A powerful choice for better living

Best employee engagement campaign

Norcros may not be a household name, but it is the UK’s leading bathroom products group, comprising ten brands, including Triton, Croydex and House of Plumbing. Historically, these brands operated independently with limited collaboration but a new leadership team was determined to change that, believing that Norcros was ‘more than a sum of our parts’.

They determined to embed a purpose and culture that would unite colleagues, foster collaboration and create positive societal impact.

Each colleague was to feel that their voice and contribution mattered and that Norcros was a place in which they could thrive. Recognising that bathroom products consume significant amounts of water and energy, Norcros saw an opportunity to help society live more sustainably.

A series of colleague workshops, interviews and roadshows led to the articulation of its new co-created purpose: to create products and connections that offer sustainable choices for better living.

This purpose, along with new values – KEYS: Care, Courage, Connection, Common Sense – became the guides for decision making. Embedding these across the business was vital, but was complicated due to Norcros’ operations, which span UK, Ireland, South Africa and China.

A series of interviews with colleagues captured their hopes and aspirations, leading to a storytelling focused campaign hashtag #BeSomeone. Colleagues from each brand were captured on film answering the question: what someone do you dream of being? Some talked about their personal lives, providing for their families, while others shared their career aspirations.

Chief executive Thomas Willcocks and senior leaders then led eight roadshows across the UK and Ireland in which they encouraged conversations about how this new culture could be lived. He also personally wrote to each employee to thank them for their involvement, while sharing details of a new digital portal in which the hashtag #BeSomeone stories were shared. Walking With Purpose awards were also launched, ensuring the values were tangible.

A post-launch survey revealed that 81 per cent of colleagues are proud to work at Norcros, 73 per cent agree it is a great place to work while training hours per colleague has doubled. New applicants have also cited it as part of their reason for joining.
 
The judges said: There is clear evidence Norcros is determined to embed purpose and values into day-to-day operations. This becomes clear through the link to the employee testaments and involvement in shaping the communications campaign. There is consistent evidence of senior management engagement across all aspects of this business.’

Agency: Jones & Palmer