Making the brand meaningful on the inside

Care UK is a complex business with four divisions – each providing a different type of care: community, residential, mental health and healthcare. The business had a staff turnover of 40%, with most client-facing staff on the minimum wage, with minimum qualifications. The Care UK team wanted to find a way to make their customer promise of ‘Fulfilling Lives’ meaningful to their staff and capable of attracting committed talent.

The project was jointly managed by the CMO and the Group Head of HR; together we undertook a programme of work that followed the Passionbrand 6-stage internal brand engagement framework. At the heart of the solution was the need for frontline employees to be recognised for what they do, both formally and informally. That led to an overriding theme for the internal brand – ‘Care Inside’ – and a set of new initiatives that involved combining a strong culture of mutual support and appreciation with the development of the ‘Academy of Care’: a formal, structured, iterative training programme that openly celebrated and rewarded the achievements and professional development of the staff.