HSBC's Challenge

The International IT Department at HSBC serves 9500 offices in 85 countries and plays a pivotal role in strategic and day to day operations. HSBC measures its employee engagement levels annually through an on-line survey. Recent results from the International IT Department indicated all was not well – reduced levels of engagement were a cause for concern.
 
Teamworking International has built a reputation for providing innovative solutions. Impressed by our track record, HSBC engaged Teamworking International to deliver an effective teambuilding program. From our initial discussions with the department, it became clear that poor communication and the fear of change were the root cause of employee disengagement. 

The Teamworking International Approach

Key issues needed to be brought out into the open. People needed a forum where they could talk honestly about their concerns.
 
One solution that Teamworking International proposed was to put “An Even Better Place to Work” program in place. Combining face to face training and feedback with on-line team-based measurements and activities, this provided a flexible framework that could be rolled out rapidly throughout the department.  

The on-line element allowed people to have conversations with colleagues about the issues and work together towards resolving them. All parties had their own confidential web space to check their progress and record their action goals. This allowed people to take ownership for their work-based actions and relationships. The question they were constantly asked was “what am I going to do?” rather than “what is management going to do?”

As Jo Carnie, HR Business Partner at HSBC reports:  "People felt less isolated, could raise issues directly with their department manager and feel included in team decisions."

Teamworking International: A Successful Solution

A dialogue has now been created within the HSBC’s International IT Department, not just between management and workforce but across the entire team. “An Even Better Place to Work Program” has enabled open communication and enhanced productivity:
 

• Key issues are addressed without finger pointing

• Hotspots in terms of what is good and what is not working so well are now recognised and discussed openly

• Employee buy in of a range of organisational changes to increase occupational flexibility has been enhanced

• Increased productivity has enabled the IT Department to meet greatly increased demand from the business without augmenting resources

Such dramatic changes are down to the innovative approach by Teamworking International, who have a proven track record of being able to deliver training that translates into workplace success. 

As Andy Givens states: “if I was to contrast Teamworking International with another company what I get from Teamworking International is a real understanding of what I’m trying to do and innovative solutions, whereas another company may come along and say you need a jollying along session.”