First Great Western
Employee Engagement Research
Opportunity
This leading train-operating company saw an opportunity to improve business performance and profitability by increasing engagement amongst its staff.
Approach
For the last three years MSB has conducted employee engagement research within First Great Western.
To achieve this, we hold focus groups with staff across the network, from head office and admin staff to cleaners and engineers. The discussion guide for these groups is agreed with HR and senior management in advance to ensure that the focus groups explore issues that both management and staff wish to raise.
Following the research, we prepare timely and in-depth reports on the feedback received from staff. The names of focus group participants are kept confidential, but our reports include direct quotations from staff in order to provide clear, honest feedback about what they believe is done well, and what they feel needs to be improved.
Once the reports are written, our experienced consultants meet with local management to discuss the findings and how to respond to them. Our recommendations cover management style, training, communication and customer service.
Impact
MSB’s research and recommendations have transformed levels of employee engagement within the business. Local managers’ action plans have improved, managers have become more engaged with and responsive to the research, and positive feedback has been received from all levels of the organisation, from staff who participate in the focus groups to the company’s executive team.