“Jacobs has reestablished a culture of trust in the organization that enables the team to better navigate complex business challenges presented by the combined new company together.”
Jacobs Engineering is a Fortune 500 global technology business with over 74,000 employees in 250+ offices worldwide. Barbie Bigelow, CIO of Jacobs Engineering, was charged with overseeing the technical and human resources integration of newly acquired global engineering company, CH2M. Prior to the acquisition, Jacobs IT had been navigating a series of organizational changes resulting in a significant workforce reduction. Additionally, leadership restructured the organization and made numerous workforce changes, resulting in low morale, change fatigue, and disengaged employees.
Barbie’s lead team launched a comprehensive initiative to tackle morale, change fatigue and engagement challenges. The lead team acknowledged they needed to focus first on the foundation – building trust, driving transparency, facilitating 2-way dialogue, and taking time to celebrate successes.
They leveraged POPin to engage the team anonymously and safely by:
• Giving employees a mechanism to provide input into critical lead team meetings
• Empowering them to contribute to Barbie’s All-Hands meetings, and sharing feedback and questions following the meetings
• Providing a method to recognize peers and teams for standout performances
• Enabling them to identify and celebrate in shared accomplishments
Focusing on the staff first and giving them voice in the company discussion immediately shifted sentiment and engagement turned positive.
Barbie and her lead team were amazed to see that the staff nominated more than 233 employees and 18 teams for their outstanding performance, dedication and leadership, recognizing 23% of the staff.
Through the process, employees naturally began sharing that they:
• Appreciate the increased involvement and support from senior leadership
• Want to grow their skills and knowledge to better support Jacobs’ strategic goals and vision
• Want to work together, grow together, succeed together!
Jacobs enjoyed a full quartile improvement in employee health, as measured by McKinsey, an increase of 8% in overall organizational health engagement in just 6 months.
Additionally, Jacobs has reestablished a culture of trust in the organization that enables the team to better navigate complex business challenges presented by the combined new company together.
