new way of working and future success. 

How do you inspire and motivate your colleagues to embrace a mindset of continuous improvement and excellence in their work?

Personally I thrive on dissecting tasks to see if there's better ways to achieve the end result and truly believe in inspiring by example, so I proactively share my own achievements or learnings in the hope I can help others do the same. 

If you could swap lives with any fictional character for a day, who would you choose and why?

Hermione Granger - to be a bad a** witch of course! 😝 

What's the most adventurous thing you've ever done, and would you do it again? 

I worked as a Funstar/Red Coat - it was utter chaos but tons of fun. I would never say never but for now, my ‘entertaining skills’ are reserved for the London team who I crack out a little party dance for every now and then! 

If you could have a dinner party with any historical figure, dead or alive, who would you invite and what would you all talk about?

David Attenborough - I’d love to hear all about his life, the places he has been and the most intriguing people/animals he met along the way

If you could instantly master any skill or talent, what would it be and why?

The ability to speak all languages so I can communicate with everyone around the world and learn more about their cultures and lives directly.  

What's the most embarrassing song on your playlist that you secretly love?

No embarrassing songs, I literally love ALL music. Though, a particular tune that makes me happy and smile no matter what is Mr Brightside by The Killers. 

And finally, what was the last Groupon you bought?

The Sushi Co which is a relatively new merchant for the UK Sales team and came highly recommended. I went with my sister at the weekend - great food, atmosphere, redemption process and an absolute steal price wise (especially with the new team discount!)