Connecting with employees, seeing how their values align with the business’s values, and leveraging that connection is where success happens in the best workplaces. I’ve seen firsthand how engaging teams can seriously boost business. In the end, when your business cares about its people, your people care about the business. But how exactly do you do this and what does it look like in practice? 

It starts with values

Our values drive everyday actions, from sharing and caring to embracing accountability and connecting ideas; but you need to ensure your values are more than just words. They need to be daily practices that benefit the community, empower our team, and drive success.  

By fostering open communication channels from top to bottom, across all departments, we’ve built a culture that reflects and values the unique experiences and passions of our team members, resulting in a vibrant and dynamic work environment.  

Lift up diverse views

With our operations spanning the entire energy spectrum, catering to the needs of customers around the country, understanding the value of diverse perspectives is critical. To do this, we actively engage with our people, gathering and seeking out insights via site visits, chatting with our teams and conducting in-house training. 

Let me show you how we’ve made it happen at Origin, with examples to fuel your own ideas. I believe this isn’t just ‘HR stuff’; all leaders play a part in shaping, gathering, refining, and living a culture.

One team, One Origin approach reflected in bonus structure

Our short-term bonus plan connects employees to the business’ goals and achievements. Nearly every permanent employee takes part. With targets set Origin-wide and division-focused, the bonus scheme is a ‘one Origin’ approach to sharing in business success. The yearly bonus can also be flexible to business unit needs with an equivalent set with targets and paid quarterly to sales staff.  

Advocacy through being customer champions

Encouraging our employees to engage with our products and services is important. That’s why we offer discounts for our employees, their friends, and family. Additionally, we want our employees to be empowered to represent our organisation at social gatherings, like family barbecues, So we have our ECHO program, an acronym for ‘Everyone Can Help Out’ is a platform for escalating queries or sales leads from friends and family, allowing employees to be helpful and impactful beyond the workplace. 

Helping our employees make the switch to EVs

As part of our ambition to lead the energy transition, we’re helping to make it easier for our customers and our employees to adopt Electric Vehicles (EV). This started with targets to electrify our own fleet, and grew into the launch of an EV Subscription plan where our employees can salary package an EV. 

Offering employees flexibility, without long-term commitments, allows them to trial different EVs on a monthly basis (and purchase outright after three years). 

Caring about our impact

Caring for our customers, communities, and the planet is fundamental, with our employees playing a pivotal role. We offer valuable support and security for our employees, even in unexpected circumstances. Additionally, our generous leave options, such as parental, cultural, and special leave, along with enhanced access to Employee Assistance Programs and peer support programs, help ensure our team’s well-being and resilience.

Community support and volunteering

The Origin Energy Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Origin. It’s focus, chosen by Origin employees, is to support programs that use education to help break the cycle of disadvantage and empower young people in Australia to reach their potential.  

The Foundation provides opportunities for employees to volunteer their time and skills to support students and the community, whether it’s offering expert assistance to non-profit organisations or leading STEM programs at schools.  

Volunteering can also help drive engagement, connection amongst teams and provide a learning opportunity for our people to develop new skills and become exposed to new ways of thinking and perspectives.  

We encourage our employees to support the Foundation and its partners by offering unlimited volunteer leave, making it easier to give time during business hours.  

In FY24 alone our people volunteered more than 8,700 hours, reaching 7,637 students and cooking or packing 27,304 meals for people in need around the country.  We also match employee donations to any registered Australian charity they choose through our Give2 program. Last financial year employees gave $372,231 to 260 charitable organisations, with all eligible donations matched by the Foundation.

Always striving to find a better way

One of our core values is to improve today and innovate for the future. A great example of this is how we’ve pivoted the way we communicate internally, adopting more ‘real time’ platforms like Slack to help crowd-source ideas and resolve customer issues more quickly.  

Our leaders also use a monthly engagement survey to understand how our employees are feeling and address their needs effectively. Our LinkedIn Learning subscription empowers employees to choose their learning paths individually or in teams. 

Taking ownership of our decisions and actions

A staple at Origin for over a decade is our Employee Share Plan. Fostering ownership and shared accountability through investment in the company, the plan helps drive an active interest in getting energy right for our customers, communities and planet – and providing a powerful benefit for our people as well. Knowing who you are as an organisation helps you manage expectations and boundaries when it comes to what you will offer. Listening to what people are asking for helps you know your values better and embed them in your decision-making.  

Know your people.  
Know yourself.  
Make everyone’s lives easier.  
And the change will feel natural.  

The post How workplace culture can lift employee engagement appeared first on The Origin Blog.

When the Origin Energy Foundation started working with Australian charity SolarBuddy, the vision was simple: to help illuminate the lives of children living in energy poverty. Since 2018, Origin volunteers have run SolarBuddy Lights for Learning JuniorBuddy education sessions at schools around Australia, assembling solar lights with students. The result is the donation of more than 8,000 solar lights to help children living in energy poverty study after dark.  

Energy poverty is a global issue with relatively low awareness. Currently, 789 million people in the world are estimated to live in energy poverty or without reliable access to electricity. Even in Australia, there are around 500,000 people living in remote communities without safe or reliable access to electricity.  

This issue primarily effects remote Indigenous communities, where at night streets may be completely dark and homes can go without power for days at a time. 

Research has shown that with SolarBuddy lights, children are studying up to 78 per cent longer and reliance on kerosene and other dangerous lighting fuels has fallen by 80 per cent. Since these fuels are one of the largest expenditures for many households, families are also able to reallocate income towards food, healthcare, education and other necessities. 

In 2021, the Origin Energy Foundation became the founding partner in SolarBuddy’s Illuminating Communities initiative. The program focuses on creating opportunities for young people and providing solar power to communities impacted by energy poverty.  

For some people on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait, the lack of lighting means when the sun goes down there are limited options for study and extra-curricular activities.  

Working with SolarBuddy, the Origin Energy Foundation funded the installation of SMART solar-powered LED lights at the Tagai State Secondary College’s multi-purpose activity centre on Thursday Island, where young people can safely come together at night for arts, sporting and cultural events. 

Suberia Bowie, Principal at the Torres Strait’s only high school, said, “Our new solar lighting for our multi-purpose centre means everything for our kids. It means creating the opportunity for them to participate in after school and cultural activities, activities outside of school and on the weekend, performing arts and other events. It really means a lot.” 

Supported by Origin volunteers, the students at Tagai State also participated in SolarBuddy’s Make 2, Keep 1, Gift 1 program, where students make two SolarBuddy lights, keep one, and gift one to another student living in energy poverty in nearby Papua New Guinea.  

Origin Energy Foundation’s Ruth Lee said, “Through this program we are tying together our focus on education with an innovative renewable energy solution, which is a win-win for the community. We could not be prouder to be involved in this program.”  

SolarBuddy General Manager, Billie Murphy said, “Our vision at SolarBuddy is to illuminate the futures of all children and a key way is through education. Our program has empowered and inspired more than 130,000 students globally and we are thrilled to be able to expand this program to more students who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in hands-on STEM learning like this.” 

The post Solar lights up Torres Strait community  appeared first on The Origin Blog.

According to new research from the Origin Energy Foundation, nearly 80% of parents were concerned about their children’s education progress as a result of the past 18 months.

Samantha Stevens, Origin Energy Foundation said, “The pandemic has really brought education concerns to the fore and compounded the existing education issues in this country, but parents aren’t sure what to do about it.

“In addition to the interruptions caused by lockdowns and home schooling, underlying issues – like inequality of education for First Nations students and for kids in some regional and rural locations – have been worsened by the pandemic. ”

“65% of Australians believe that students would have a lot of catching up to do on their education as a result of the pandemic and that they will need greater emotional and psychological support in the years to come,” Ms Stevens said.

“Interestingly when it comes to taking action, more than a quarter of parents had done nothing, or did not plan on doing anything about their concerns. ”

According to the Origin Energy Foundation’s Good Education Report, parents of school-aged children had noted changes to their children’s engagement and behaviour and wellbeing.

“As we embark on the third year of the pandemic, parents are wary of a potential return to remote learning, particularly those in Victoria and NSW,” Ms Stevens added.

While 61% of Australians felt that online learning had an important role to play in the education system going forward, many Australians believed that online learning could increase barriers to education for students without access to technology (72%) and that the quality of online education can never match that of in-person education (65%).

In addition, 58% of parents agreed that their children were less engaged with school when it was taught online and 46% agreed that they noticed a decline in their children’s social skills. Some parents also noted a decline in their children’s academic performance (37%).

As a result of their concerns, the top actions that parents said they had done or would do were to arrange more extra-curricular activities for their children (34%) and speak to a teacher (29%).

While in general, Australians are highly in favour of tutoring, with 83% agreeing it is important for students who are struggling with their subjects, almost two thirds of parents said they had never used a tutor or were unsure if they had, and only 10% were currently using one.

“Tutoring is a great way to bridge the gap caused by pandemic-induced disruptions to education, but it can also address the latent under performance in the system highlighted by Australia’s performance in international league tables,” Ms Stevens said.

The Origin Energy Foundation recently funded The Smith Family’s Catch-up Learning program pilot which involved children participating in one-on-one tutoring online with a qualified teacher up to three times per week. After 20 weeks, 86% of students made above-expected progress in either literacy or numeracy. Two in five achieved above expected progress in both subjects. Six in ten students completed the program having attained literacy levels equivalent to or stronger than their year level peers.

“Some of the children in The Smith Family Catch-up Learning program were up to three years behind in maths. That was not a result of the pandemic; that was a pre-existing symptom. The disruptions caused by the pandemic are only making existing issues worse,” Ms Stevens added.

With the challenges of the past two years far from over, parents, however, are trying to remain optimistic for the year ahead.

The chance to socialise with other students was by far the biggest regret parents had for their children over pandemic restrictions (70%), and this was reflected by being one of the things parents were most excited about for their children in 2022 (48%), along with the ability to get their kids back into a routine (53%).

The Origin Energy Foundation, Origin’s philanthropic foundation, supports programs that use education as a pathway to a brighter future.

The post Good Education Report reveals parents concerns for kids returning to school appeared first on The Origin Blog.

As a Senior Health, Safety and Environment Business Partner with Origin’s LPG business, Mark Bernhardt knows what it takes to keep a community healthy and safe. 

As one of Origin’s most dedicated volunteers, Mark has clocked up over 50 mentoring sessions with the Beacon Foundation. Supported by the Origin Energy Foundation’s ‘Give Time’ program, Mark continues to make a significant difference providing young people in school the opportunity to connect, to learn about the world of work and potential career paths. 

Based in Minto, New South Wales, Mark is passionate about giving back to his community and has played his part in helping Beacon support more than 62,000 Australian students.  

Mark has mentored more than 250 students, across over 35 schools in five states over the last five years, and there’s more to come.  

Mark’s ever-growing armoury of tricks includes a favoured icebreaker featuring his rescue dogs Gypsy and Toby, who proved particularly helpful when Beacon brought their MyRoad mentoring program to young people home-schooling in 2020/21 due to COVID-19. Negotiating the challenge of delivering the program remotely with the care and sincerity he brings to every mentoring session, Gypsy and Toby helped put the students at ease from the start.  

“It’s a really good feeling to know that you are potentially making a difference to a kid that may otherwise not have the opportunity to speak to someone about a future career. It’s hard to put words around the value that brings,” Mark shared. “Even if they just take one thing away from the session which helps them to be more successful when they leave school, I feel like I have made a difference.” 

When asked about highlights of his role as a volunteer mentor, and what has inspired him to such an impressive mentoring milestone, Mark immediately suggests the post-session feedback from his students. After participating in a session with Mark, one student remarked, “The most important thing I learnt from my mentor was to persevere and to maintain hope and focus when entering the workforce or doing anything in life.” 

“I feel really lucky to be able to make a difference through the Origin Energy Foundation. While there are people I can help, I’ll keep volunteering, because I’ve seen that giving a little time out of my life, can make a big change in someone else’s.” said Mark.

The post Give a little, get a lot through volunteering appeared first on The Origin Blog.

To mark the end of a year that has forced us to rethink how we live, work and set ourselves up for the future, here’s a challenge for this Christmas.  

As the children unwrap their gifts on Christmas morning, do a quick audit: how many of the gifts serve a purpose; how many will teach them something? 

And how many of the gifts will encourage girls to become our future scientists, engineers and IT leaders?  

That’s a big question, but what better time to consider the drivers behind the choices young women will make in future years.  

Of course, the reason women and girls are turning away from science and maths are varied, but one is pertinent at this time of year: gender stereotyping. This includes the belief that maths and science are masculine subjects. We put up subtle barriers to female participation.  

Here’s an alarming fact: a growing number of Year 12 students, particularly girls, participate in no maths at all. 

In the early years, boys and girls have no pre-disposition against maths. In fact, they enjoy it and its increasing complexity, according to research by The Smith Family for their pre-schoolers Let’s Count program. 

It’s only later that young people turn away from maths, particularly girls. In doing so they are positioning themselves out of jobs of the future. 

Careers in science, IT and engineering grew at 1.5 times the rate of other jobs in recent years according to the ABS. There are now more workers in Australia who have STEM qualifications than ever before – 2.1 million in total. 

If you have daughters, consider that women make up only 27 percent of the STEM workforce in Australia, according to the CSIRO.

One in five senior researchers are women, only one in four IT graduates, and fewer than one in 10 engineering graduates are women.  

If women are excluded from our pool of scientists and engineers – responsible for solving the most pressing issues of our time – there are real and serious consequences.   

Here’s an example from the Australian Council of Educational Research who quoted work from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When airbags were first invented, they were thought to be a safety boon for the car industry – but designed by men, for men, they proved life threatening to women and children.  

This Christmas don’t buy your daughter a doll’s house and your son a remote-controlled car. Buy them both something that will whet their appetite for maths and sciences.

And here’s an idea for the older children:  mathematician Albert Einstein is reputed to have described compound interest as “the most powerful force in the universe.”  

So, give them a sum of money and teach them about compound interest. Teach them what the gift will be worth if invested when they want to buy their first computer, holiday, car, house, or start a business.  Prove that and understanding of maths has very real benefits in life. 

Sean Barrett is Head of the Origin Energy Foundation, the philanthropic focus of which is education and its positive impact on young lives. 

The post Gift with purpose this Christmas appeared first on The Origin Blog.

The program, introduced by Origin Energy Foundation partner SolarBuddy, focuses on increasing STEM education opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students living in regional, low-socioeconomic and off-grid areas across Australia. 

A hands-on experience

As part of the experience, students became global citizens as they learned about renewable energy, extreme energy poverty, and the role of Indigenous knowledge and science in finding solutions to global issues.

More than 300 Northern Peninsula Area State College students across three campuses took part in the program, assembling individual SolarBuddy solar lights. The solar lights will allow them to study and read after dusk with a reliable and safe source of light.

For every light assembled by the students, Origin Energy Foundation will donate a light to a child living in energy poverty in Papua New Guinea, accompanied by a letter written by their “solar buddy” in Bamaga.

Since SolarBuddy lights have been introduced in PNG, children are studying up to 78 per cent longer. Reliance on kerosene and other dangerous fuels for lighting has been reduced by 80 per cent.

Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into STEM education

SolarBuddy General Manager, Billie Murphy, says the new program is unique in its celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ ongoing contribution to STEM.

“We continue to learn so much from traditional Indigenous knowledge, skills and philosophies about land management, science, medicine and the sustainable management of the environment,” Ms Murphy said. “Incorporating Indigenous knowledge into our STEM education program was a priority to ensure the best program outcomes.”

SolarBuddy worked with Indigenous educators to develop the program which aims to support and inspire Indigenous students to engage with STEM. Incorporating Indigenous knowledge, along with the development of a culturally responsive curriculum and teaching approach, is in line with strategies to improve STEM education opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.

The Origin Energy Foundation is a long-term supporter of SolarBuddy’s Education Program and funded the launch of this latest adaptation at the Northern Peninsula Area State College. 

“Bringing together the STEM focus of the SolarBuddy program with Traditional Indigenous Knowledge is an inspiring way to engage these young students on their education journey and highlight the importance of Indigenous culture in STEM,” said Ruth Lee, Origin Energy Foundation’s volunteering-program manager.

“Our volunteers have taken the SolarBuddy program to more than 100 schools across Australia over the past two years,” Ms Lee said, “but this new Indigenous education program is something we’re particularly proud to support with its strong links to Indigenous knowledge and science.  

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the impact of STEM as these students become global citizens for the day, and discover how simple renewable-energy technologies can make a real difference to energy poverty.”

The post New Indigenous Education Program focused on STEM appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Fundraising events, fun runs, golf days, corporate volunteering events – cancelled.  But at the same time, demand for charities across the board – especially those dealing with domestic violence, mental health and food security – has skyrocketed. 

Against this backdrop, there’s a glimmer of hope. Some companies have not only held on, but have increased the capacity and opportunities for their staff to give back and support those in need. With COVID-19 lockdowns and remote working, depression, disengagement and loneliness are serious issues, so offering staff remote volunteering opportunities to stay positive and engaged benefits everyone. 

Recognition for workplaces that give back  

GoodCompany’s list of the Top 40 Best Workplaces to Give Back 2020 ranks companies on their commitment to empowering their employees to give back. Ways to give back include payroll giving, paid volunteer leave, matching donations, fundraising, sponsorship, staff rewards and other volunteering activities. 

This year, for the second year running, Origin Energy is proud to have been named Australia’s Best Workplace to Give Back, topping a field of more than 300 companies. Accenture was listed second followed by IAG in third place.  

Importance of volunteering and community support  

Volunteering and giving back through the Origin Energy Foundation is a big part of Origin’s culture and identity. This recognition coincides with the Origin Energy Foundation’s 10th anniversary.  

To achieve its number one ranking, Origin was recognised for being one of only five companies listed in the top 40 to offer its employees unlimited volunteer leave. The award also mentioned Origin’s community sponsorships including Netball Australia, Little Big Idea, Free Electrons, Injune Kindy and various other regional community grants.  

Origin’s commitment to reconciliation, diversity, green-energy targets and its social procurement policy were also highlighted as key factors in its number one ranking. 

COVID-19 has been immensely challenging for so many not-for-profits. But the Origin Energy Foundation has found socially distanced ways for Origin people to continue to volunteer, even while most people have been working remotely.

Despite the challenges of 2020, Origin has distributed $2.9 million in grants and matched workplace giving this year.  

The post Giving back when times get tough appeared first on The Origin Blog.

For Maxine, giving back to her community has always been a priority, “It is important for me to be able to combine my role at Origin with my work in the community – to maintain close ties with schools and have my work with landholders and community overlap in a meaningful way.”

Maxine was contacted by Injune Early Learning Centre after they could not find qualified teachers to support the declining number of students in their care. Injune is about 90 kilometres north of Roma and without a qualified teacher, the children of Injune would have no access to kindergarten or formal early learning to prepare for school.

“When Injune Early Learning Centre reached out to me, I wanted to find a way to contribute through the Origin Energy Foundation, which is primarily focused on changing lives through education. A child’s brain develops more in the first five years of their life than at any other time – I just couldn’t see a remote service as important as this face such a struggle.” Maxine said.

The Origin Energy Foundation’s skilled volunteering program encourages employees to go beyond traditional volunteering and donate their time and professional skills to help partners and the community.

As part of her working hours at Origin, Maxine develops and uploads a qualified and approved, tailored early learning program onto an online platform every two weeks. Maxine holds monthly teleconferences with the centre’s qualified childcare staff to help prepare resources and travels to Injune Early Learning Centre on a regular basis to oversee the program’s implementation, interact with the children and meet parents.  

“The Origin Energy Foundation has been extremely supportive of my work to help Injune Early Learning Centre and the children of Injune. We are supporting rural communities and this is a really tangible way to do it. No glitz and glamour, we’re delivering a formal education program to little Australians who otherwise wouldn’t have access. And we’re making sure it’s a really excellent program for them,” said Maxine.

Following the experience with Injune, Maxine has also been able to support other local kindergartens during the COVID-19 restrictions. Maxine has helped kindergartens use the platform to share programs and simplify program content for parents teaching at home.

The post Working with the Injune Early Learning Centre to provide early education appeared first on The Origin Blog.

“If you had told me when I left school in year 10, that I’d have a degree under my belt and be in a pretty responsible position, I would never have believed you and that’s one of the messages that I try to communicate to the kids that I mentor”

Mark Bernhardt, Origin employee

Mark participated in several volunteering opportunities, but it was the Beacon Foundation’s ‘MyRoad’ program where he really felt he could make a difference. The program provides young people in school, often disengaged and in disadvantaged areas, the opportunity to connect with volunteer mentors from different areas and learn about the world of work and potential career paths.

“If you had told me when I left school in year 10, that I’d have a degree under my belt and be in a pretty responsible position, I would never have believed you and that’s one of the messages that I try to communicate to the kids that I mentor,” said Mark.

After participating in a session with Mark, one student remarked, “The most important thing I learnt from my mentor was to persevere and to maintain hope and focus when entering the workforce or doing anything in life.”

Mark has volunteered nearly 80 hours with the MyRoad online mentoring program, reaching more than 150 students across 28 schools. To help prepare, he completed several training courses, including a course for specialist mentoring at the Goodooga Central School, where 94 per cent of the students identify as Aboriginal.

“The most important thing I learnt from my mentor was to persevere and to maintain hope and focus when entering the workforce or doing anything in life. “

MyRoad program student

 “My job is pretty serious; the volunteering gives some balance and variety. It’s a really good feeling to know that you are potentially making a difference to a kid that may otherwise not have the opportunity to speak to someone about a future career. It’s hard to put words around the value that brings,” Mark said. “Even if they’ve just taken one thing away from the session that helps them to be more successful when they leave school, I feel like I have made a difference.”

“My job is pretty serious; the volunteering gives some balance and variety.”

Mark Bernhardt, Origin employee

Mark actively encourages his colleagues to get involved. “We are so lucky to have the Origin Energy Foundation available to us. It’s a brilliant opportunity to make a difference.”

At the 2018 NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards, Mark was nominated by Beacon Foundation for Corporate Volunteer of the Year, in recognition of his extraordinary commitment to the program, and the impact of his sincerity and caring attitude.

The post Mark Bernhardt; mentoring kids for the future appeared first on The Origin Blog.