Traditionally, organisations measure their success by looking at their finances. Revenue and profit is undoubtedly important, but at BSG, prosperity starts with its people. They implement an operating model called the Virtuous Cycle, which turns traditional employee engagement thinking on its head. Happy, engaged people are the key to BSG’s 20-year success.
BSG believes that the happier and more engaged its people are, the happier their clients will be as a result of increase productivity. The more delighted their clients are, the more they will keep on working with them and advocate on BSG’s behalf. In turn, the greater retention and new client acquisition, the healthier the organisation’s profit.
Twice a year, every BSGer (BSG’s term for its employees) is given the opportunity to make their voice heard by sharing their opinions with business leaders through the Employee Happiness Survey (EHS). The results of the survey are translated into tangible action plans, designed to continually improve engagement levels across the organisation.
The 2017 BSG Employee Happiness Survey (EHS) results were released on 6 October, at special events in Johannesburg and Cape Town. BSG’s results show a positive, upward trend across the organisation. BSG can however never be complacent as it operates in the skills scares science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) environment.
For the second consecutive year there was 100% participation in the Employee Happiness Survey (EHS). This indicates that the process has meaning for BSGers and they know that senior leadership take their thoughts and feelings seriously. The ratings were collated, the 1900 opinions reviewed and this formed the context for the special release events.
The question of happiness and engagement is one that is taken very seriously at BSG. The EHS is aligned to international standards so BSG has a market baseline against which to measure their own performance. Although BSG’s trends reflect a positive upward trend, they aspire to achieve 100% happy and engaged people.
Integral to BSG’s culture is self-empowerment, with each individual in the driving seat of their own career, individually accountable for ensuring their happiness at BSG though utilising the structures and tools BSG provides to them. The EHS is simply one of the many happiness enablers BSGers are equipped with and forms part of a larger plan to ensure personal goal fulfilment and alignment with BSG’s purpose and strategy.
