High street hero wilko called on Enthuse for support on a landmark consultation process that would see the retailer invest £60 million in Optimus, a large-scale internal transformation programme.  

The Client 

Established over 90 years ago, retailer wilko is a household name among British shoppers, offering quality products that help hardworking families solve everyday issues.   

As a family business, wilko cares deeply about its team members and its values are “to be better every day, pull together, respect each other, show that we care and make it fun”.

The Challenge

The Optimus project is an ongoing, four-year project to modernise the way wilko works in its Logistics function.  

Ahead of launching the project, wilko's board called on Enthuse for support in managing the internal communication, engagement, and change management for this large-scale transformation.  

As part of the change programme, wilko asked Enthuse to help them during their consultation process with their employee representatives in the Union. Our task was to develop a broad communication and engagement strategy to support the workforce through changes to contract terms and conditions, as well as headcount reduction.

While the £60m transformation programme undoubtedly promised an exciting future for wilko, it was crucial to communicate this appropriately to team members – many of whom had long service records under their belt.  

Moreover, the consultation process landed mid-pandemic, when anxieties were already high. Job losses create upset at any time, and the Covid situation had the potential to escalate this. 

Therefore, Enthuse had to "read the room" and take a delicate approach to achieve the wilko board's ultimate objectives.  

The Objective 

Embarking on the consultation process, the Enthuse team needed to collaborate closely with the wilko leadership and project team. We had to engage the wider workforce to work towards a successful ballot to change its ways of working and establish a new standard contract, as well reducing headcount. 

The change would primarily affect team members at two wilko distribution centres, in South Wales and Nottinghamshire.  

For many, old ways of working had prevailed for decades, while the rest of the logistics industry had advanced.  

Changes like streamlining working hours and shift start times, and renegotiating outdated contract clauses, went hand-in-hand with ambitious investments in equipment and technology to facilitate higher levels of productivity and wellbeing.  

By investing in bold transformation plans, wilko aimed to modernise its working practices in line with its logistics industry counterparts. And – in doing so - futureproof the business for team members and customers. To accomplish this, wilko needed to negotiate a new contract with its employee representatives. 

The Solution 

As with every successful communications project, we began by forming close connections with key teams within wilko, working alongside its HR department, in-house communications team, and senior leaders from the business' Logistics function to establish the narrative for this ambitious change. 

Additionally, we collaborated closely with wilko's external PR agency. Together, we streamlined the narrative of the project and ensured critical messages were prepared for the media and public to prevent untimely and misinformed leaks. 

Working in partnership with key teams and individuals within the business over a seven-month period, we developed a communications plan setting out the narrative of the proposed changes and how to communicate this to team members and union representatives. 

Being outside of the organisation, we were in a position to be able to challenge internal stakeholders. Plus, as a result of our experience in similar projects, we were able to move at pace and offer fresh perspectives and solutions internal teams hadn’t considered.

By this point, we were in the midst of the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, we needed to assure team members that the proposed changes were a positive step for the future of wilko and an investment in its infrastructure, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to the pandemic.  

For wilko, COVID introduced a dynamic to the programme that brought its own hurdles. For example, building work stalled while materials were stuck in Europe, travel restrictions hampered the consultation process, and team absences brought new workplace pressures to the surface. So, Enthuse flexed to support multiple projects in flight and adapted strategies to meet changing needs.

On the subject of reducing headcount, we encouraged honesty and openness in line with the wilko values of respect and care. Making every effort to minimise team member anxiety, we supported the wilko team to openly discuss the substance of the consultation meetings and share communications with all parties before publication. 

Further to this, we focused on ensuring the tone of voice used in team member communications showed respect and empathy, working with local management teams to make sure anyone leaving the business was thanked for their service and departed on good terms. 

Crucially, we needed to communicate to the union and its members the level of investment and commitment wilko was putting into this transformation programme and the many ways it would benefit team members.  

Team members needed to know what was in it for them, so we made this clear through all communications and provided plentiful opportunities and outlets for individuals to ask questions and alleviate concerns.  

Essentially, we all wanted the same thing: to secure the long-term success of wilko. By making wilko run more efficiently, we could safeguard the jobs - and futures - of its valued team members.  

Leading up to the consultation process mid-pandemic, we were mindful that anxiety was rife. Adopting a gentle, open approach, we implemented key measures to keep team members informed and involved in the process, as well as keeping an “ear to the ground” to make sure communications addressed team members’ real concerns: 

·       Weekly announcements in partnership with the union – complementary communications reassured team members that wilko and the union were taking a joined-up, common-interest approach to the consultation 

·       Clear channels for discussion – team members understood they could go to key wilko team members and union representatives with any questions they had 

·       Personal letters and statements – we worked with wilko HR to write to every team member personally in clear, jargon-free language, so they understood the financial impact of the changes on them 

·       Pull-up explainer banners – we designed and installed 2m x 2m banners in communal areas to explain the personal statement in simple terms 

·       Ballot communications – a series of posters and management briefings reminded and encouraged team members to vote in the upcoming ballot 

The Results 

In December 2020, team members voted in their union ballot to accept the new terms and conditions at both sites.  

In fact, Enthuse played a part in ensuring 56% of employees voted in favour of the changes, and 98% signed the new contracts. Only 1% of contracts were dismissed, following our work with the organisation.

The transformation programme is now underway, and the wilko team members that remain in the business fully support the changes because they understand why it's happening and how it will benefit them.  

The Enthuse Difference  

The Enthuse difference stood out through this project in several ways.  

Working remotely for most of the project, our decades of experience, intuitive professional instinct and natural empathy helped us to understand team members’ concerns and take a sensitive, thoughtful approach to communicating the change. 

Naturally, COVID created new challenges during the project, so we applied an agile attitude to overcoming these hurdles.

We prioritised transparency, opening avenues for team members to voice their thoughts and access answers to their questions, as well as maintaining close relationships with leaders to ensure they fed back on the general mood and any questions raised. 

As the project progressed, we adapted our approaches to align with changing contexts. Naturally, every project evolves as circumstances change, and our understanding of an organisation and its people deepens along the way. So, we love to work with individuals and teams who embrace that change and apply an open-minded attitude to how we can – and should – work harmoniously to achieve our shared goals.

Our position outside of the organisation enabled us to move quickly, offer new perspectives and challenge leadership, in a way internal team members may have struggled to do.

Understanding the dynamics of a large family business, we develop a deep appreciation of an organisation’s personality and values and use our expertise to guarantee they shine through in all communications. 

Importantly, we embed ourselves in an organisation’s culture and quickly form strong connections which enable us to achieve ambitious objectives for board members by ensuring all team members are fully invested in shared goals.  

As always, we collaborated with all parties to work towards a common purpose, bringing our trademark energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity to every stage of the process. 

To speak to us about developing or improving a communication plan for your business – whatever your objectives are – contact us to see how we can help. Call us on 07812 343310 or email andrea.law@enthuse-comms.co.uk