How Hubexo fostered global colleague unity with Culture Amp

Hubexo, formerly Byggfakta Group, headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, is a global leader in data and software solutions for the construction sector. With a team of over 2,200 employees spread across more than 30 countries, Hubexo is known globally to empower its customers to maximise sales, streamline operations, and construct more sustainably.

However, as the company navigated through acquisitions and an IPO, it encountered substantial difficulties in unifying its varied workforce. There was an absence of a shared vision and a detachment from the company’s overarching mission. Hubexo recognised the imperative need to develop a cohesive engagement strategy that resonated with the organisation’s strategic objectives for growth.

Challenge: Unifying a diverse workforce

When Lindi Teate joined Hubexo as Chief People Officer three years ago, the organisation faced significant cultural challenges. Having grown rapidly through acquisitions and an IPO, the company needed to integrate newly acquired global businesses into a common strategy that would ensure clear planning and cohesive execution, all while fostering a sense of belonging among its employees.

"The biggest opportunity was also our biggest pain point, which was the size of the potential challenge. There was little commonality, limited integration, and no sense of belonging or community," said Lindi.

With high levels of brand equity in respective territories, the newly merged businesses operated independently, creating a fragmented organisational culture. They lacked a sense of common purpose, and many employees felt disconnected from the company's overall mission.

Solution: Building a strong foundation for employee engagement

Recognising the need for a robust solution that could support them in improving morale, motivation and retention, Lindi and her team turned to Culture Amp.

The platform provided the tools, analytical capabilities and bespoke coaching support required to understand and improve employee engagement across the organisation. Culture Amp's role was instrumental in guiding the transformation process, from data collection to strategy implementation to seeing and measuring impact.

"We've embedded engagement as something we all need to understand and care about both globally and locally. It's not a people topic or an HR problem - it's a business priority.

Employee engagement directly impacts retention, productivity, and overall company performance. By fostering a culture of engagement, we are ensuring that our employees are motivated, aligned with our mission, and committed to driving the company forward," - Lindi Teate, Chief People Officer

By partnering with Culture Amp, Hubexo was able to implement a robust engagement strategy that included:

1. Engagement Surveys: Regularly collecting employee feedback to identify areas needing attention.
2. Executive Buy-In: Ensuring leadership at all levels understood the business value of engagement, its links to improved morale, employee satisfaction, and retention, and fully invested in the strategy.
3. Global and Local Alignment: Creating a 'One Global Network' where objectives tied to the company's vision, mission, and values were consistently communicated and activated.
4. Cultural Ambassadors: Establishing accountability and ownership at every level through cultural ambassadors who elevate engagement activities.
5. Transparency and Communication: Maintaining open lines of communication to build trust and demonstrate the impact of employee feedback on strategic decisions concerning recruitment and retention.

"The partnership [with Culture Amp] has been a genuine game changer, giving us the tools, data, and hard facts to drive activity at pace and scale with integrity and accuracy." - Lindi Teate, Chief People Officer.

Results: A united and engaged workforce

Through its partnership with Culture Amp, Hubexo achieved significant improvements in employee engagement and belonging across all 30+ global offices.

Increase in engagement scores:

Not only did the company see a 84% survey participation rate, by empowering local teams to take ownership of their engagement activities, Hubexo has seen tailored initiatives such as the integration of global and local recognition awards, and colleague-led culture and engagement committees that resonate more deeply with regional employees.

As a result, it has witnessed meaningful improvements in every factor of its engagement survey (a 6% increase in its engagement index). This includes substantial gains in areas such as learning and development, feedback and recognition, and management effectiveness.

Enhanced cultural integration:

The company's efforts in fostering a sense of belonging and community have paid off. The results from the annual and pulse surveys found that employees report a stronger connection to the company and their colleagues, feeling more integrated into the global network.

This has been particularly noticeable in colleagues with less than six months of service in newly acquired businesses, where initial resistance has given way to acceptance of the unified company culture.

Strategic flexibility:

The ability to pivot and reassess priorities based on real-time feedback has been a game-changer. For instance, the decision to accelerate hiring for key roles in response to survey feedback demonstrated the company's commitment to listening and acting on employee concerns. This flexibility has kept the company agile and responsive to both market and internal dynamics.

Improved communication:

Transparent and consistent communication practices have been a cornerstone of the engagement strategy. By utilising the group intranet and regular updates from the executive team, employees are kept well-informed about company priorities, changes, and successes. This has fostered a culture of openness and trust, reducing misinformation and aligning everyone with the company's goals.

Psychological safety and trust:

A key outcome of the engagement strategy has been the creation of a psychologically safe environment. Self-directed global tribes have been developed to share best practices on functional and role alignment, and as a result, colleagues are now much more open to sharing what works well and, conversely, what can be improved.

Employees feel confident that they can express their ideas and concerns without fear of retribution. This shift from a local mindset to a global community, has encouraged more innovative thinking and problem-solving across the company, contributing to a more dynamic and agile organisation.

Recognition and reward systems:

Informed by Hubexo’s employee engagement survey, the introduction of global annual people awards and localised quarterly celebrations have significantly boosted morale.

Employees feel valued and appreciated for their contributions, which has reinforced a positive work environment and increased global motivation by 9%.

"Engagement at Hubexo is now seen as part of our DNA. It's just how we do business," - Lindi Teate, Chief People Officer

The Executive team has supported this shift in perception, reinforcing the importance of engagement in their quarterly all-hands meetings and C-suite communications.

By focusing on visibility and connection, Hubexo has humanised its brand and brought its people to center stage. This approach has fostered a sense of belonging and community, enabling employees to see their role in the larger organisational mission. As a result, the organisation has benefited from improved morale, job satisfaction, and ultimately, employee retention.

Lindi advises others in the people and culture space to "ensure that all activity is underpinned with genuine pragmatism, embrace change, educate and communicate consistently, lead by example, and maintain an unwavering commitment to building a people-first culture."

Concluding with a powerful message for her peers: "Step confidently into the space, own your agenda, and keep the people seat at the table as a core contributor, disruptor, and challenger to the wider business."

Through its journey with Culture Amp, Hubexo has transformed its organisational culture and created a blueprint for others to follow. Its story is a testament to the power of data-driven engagement strategies and the impact of a people-first approach on business success.

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