British Red Cross Workforce Engagement Strategy

The brief:

Develop an Internal Communications strategy to engage the British Red Cross’ diverse and complex workforce of 4,300 employees and 19,600 volunteers.

Our Approach:

After interviewing and surveying 850 British Red Cross employees and volunteers we identified what the barriers to engagement were and developed a three pillar strategy to tackle these: Connect, Collaborate and Care. Under these, we used behavioural insight to segment the workforce and target communications, introduced new face to face-to-face engagement techniques and provided training and resources to senior leaders to help them engage their teams.

The Results: 

We significantly increased staff engagement at the British Red Cross: a year into the new strategy, and engagement rates are at an all-time high (81% employees and 86% volunteers). But the strategy has not just delivered employee engagement, it has driven organisational success too. In 2019 a record 1,800 employees and volunteers signed up to shake tins for Red Cross Week. They raised £163,000 through their tins alone (up 43% on 2019), contributing to a 19% increase in the total raised (£598,000) and showing why it (literally) pays to wholeheartedly engage your staff.