Innovating to Engage MetLife’s Employees with its Roadmap Strategy
Innovating to Engage a Multi-Cultural Regional Employee Base
Subcategory: Employee Engagement
Overview
MetLife needed to engage 5,000 employees with its first regional strategy across 30 countries in its newly-formed EMEA region.
The objective was to actively engage employees by bringing the strategy to life; helping each employee understand their role in its successful delivery.
Diversity of language, geography, product and distribution as well as the financial complexities of insurance added to the challenge.
In addition, many of MetLife’s country leaders had little or no experience delivering strategic communications.
The simple but highly-effective tools outlined above saw unprecedented employee engagement rates which increased from the first to second round of communication.
Impact
Employees across 30 Metlife markets are now actively engaged in delivering the new EMEA region’s ambitious Roadmap to 2016 strategy. Each employee has a clear understanding of the regional and local strategy and their individual role in helping delivery it and add value. More than 3,100 (63%) of employees responded to a
internal surveys showing employee understanding of the strategy and clarity of communications at 96%, while 93% are confident it will be delivered. Verbatim comments are equally compelling showing high levels of engagement and support.
Innovation
Metlife brought its strategy to life on an individual basis using creative tools and its leadership. A video combining focused leadership comment with animation – including an acronym buster – made the strategy simple and accessible.
Further innovation included development of a powerful one-page colourful image – the “Visioneer” – which drove discussion in team meetings. To increase engagement it was converted into a puzzle, mouse mats and screensaver.
MetLife also invested in training to help team leaders deliver powerful narrative stories to small groups.
The innovation enabled easy and effective engagement with employees in a fun and memorable way.[/one_half_last]
Insight
Employee feedback at every stage is a central part of the engagement programme. This allows MetLife to adjust each stage of the campaign including simplifying supporting slides and increasing use of imagery – changes made in response to the first round of feedback.
Feedback from a second round will see MetLife capture and share stories about delivery and best practice.
With hindsight we would have simplified the process from the start rather than try to pack in too much detail. Less really is more in this case.
Inspiration
My simple inspiration is that a picture is really worth 1,000 words. The creation of our Visioneer has captured employee imagination across the region, breaking down barriers of language, culture and complexity to deliver unprecedented levels of employee engagement.
By enabling our leaders to use the Visioneer and “just add water” to help tell their local, personal stories, the strategy has been explained in a more engaging, fun and human manner.[/one_half_last]
Speaker
Jonathan Bunn, Communications Director EMEA, MetLife
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