Introduction
The separation between the various parts of the business had filtered through to the Employee Value Proposition (EVP), and this is something Marketing and Social Procurement Manager Lisa Cole wanted to change when she came into the role. She says:
"It became evident that there wasn’t one platform or way of communicating with our teams across the five different divisions, or acknowledging, rewarding and celebrating them. It had been done at a divisional level rather than from a group level. My intention is to create a dynamic group culture where we can all communicate, reward and recognise each other."
Communication was also complicated by the makeup of the workforce within each division — teams are dispersed in different states and also work in different environments.
"We are obviously able to use MS Teams and things like that, but we also have a very large on-field workforce. They’re not in front of a computer. They’re not in an office type environment. So that was another thing — how do we connect not just our office staff but our employees out in the field?"
Appreciation and insight across divisions
Lisa saw Perkbox as the solution. The platform is available both on desktop and via a global mobile app, which makes it ideal for a dispersed workforce.
In less than three months since launching, ecoDynamics Group has seen an 88% activation rate, and Lisa’s mission to harmonise recognition has been helped in particular by Celebration hub. It allows employees to recognise each other in an instant and engaging way, no matter where they’re based. It’s also enabled people in different parts of the business to gain visibility of what others are doing. Lisa explains:
"I think Celebration hub is fantastic. [It’s] been utilised really well across the board — not just by managers but also people who are in supervisory roles and all the way down.
It’s also been nice to actually have transparency and insight into what other people are doing in their division. Before it was just always locked within a division. And even from a corporate services perspective — where I sit — it’s just fantastic to be a part of one platform and be able to have a lot of different voices on it."
In a short space of time, ecoDynamics Group has developed a culture of appreciation and recognition across all levels of the business, with over 70 recognitions sent in the opening three months. It’s something that even the Managing Director gets involved with, and Lisa has seen a genuine uplift in morale.
"It’s kind of taken off and people are enjoying it and instigating it on their own. They love tagging their team members and it does make you feel good. That warm feeling of ‘I am appreciated’ is so special."
Integrating company communication
Lisa says part of the strategic focus for ecoDynamics Group is around “getting people out of silos and being more group focused” and Perkbox has a key role to play in this. This is primarily through recognition, but also by using the platform and Culture hub as a “semi-intranet”.
"We’ve been able to put the latest news and updates on Sharepoint and integrate it with Perkbox. For example I do an employee spotlight once a week. And that’s been really good because part of pulling down some of the divisional silos is actually getting to know other people."
Simpler rewarding and empowered employees
While communication and celebration have been simplified, Lisa was also keen to do the same with company rewards, saying:
"Previously, it’s just been up to divisional managers to reward their teams as they see fit. Sometimes it’s cash in hand. Sometimes it’s going and getting a little voucher. It’s been up to them to source all of that. At group level we haven’t had the insight of ‘are they even doing the same amount?’ There’s been a lack of control and transparency."
Perkbox’s Reward tool — a world first — has made this process more streamlined and transparent. Lisa and her team can allocate Reward points either directly to individuals, or to managers to distribute. Employees can then spend these points on our vast catalogue of rewards — choosing their own reward means they always get something they will genuinely value. Ultimately, the control Lisa was looking for applies to both employer and employees.
"That’s what was very enticing for us. Often, you give a gift voucher and it’s a very generic one so you can cover all bases. But some of the managers were saying: how often do you get a voucher and it sits in your drawer, and you don’t use it, or you hand it on at Christmas time to someone else? So you’re not actually getting the benefit of it yourself.
I think Global Reward was a really attractive offer because it gave us the choice to not choose for them. When you look at what’s available on the marketplace you can see there’s something for everyone which is fantastic."
Kicking on
Lisa is clear that Perkbox is a great avenue to help the business with its strategic goals and culture. She also recognises the value it brings to employees from all walks of life, and will continue to put it at the heart of her engagement efforts.
"Going forward I feel like this is definitely something that's going to be an attractive proposition as it’s valuable to all employees, not just to some."
