Employee Engagement through Creativity
Overview
UKTV used creative methods to communicate our core values and business messages to employees. Methods included our all-staff weekly meetings (TMM – Tuesday Morning Meeting), furniture, newsletter (245), monthly staff award scheme and annual staff away day.
Impact
• Over 90 nominations for Living the Behaviours Awards.
• “Being nominated made me feel very appreciated, especially hearing kind words from people outside my team” Mike Kennedy, Multi-platform Manager
• Increased awareness of the Behaviours, our core values.
• Increased motivation amongst staff and increased productivity – UKTV was the fastest growing multichannel network last year, breaking all records in terms of growth, ratings and revenue in the company’s history. Best Companies survey results show an increase in staff who are excited about where this company is going from 51% in Sept 2011 to 89% in Sept 2012.
Innovation
• Behaviours incorporated into a roundel and displayed in innovative ways in channel-branded meeting rooms: branded into a log in the Eden room, in a gilt edge frame in the Dave room, sewn into a cushion in our Home room and on a record in our Yesterday room.
• Monthly awards launched: “Living the Behaviours”. Employees nominate their colleagues when they have seen them living the UKTV Behaviours.
• Weekly staff meetings with creative external speakers.
• 245 (newsletter) initially distributed as 4 page e-newsletter. Now an 8 page e-newsletter and printed magazine.
• Annual staff away day to focus on common goals and strategies[/one_half_last]
Insight
• Weekly staff meetings (TMM) had been running for a while but to tie in with our ‘imaginative challenger’ brand message – our new brand ethos that represents UKTV’s internal and external culture and purpose – we decided to rejuvenate these.
• Now hosted by various departments who invite external speakers to inspire the company. Speakers include Twitter and Paddy Power.
• TMMs are now better aligned with our core values.
• In addition to changing TMM, we’ve decided there’s a need for an annual awards event in line with our ‘imaginative challenger’ ethos and we want to implement this in late 2013
Inspiration
• Promoting a positive working culture has resulted in UKTV becoming the only broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies. Managers are aware of the focus on staff engagement and are set targets.
• Increased productivity amongst staff. Best Companies survey results show an increase in the number of staff who love working for UKTV from 54% in Sept 2011 to 84% in Sept 2012
“I have always been proud to work for UKTV. The great new projects and schemes we have across the company makes it an even more exciting place to work that my friends are very envious about”![/one_half_last]
Speakers
Jessica Heudebourck
Internal Communications Executive, UKTV
Jessica joined UKTV in 2008 and has broad media industry experience in production, commissioning and communications. After gaining a qualification in newspaper journalism, Jessica’s broadcasting career began when she joined the BBC in 2004 and worked on productions including The Culture Show and in the radio newsroom. Her knowledge of broadcasting and her training in journalism naturally led to her taking on the role of Internal Communications Executive at UKTV in December 2011. Jessica devises communication strategies to engage staff in innovative and creative ways which is critical to UKTV’s ongoing success.
Kerry Parker
Senior Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV
Kerry joined multi-award winning media company UKTV in April 2012 and is responsible for corporate and internal communications. Her 13 year career in PR started at the BBC where she worked in a number of different publicity departments during her five year tenure, providing both corporate and programme PR support. She then spent two years in New Zealand working in consumer product PR for Australasian agency Professional Public Relations, before returning to the UK and the media industry at Franklin Rae Communications. Immediately prior to joining UKTV, Kerry spent four years at award winning agency Premier PR where she was responsible for a number of high profile media clients and television campaigns, including launching Matt Smith in Doctor Who.