How one organisation rebuilt engagement from within

11.11.2025

At this year’s CIPD Annual Conference and Exhibition event, our Senior Consultants Leigh and Margaret took to the Employee Engagement Stage and shared a live case study that struck a chord with many: how one organisation transformed its culture by putting values at the heart of its strategy and rebuilt employee engagement from the inside out.

The challenge

An award-winning SME in the plastic injection industry was growing fast, with sites across the globe. But with growth came a disconnect. A new CEO recognised the need to reconnect people with purpose and chose to start not with systems, but with people.

The approach

Led by Senior Consultant Jackie, the project focused on listening, involvement, and trust. Together with the senior team, Jackie helped define a clear vision and co-create values that felt authentic and lived.

A key step? Bringing in employee representatives early on. This created a direct link between leadership and the wider workforce and became the “magic ingredient” that shifted the energy across the business.

The impact

• Conversations became collaborative, not top-down
• Employees felt more connected and valued
• Managers saw clearer expectations and greater trust
• Engagement score rose to 71%, with staff calling it “a great place to work”
• One employee summed it up: “Barriers have been removed and we’re able to thrive here.”

What’s next?

The organisation is now embedding its values into recruitment, leadership development, performance conversations, and recognition with Make UK continuing to support them every step of the way.

How we can help you

We work with organisations across the UK to create the conditions for lasting culture change. Whether you're defining your leadership vision, building engagement, or developing leadership capability, our consultants bring practical experience and a people-first approach.

Ready to take the next step?

Call us on 0808 168 5874 or email [email protected].