Case Study: Network Rail
Network Rail’s Journey to Wellbeing and Performance
Network Rail, responsible for owning, repairing, and developing the railway infrastructure in England, Scotland, and Wales, plays a crucial role in ensuring safe and reliable journeys for passengers and freight users. With 42,000 employees across the country, Network Rail recognised the need to prioritise employee wellbeing as a fundamental aspect of their overall health and safety culture.
The Challenge
Creating a Baseline for Wellbeing Transformation
Network Rail approached Robertson Cooper to help them establish a baseline for employee health and wellbeing, which would serve as the foundation for their 10-year wellbeing strategy, “Everyone Fit for the Future”. The challenge not only involved engaging and gaining trust from employees in order to participate in a personal health and wellbeing survey, but also shifting the organisation’s focus to physical and psychological health within a predominantly behavioural safety framework.
The goals of the project were to gain buy-in from the organisation to develop a long-term strategy for improving employee health, broaden engagement from a narrow focus on safety to one that incorporates health and wellbeing, establish a wellbeing baseline for benchmarking and progress tracking, and gain data insights to demonstrate the positive impact of employee health and wellbeing on key business outcomes.
Our Solution
Uncovering the Hidden Pressures: A Deeper Dive into Network Rail’s Wellbeing
To collect employee data and establish a baseline, Network Rail provided all employees with open access to complete the Good Day at Work questionnaire which enabled employees to receive their own personalised feedback report on their current levels of health, wellbeing and resilience. These ‘Wellbeing Snapshot‘ reports were communicated to employees as a valuable benefit that would provide tailored feedback and actionable insights, enabling them to take control of their own health and wellbeing, as well as signposting them to available support and resources.
As completion levels increased, the wellbeing team at Robertson Cooper aggregated and analysed the survey data, providing Network Rail with vital insights including the precise levels of health and wellbeing across their workforce, shedding light on the pressures they face and how these factors were directly influencing key business metrics. This also highlighted specific employee populations and hotspot areas requiring support.
VIKKIE BUXTON-COPE, DIRECTORThe partnership with Network Rail exemplifies the importance of establishing a baseline, engaging employees, and empowering managers in building a culture of wellbeing and performance. Through this journey, Network Rail continues to make significant strides in ensuring the health, happiness, and success of their employees.
The Results
Training for Change: Enhancing Manager Capability at Network Rail
The data analysis provided key insights, including highlighting managers as a critical population to increase engagement and create greater confidence for change. In direct response to this, Robertson Cooper collaborated with Network Rail to develop a comprehensive training programme aimed at enhancing line manager capability. The training covered topics such as identifying signs of stress, supporting teams through change, and hosting meaningful wellbeing conversations. The programme had a significant impact, with managers reporting an 18% increase in their ability to spot signs of stress, a 15% increase in their knowledge and skills to support teams through change, and a 14% increase in their ability to facilitate wellbeing conversations within their teams.
By identifying precisely where to focus their attention and spend, and investing in line manager capability, Network Rail took the steps needed to create a culture that prioritised employee wellbeing and performance. This collaborative effort between Network Rail and Robertson Cooper laid the groundwork for a sustainable and impactful wellbeing strategy, setting the stage for continued improvement and success.
Are you looking to gather a baseline measure of wellbeing to inform your approach, just like Network Rail?