How British Gas gave a voice to 28,000 employees
Making sure your voice is heard in a large company is no easy feat.
employees engaged
Through the engagement programme, British Gas gave a voice to their 28,000 employees.
increase in employees that felt heard
There was a 49% increase in people who agreed with the statement "I feel I have the opportunity each day to have my voice heard."
increase in Employee Promoter Score
British Gas saw a 26% increase in their Employee Promoter Score - a measure of how positive people feel about the business.
About British Gas
British Gas, established in 1812 as the Gas Light and Coke Company, is a leading energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. As a subsidiary of Centrica, it supplies gas and electricity to approximately ten million homes across the UK, making it the largest gas supplier in the country.
Challenge
A disconnected workforce
Prior to the formation of “One British Gas”, many of the business areas operated in a decentralised way. A lack of engaging internal communication had left employees confused and misaligned and engagement scores were flat-lining.
The leadership team was determined to engage their 28,000 employees so they understood where the business is going, felt proud to be part of it, and did their best to help it succeed.
Rather than use their traditional approach of executive roadshows across the country, the Executive team agreed to try a new approach that put the first line managers at the heart of the program. This new approach reduced the reliance on the most senior managers, and focused on developing the capability of middle managers who were to be up-skilled to take messages, understand audiences and communicate in an engaging way.
MindGym’s psychologists worked with British Gas to craft a compelling narrative and devised a program to help communicate this in a way that got people excited about the future at British Gas.
Almost every British Gas employee...from the service manager or engineer to call centre worker or solar panel sales executive, seems just as enthusiastic and proud. It feels more like a start-up than a former state monopoly that was once a byword for poor customer service.
Solution
How British Gas activated its people
- Appreciative inquiry focus groups to find pockets of greatness where the future of British Gas was already being lived today
- Influencer campaign that included identifying 250 influencers from across the business, running 2-day influencer camps and rehearsals for the managers’ festivals
- A stakeholder campaign with Top 100 events to equip senior stakeholders to lead local engagement and HR and IC BPs brought in to shape the local rollout
- “Make a difference” events, run by Influencers in groups of 300 in Birmingham and Glasgow.
- Rollout by the 3,000 managers and 250 influencers to 24,000 on front line.
Results
A 49% leap in employee voice
The extent to which people agreed with the statement “I feel I have the opportunity each day to have my voice heard” increased by 49% from pre-event to post-event.
British Gas also saw a 26% increase in the Employee Promoter Score (a measure of how positive people feel about the business).
Awards
A gold standard programme
This programme scooped the LPI gold award for External Training Project of the Year.
