Burger King found that communicating key brand messages to managers was a struggle – they had poor access to information, they were overwhelmed and disengaged by emails, and this meant operating standards were at risk. Burger King UK needed to bring its employee value proposition to life for team members in an engaging way, raising awareness of ESG initiatives and other issues of importance to its younger workforce. The business decided to launch an intranet and mobile app for its 6,000 employees where they could search for user-friendly information, in their preferred language. The app would also provide an engaging onboarding process that would help to address issues of high turnover in the industry.

The app was designed with a personalised feed to deliver targeted and relevant content to colleagues, championing Burger King culture with user-generated content and boosting employee engagement. The single platform for business processes meant admin could be reduced through pre-populated forms. Full implementation with Oak Engage took just two months, with app and desktop versions using Burger King colours, typography and logos. Two weeks before the launch, managers were selected to have intranet access to provide feedback on usability and accessibility, so final tweaks could be made. It was launched at the WhopperCon staff event, with a promotional video to highlight the best features. Staff who posted regularly were offered training, as were departments who would manage their own content areas.

Visually appealing homepages bring together news, employee recognition, colleague milestones and hubs for communities such as BK Gamers and Burger Queens, where staff can connect with like-minded colleagues. User-generated content is welcomed on the main timeline, giving much greater visibility of the BKUK culture and reminding teams they’re part of something bigger. By giving staff a voice, they can bring their personality and fun to the platform, which contributes to improving the employee experience to reduce turnover. Targeted and relevant content reaches the right people, prioritising important articles over others, and demoting articles previously read, meaning individuals only see what they need to and are not overwhelmed. The app and intranet had 97% monthly engagement and 98% of the workforce onboarded in a short space of time. Furthermore, almost all business processes can now be accessed via the BK Hub, reducing admin and the need to download and print documents for employees. More streamlined operations mean greater profitability, while employee engagement has been boosted.