“Good morning, you’re tuned in to Radio NEXT. I’m your host, sharing the best hits and the stories that matter. Glad you’re here…” That’s certainly a lot more engaging than a daily, weekly, or monthly newsletter, right? Well, that’s what NEXT, the British multinational retailer, thought when it decided to start its own bespoke, in-house radio station.
The idea apparently came after it faced a “communications gap,” particularly with warehouse staff. While regular emails containing important information were being sent out, they simply weren’t being read. Something, therefore, needed to be done, and that’s when this unusual suggestion came to life.
What is Radio NEXT?
Will Hill, producer and station manager at Radio NEXT, was the brainchild behind the idea. He explained that it’s an “internal bespoke communication platform,” designed to provide vital, timely updates to the retailer’s some 10,000 distribution facilities staff.
When the project started, external providers were initially consulted, but they quickly proved unsuitable. As a result, Hill opted to create his own team to help launch the in-house radio station from scratch.
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While Hill believed the station could be more than just a communication platform, helping to entertain, connect, and boost the morale of the workforce, he needed buy-in from the higher-ups. Consequently, he pitched the idea, focusing on the approximately £2.2 million lost annually due to wasted time in daily business update meetings. Considering that Radio NEXT was budgeted at just £200,000, the idea was quickly given the green light, with a year to prove it could work.
Once up and running, the radio station proved a success, improving employee engagement, efficiency and productivity. It provided business updates more effectively than the traditional daily meetings, played a wide-ranging catalogue of hits from “60s pop to modern chart music,” and even allowed for song requests and shout-outs. It also promoted internal vacancies and discussed important topics like mental health.
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The Communication Platform: Why an Internal Radio Station?
Three words quickly explain why Radio NEXT was created. A communications gap. Unlike office staff, who regularly sit at computers, deskless workers typically have far less access to screens. This means that communication channels like emails can become redundant when no one is reading them.
This was the challenge NEXT faced with its distribution facilities staff. And while it had daily business meetings to provide updates about key information, it was found that they accumulated to a significant amount of wasted time, costing the retailer millions each year.
Step in Radio NEXT. By creating a bespoke, in-house radio station, NEXT was able to play key business updates and information through its warehouse speakers. Unlike other communications channels, this setup allowed for more regular updates, which were consumed passively as people worked. No need to open an email or pay attention during an early-morning meeting; simply listen to tunes throughout the day with intermittent updates.
Lessons From the Radio NEXT Case
Now, it’s important to acknowledge that not all employers will have £200,000 sitting around to create their own radio station; those that do may want to follow suit. For the rest of the organisations, though, this doesn’t mean they have to put up with sub-optimal communication. Several key lessons can be drawn from the Radio NEXT case to boost employee engagement.
Key Takeaways for Employers
Firstly, it’s essential to establish why Radio NEXT worked. It wasn’t just a fleeting thought. After Hill was given the go-ahead to create the station, he proceeded to build a team, not based on experience, but on who had the most potential to “give the best possible show.” In the end, he hired a radio hobbyist over several experienced radio presenters, simply because of the “potential” he saw.
Applying this more broadly, when seeking effective communication, it’s vital to have the right workplace culture. This starts with having the right people in place who can deliver the desired outcome and emphasises the importance of the hiring process.
Once the workplace culture is right, seeking better performance from the communication channel comes next. During Hill and his team’s first year creating the station, much time was spent testing and tweaking it. He accepted the frustration this caused, but said that after putting in the work, “you get gorgeous feedback…and you think, we’ve found the balance, we’re doing it right.”
Again, in practice, having an idea is one thing, but perfecting it is another. Sometimes a good idea doesn’t turn out as originally thought, and other times it takes external feedback to realise that it could be improved. By testing communication and making data-driven adjustments, organisations can improve it, potentially boosting employee engagement.
The same applies to the communication platform used. From a unique radio station setup to daily update meetings, weekly emails, physical bulletins, and more, the range of available communication channels is wide. Just because a business has used one or more platforms for quite some time, it doesn’t mean change isn’t needed or wouldn’t be advantageous. Considering the options and testing for the optimal setup is therefore recommended, especially when a communications gap exists.
Radio NEXT: Our Final Thoughts
The case of Radio NEXT certainly stands out. It took a person with a creative idea to overhaul wasted business time, overcome corporate scepticism, and build a radio station from scratch despite having no prior experience, to solve the retailer’s communications gap. Nevertheless, with determination and hard work, Will Hill and his team proved that something typically seen as mundane can become engaging when creativity is allowed to flourish.
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The retailer’s £200,000 investment addressed the £2.2 million it was losing each year to wasted time and provided 10,000 deskless workers with a voice that was actually listened to, increasing efficiency, productivity and morale. The lesson for any employer is simple: meet workers where they are, test relentlessly, and tap into the workforce’s strengths to see the benefits.
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