How Fuller’s boosted engagement by 5% in 6 months

A quick insight: Fuller’s shows how employee listening can move quickly from feedback to focused action. By combining survey insight, business analytics, manager training, local action planning and pulse surveys, Fuller’s gave employees a stronger voice and saw engagement rise by 5% in just six months.

Developing an engagement programme fit for the future

Fuller’s began building its employee engagement strategy as part of a wider change programme called “Every Customer Leaves Happy”. The programme focused on recruitment, training, rewards at work and customer service, with the organisation also moving to measure customer experience through the NPS model.

As the employee engagement programme developed, Fuller’s added leadership and engagement workstreams. The team wanted to understand how employees were feeling about the changes, what support they needed and where the organisation should focus next.

This was especially important as the brewing arm of the business prepared for significant change. Fuller’s needed a clear starting point so it could measure engagement, understand employee sentiment and build a programme that was genuinely fit for the future.

Choosing an action-focused engagement partner

Fuller’s wanted more than a survey provider. The team was looking for a long-term partner that would understand the business, immerse itself in the culture and support action after the results were in.

Dawn Browne, People & Talent Director at Fuller’s, explained:

As this was the first time Fuller’s had surveyed its people, People Insight began with focus groups. These gave employees an early voice in the project and helped shape what the survey needed to explore.

The programme was named “Your Shout!” and supported by a clear communications campaign. This helped employees understand the purpose of the survey, feel reassured about confidentiality and see that Fuller’s was serious about taking action.

How People Insight helped

People Insight supported Fuller’s across the full listening cycle, from survey design through to action planning and pulse measurement.

The programme included:

• Employee focus groups to shape the survey
• A clear survey communications campaign
• Survey design and delivery
• Feedback to Fuller’s three boards
• Analysis of employee engagement results
• Linking survey insight to business performance metrics
• Action planning support for Operations Managers
• Toolkits to help Pub and Hotel Managers run local action planning sessions
• A follow-up pulse survey to measure progress

This gave Fuller’s a joined-up approach to employee surveys: listening to employees, understanding the results, helping managers act and checking whether those actions were making a difference.

Positive results with clear areas for action

The initial results showed a positive picture. Engagement was above the external benchmark and moving towards the upper quartile.

Employees also showed strong pride in Fuller’s culture, products and brand. There was a clear belief in customer service and a strong sense of connection to the organisation.

However, the survey also highlighted areas where action was needed. Fuller’s found that some employees did not feel their views had enough influence on decisions. The results also showed an opportunity to strengthen personal development, coaching and manager feedback.

That clarity was valuable. Fuller’s could see both what was working well and where focused action would make the biggest difference.

Linking engagement insight to business performance

One of the most important parts of the programme was People Insight’s deeper analysis.

People Insight linked the survey findings to Fuller’s business performance metrics. This helped demonstrate the impact that Service Coaches were having on staff in pubs that had them, compared with pubs that did not.

That analysis gave Fuller’s more than an engagement score. It helped the organisation understand the relationship between people initiatives and business performance, reinforcing the value of investing in the right support.

Turning feedback into local action

Fuller’s knew the survey would only create meaningful improvement if managers were supported to act on the results.

People Insight ran Train the Trainer action planning sessions with Operations Managers. These sessions helped them understand engagement, use survey data confidently and support Pub and Hotel Managers with local action plans.

The sessions focused on helping managers:

• Understand engagement and why it matters
• Use survey data to identify focused action
• Explore what Operations Managers could do to drive engagement
• Identify action specific to their own areas
• Build peer-to-peer support for action plans
• Support Pub and Hotel Managers with local action planning

This local ownership was critical. It meant the results did not sit at board level only. Employees in individual pubs and hotels had the chance to discuss the findings, shape actions and see how feedback would be used.

Dawn said:

“Teams have been really engaged in the process. Participation was even higher than in the survey because staff wanted to contribute to the changes.”

Making action visible across the business

Fuller’s gave “Your Shout!” a high profile across the organisation.

At “Fuller’s Future”, the annual conference for the most senior 60 employees, the survey was first on the agenda. The board shared what they had heard, what they were doing in response and how action plans were progressing.

That visibility helped reinforce trust in the process. Employees could see that their feedback had been heard and that leaders were taking it seriously.

The organisation also launched a new personal development process in response to feedback. This was supported by a video featuring employees from across the business, helping people understand why the process mattered and how it could support their growth.

Managers also took personal responsibility for their team action plans, with progress made on departmental plans alongside board-level actions.

Measuring progress with a pulse survey

Six months after the main survey, Fuller’s ran a micro pulse survey in Fuller’s Inns to check whether action was working.

The aim was to show employees that their voices had been heard and that the organisation was acting promptly.

The pulse survey showed strong progress:

The biggest improvements came in the areas Fuller’s had prioritised: personal development and belief that employee views had an impact on decisions.

That is what made the programme so powerful. Fuller’s did not just listen once. It listened, acted and checked whether those actions were creating meaningful improvement.

What Fuller’s did next

“Your Shout!” became part of Fuller’s annual calendar, helping the organisation continue listening to its people and strengthening its ambition to be the best place to work in hospitality.

Dawn said:

“We want Fuller’s to be the best place to work in hospitality and feedback from our amazing people is key to this.”

What other organisations can learn from Fuller’s

Fuller’s shows the value of connecting employee engagement surveys with clear ownership, manager capability and visible action.

The organisation did not treat the survey as a one-off measurement exercise. It used insight to shape development, improve communication, support managers and help employees see how their feedback was influencing decisions.

For organisations in retail, hospitality and leisure, the lesson is especially clear. Employee listening works best when it is practical, local and followed up quickly. People need to know their feedback has been heard, managers need the confidence to act and leaders need a clear view of what is changing.

How People Insight supports employee listening

People Insight helps organisations capture employee feedback, understand what the results are really saying and turn insight into meaningful action.

Our employee survey platform helps organisations design, launch and analyse surveys with clear, easy-to-understand results. Our survey consultants work alongside you to interpret insight, prioritise action and strengthen your listening strategy, while our survey communications support helps build trust, participation and momentum.

Ready to get more from your employee listening? Speak to our team.

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