Case Study: Vueling's "Make it Better" Programme -

As the Head of Transformation at Vueling, I recognized the significant challenge of engaging our diverse and geographically distributed workforce. To overcome this, we spearheaded the launch of the "Make it Better" programme in 2022, an initiative designed to solicit employee ideas for solving company problems. This case study explores our vision, implementation, and the measurable impact of this programme, highlighting its success in fostering bottom-up innovation, increasing employee engagement, and generating substantial financial value

Vueling's workforce of over 4,600 employees is spread across multiple countries, time zones, cultures, and languages, with only 700 at headquarters. This presented a considerable hurdle in creating a unified platform for employee voices and collaboration. As a low-cost carrier, our focus on efficiency and cost also necessitated innovative approaches to transformation.

The "Make it Better" programme was conceived with the aim of empowering our employees by providing a dedicated space for collaboration and idea sharing. Key innovative elements we implemented included:

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• Sideways 6 Ideas Platform: We integrated this platform with Microsoft Teams, allowing our employees to submit ideas, engage with existing ones through likes and comments, and manage the entire idea lifecycle.

• "Boosters" Community: We established a network of employee ambassadors who championed the programme at a local level, providing feedback and driving grassroots engagement. This role was later integrated into annual reviews, OKRs, and individual development plans, becoming a development path for our high-potential talent.

• Creative Marketing Communications: We leveraged in-house campaigns, roadshows, face-to-face meetings with crew, and unique branding initiatives (e.g., sandwich bags with QR codes) to raise awareness and meet our employees where they were.

• Recognition and Impact: Idea submitters received "Idea Cards" as physical representations of their contributions, and we ensured public recognition to make employees feel heard. Wrap-up reports were shared across the business to demonstrate the impact of implemented ideas.

The "Make it Better" programme yielded significant quantitative and qualitative results for Vueling:

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• Increased Innovation: We observed a 24-point increase in bottom-up innovation in our Organizational Health Index for 2023, continuing into 2024, particularly among our remote workforce.

• High Engagement: Over 50% of all our employees engaged with the programme, with 71% of Microsoft Teams users utilizing the ideas app. Participation grew from 500 of our people to over 2100 on our latest challenge.

• Idea Implementation and Value: More than 14% of submitted ideas were selected for development, exceeding our original goal of 10%. Over 40 ideas have been brought to life, with an estimated €4.1 million in identified value. One idea alone, implemented in 200 days, is projected to save the organization €2 million annually.

• Improved Employee and Customer Experience: Ideas ranged from staff training and translation services to better stand-by operations, flight information widgets, and customer experience enhancements like "delay kits" and DJ sets on flights.