{"id":21773,"date":"2024-09-17T15:21:27","date_gmt":"2024-09-17T05:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.originenergy.com.au\/blog\/?p=21773"},"modified":"2024-09-17T18:11:10","modified_gmt":"2024-09-17T08:11:10","slug":"how-workplace-culture-can-lift-employee-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.originenergy.com.au\/blog\/how-workplace-culture-can-lift-employee-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"How workplace culture can lift employee engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ever wondered how businesses like Origin engage their people and build great culture? It may be simpler than you think. Our General Manager of People and Culture Sarah McInerney shares how we\u2019re creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ve 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<\/em> do you do this and what does it look like in practice? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It starts with values<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lift up diverse views<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With our operations spanning the entire energy spectrum<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me show you how we’ve made it happen at Origin, with examples to fuel your own ideas. I believe this isn\u2019t just \u2018HR stuff\u2019; all leaders play a part in shaping, gathering, refining, and living a culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Foundation provides opportunities for employees to volunteer their time and skills<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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One team, One Origin approach reflected in bonus structure<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Our short-term bonus plan connects employees to the business\u2019 goals and achievements. Nearly every permanent employee takes part. With targets set Origin-wide and division-focused, the bonus scheme is a \u2018one Origin\u2019 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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocacy through being customer champions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2018Everyone Can Help Out\u2019 is a platform for escalating queries or sales leads from friends and family, allowing employees to be helpful and impactful beyond the workplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping our employees make the switch to EVs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As part of our ambition to lead the energy transition<\/a>, we\u2019re helping to make it easier for our customers and our employees to adopt Electric Vehicles<\/a> (EV). This started with targets to electrify our own fleet, and grew into the launch of an EV Subscription plan<\/a> where our employees can salary package an EV<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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