Thanks so much everyone for all your work on this – I think we’ve got a really special piece of work here which we can be proud of.
Jenny Sawyer,
Director of People, Culture & Change,
Stonewater
Background
As a leading not-for-profit housing association, Stonewater provides affordable housing and crucial support to the most vulnerable. With over 2,000 housing associations in the UK, Stonewater stands out for its commitment to reinvesting all income into its social purpose and fostering a culture of engagement and inclusion. Providing an exceptional customer experience is at the heart of Stonewater’s commitment to creating sustainable, high-quality homes. This mission is reinforced through Stonewater’s annual ‘Great Big Get Together,’ an innovative event that promotes employee engagement and strategic alignment.
Strategy
Cavendish supported Stonewater’s ‘Great Big Get Together’ by creating compelling hero content that was central to the event’s success. Our strategy focused on making the key themes; cost-of-living, inclusion, and strategic business goals – highly relatable and emotionally resonant, ensuring colleagues felt both engaged and inspired.
To address the pressing cost-of-living crisis, we produced a powerful, emotive film that set the tone for the event; ‘Living with the real cost of living’. The film showcased real-world examples, such as pensioners using public transport to stay warm, nurses relying on food banks, and families being forced to give up pets due to financial hardship. This content aimed to put colleagues in the shoes of their customers, creating empathy and a deeper connection to the challenges their customers face. Feedback highlighted its impact, with one colleague sharing, “It really left a lump in my throat, seeing what happened to the dog.”
In line with Stonewater’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), Cavendish also developed a second film. This content captured the diversity of Stonewater’s workforce, reinforcing the company’s dedication to empowering employees to bring their ‘whole selves’ to work. It wasn’t just a message of inclusion, but a reaffirmation of Stonewater’s values in action.
Finally, to communicate the company’s ‘People Strategy Accelerators’ for 2022-2027, we created a dynamic, easy-to-follow animation; ‘Putting the I in inclusion’. This helped simplify complex strategic goals, making them accessible to all employees and clarifying how these initiatives will propel Stonewater towards its 2030 vision. The content ensured key messages were digestible, inspiring actionable understanding among colleagues.
The
results.
Colleagues’ feedback confirmed that the content created for the ‘Great Big Get Together’ made a significant impact. The event strengthened employees’ understanding of Stonewater’s strategic direction and fostered long-lasting engagement. The high level of participation and interaction demonstrated the success of the event in connecting colleagues across the organisation.
- 92% of all Stonewater colleagues attended the event.
- 92% of attendees felt better informed about the Stonewater’s direction.
- 2,405 individual comments were shared in the live chat, reflecting strong engagement at all levels.
92%
Stonewater colleagues attended the event.
92%
felt better informed about the direction of the business.
