E.On boosts staff engagement via recognition

E.On has improved its employee engagement and motivation scores by up to eight percentage points as a result of its recognition scheme.

Before implementing its Buzz recognition programme, provided by P&MM, in 2013, the energy organisation recorded a staff motivation score of 61%. This has now increased to 69%.

In addition, the number of employees feeling valued and recognised by the organisation has also increased from 39% before the scheme was introduced to 52% in its second year.

It has also helped boost employee understanding of its business vision, which has increased to 75% up from 57%.

Through the scheme, employees can access a dedicated websire to send a ‘buzz’, a thank-you note to an individual or several members of the same team, in recognition of any action they believe has been genuinely helpful to other employees or customers.

Recognition arrives in the form of a personalised e-card or printed card.

Managers can also use the scheme to recognise employees.

Since the launch of the scheme in 2013, more than 76%, approximately 49,000 employees, have received a thank you card from peers of managers, while 53% of employees have requested a thank you note for a peer.

In 2014 alone, 87,424 thank-you notes were sent. These comprised 47, 365 individual e-cards, 23,488 team e-cards, 2,348 Christmas e-cards and 14,223 ad-hoc messages of thanks.

The scheme has also helped the organisation to break down barriers between senior managers and employees, with every member of staff allowed to nominate any other person in the organisation for recognition.

All members of the E.On’s executive board also take part on a regular basis. To date, senior executives have personally ‘buzzed’ around a thousand members of staff.

The scheme is one of a number of engagement initiatives run by E.On, as part of its strategic drive to reinforce the organisation’s commitment to putting customers and employees at the heart of the business.

Deborah Spence, internal communications and engagement consultant at E.On, said: “Buzz gives us a really effective way to show our appreciation to [employees] and it also gives them a way to thank each other.

“It is making recognition a cost-effective, daily occurrence with a high level of employee engagement, involvement and credibility.

“Buzz has created an informal culture of recognition in which the focus is applauding examples of good practice or customer service valued by all the people who matter, our employees and customers, and not only the most senior managers.

“It encourages our [staff] to continue going the extra mile to give our customers the service and support expected from E.On. The programme also supports our values as a business.

“We established very clear objectives and aligned every aspect of our programme to our company values.

”We also ensure that the senior leadership team and line managers foster a culture of appreciation, by using the programme to identify and applaud everyday actions, the little things that make a real difference to [employees] and customers.

“Because they have regular proof that the bosses value the little things, employees are comfortable nominating colleagues for the kind of small but special actions they might not have thought merited recognition.”