Bayernwerk, the E.ON company that supplies electricity, gas and heat across Bavaria, had been through so many restructurings that its 3,000 employees were unsure of the company's direction and its reputation as an employer had suffered. Vivaldi Group ran an employer branding and employee engagement program in which more than 500 participants developed over 2,000 ideas. 96% of surveyed employees said the initiative paid off, 86% rated the workshops good or very good, and the program won the QUEB Employer Branding Award.
Repeated reorganizations inside the E.ON group and a public debate about corporate strategy had bred uncertainty among Bayernwerk's 3,000 employees and damaged its long-held reputation as an attractive employer. Leadership needed to restore pride and point the whole company toward its customers.
Vivaldi designed and ran a large employee engagement program with Bayernwerk's leadership. Workshops, group activities and shared meals were combined with newsletters, the intranet and in-person sharing, so that more than 500 participants could co-create quick wins and long-term measures.
The program reached all 3,000 employees, 96% of surveyed employees said it paid off and participants rated their understanding of the brand vision four points higher on a 1 to 10 scale. The work won the QUEB Employer Branding Award, and Bayernwerk extended it into a broader refocus on customers.
| Kunde | Bayernwerk, part of the E.ON group |
|---|---|
| Industrie | Energie und Versorgungswirtschaft |
| Region | Bavaria, Germany |
| Maßstab | 3,000 employees; nearly 1,200 municipalities and more than 2 million households served |
| Vivaldi Geltungsbereich | Employee engagement program, internal brand strategy and employer branding campaign, workshop series, change management |
| Participation | 500+ participants, 2,000+ ideas |
| Ergebnisse | 96% said the initiative paid off; 86% rated the workshops good or very good; brand vision understanding up 4 points on a 1 to 10 scale |
| Anerkennung | QUEB Employer Branding Award |
Bayernwerk supplies electricity, gas and heat to 41% of the population of Bavaria, a region of more than 12.5 million people in southeastern Germany. Acquired by E.ON in 2001 and renamed E.ON Bayern, it became Bayernwerk again a little over a decade later as part of a regulator-enforced unbundling.
That was only the latest of many restructurings inside the E.ON organization. The sense of constant change, weak employer branding and a very public debate about the group’s corporate strategy left the company’s 3,000 employees and 2.3 million customers uncertain, and damaged Bayernwerk’s long-standing reputation as an attractive employer.
"Die gemeinsamen Workshops waren nur der Anfang einer nachhaltigen Change-Management-Initiative. Vivaldi hat uns nicht nur mit einem starken Konzept und starken Inhalten beeindruckt, sondern vor allem damit, wie sie unsere Mitarbeiter auf unserem Weg zu mehr Kundenzentrierung inspiriert haben."
Bayernwerk asked Vivaldi to strengthen the brand internally and rebuild its appeal as an employer, so that it could better serve the nearly 1,200 municipalities and more than two million households that rely on it. Vivaldi designed a large employee engagement program to co-create quick-win actions and identify long-term measures.
The workshops were deliberately more than informative. Traditional exercises sat alongside group activities and communal meals, and the conversation continued through internal newsletters, the intranet and in-person sharing. More than 500 participants developed over 2,000 ideas for next steps. Working with the executive team, who opened workshops as ambassadors for the change, Vivaldi brought the company vision of improving people’s lives to life and reached all 3,000 employees with the employer branding campaign. Vivaldi’s view on the key elements of employee engagement explains the thinking behind the program.
"Der Schlüssel zum Erfolg war die nahtlose Zusammenarbeit und Führung mit unseren Kollegen im Bayernwerk, vom Kernteam bis zu den Führungskräften, in ihrer Rolle als 'Botschafter', um die Workshops zu eröffnen, aber vor allem, um den Wandel zu leben."
Results were shared across the company through a digital platform built for interactive exchange, the internal magazine and the newsletter. For more on leading this kind of shift, see Vivaldi’s guide to organizational change management.
Bayernwerk, the E.ON energy company serving Bavaria, engaged Vivaldi to rebuild employee pride and its reputation as an employer after years of restructuring. Vivaldi ran an employer branding and engagement program in which more than 500 participants generated over 2,000 ideas, reaching all 3,000 employees. 96% of surveyed employees said the initiative paid off, 86% rated the workshops good or very good, and the program won the QUEB Employer Branding Award.
Bayernwerk is a regional energy company in Bavaria, southeastern Germany, and part of the E.ON group. It supplies electricity, gas and heat to 41% of the region’s population, serving nearly 1,200 municipalities and more than two million households with a workforce of around 3,000 people.
Vivaldi designed and ran an employer branding and employee engagement program that reached all 3,000 Bayernwerk employees. More than 500 participants developed over 2,000 ideas, and 96% of surveyed employees said the initiative paid off.
Employees were surveyed after the workshops: 96% said the initiative paid off and 86% rated the workshops good or very good. Participants also rated their understanding of the brand vision before and after, and scored it four points higher on a 1 to 10 scale afterwards.
Repeated reorganizations erode employees’ confidence in where the company is going, and that uncertainty shows in how they treat customers. Rebuilding the internal brand gives people a shared reason to stay and a clear standard for serving customers.
Yes. The internal brand engagement program was recognized with the QUEB Employer Branding Award, and Bayernwerk went on to extend the work into a broader initiative to refocus the business around customers.