Background

Heron Brothers combine traditional values with an advanced innovative approach to construction to deliver excellence in project value, quality and client satisfaction. Now in its sixty-fifth year, the company employs over 250 people and has a turnover in excess of £100M.

Heron Brothers Limited (HBL) identified the challenges facing the construction industry post pandemic and the need for digital innovation solutions. It committed to investing £2.3m over five years to continue to deliver a digitally progressive company which is both responsible and sustainable. Part of this was the development and implementation of the MyHeron App, which aimed to enhance communications and bring equality to the Heron Brothers workforce, supply chain, their families, and the local community.

What Heron Brothers Did

The MyHeronApp is part of Heron Brother’s wider project, ‘HBL Vision 2030’, which incorporates their responsible business pillars: Resource Efficiency; Valuing People; Responsible Business; Community and Partnering.

Heron Brother’s took a ‘top down, bottom up’ collaborative approach to implement Vision 2030, including company-wide surveys to help inform, define and communicate their digital transformation.

MyHeron is coordinated by a cross section of company leaders who are responsible for the continuous efficiency of the app and responding to environmental and social challenges such as achieving Carbon Net Zero by 2030 and matching Health and Wellbeing initiatives.

Monthly monitoring of analytics shows what content is most engaging on the app and allows for additional focus on these areas. This saw the launch of the Inspire Mental Health Hub on MyHeron.

The MyHeron App set out to allow for communication parity across a business where the majority of employees are non-desk workers. Employee engagement is monitored and staff surveys (with 92% engagement) ensure the right innovations are being made within the App.

MyHeron was developed to improve communication and bring equality to the workforce, by providing the latest company news, interactive updates, gym bookings, holiday requests, LEAN submissions and training talks.

Through extensive staff consultation, all targets were set at board level and are reviewed annually. Impact is measured through MyHeron analytics and staff engagement surveys. CDR strategy targets are reviewed monthly, with initiatives that are working well identified as best practice.

Outcomes and Benefits

• MyHeron helps provide direct training and communication, rewards initiative, and empowers employees as they see their ideas realised
• It has led to a decrease in accident rate of 47% from 2017 to 2021, and a below industry average of sickness or absenteeism in 2021
• There was been a huge reduction in costs due to CDR and improved digital communications. Business fuel/travel has decreased by 90%, and Business stationary/printing has decreased by 60%
• Increased communication means that in 2021 HBL improved their waste to landfill from 91% to 98% and reduced energy and carbon consumption percentages
• Proactive engagement with stakeholders has brought community benefits through promoting best practice in areas such as Farm Safety, First Aid Guidance and Healthy Eating
• Communication parity has been delivered across the business, allowing a maximization of efficiency and providing more opportunity for employees to focus on their job roles
• In Year 1 of a 10-year plan, the profile of Heron Brother’s Limited has already been raised with key stakeholders, gained increased media coverage, increased brand value and reputation and seen an increase of online engagement by 40% from 2017
• Market perception of HBL has improved with existing clients, allowing HBL to become a preferred bidder and negotiate tenders for multinational private clients and high-profile projects
• The Lean Innovation Tracker on MyHeron provides a platform for staff to share innovation and best practice. In the first month 43 ideas were submitted with 10% of ideas implemented
• The launch of the HBL Ukraine Challenge on MyHeron supports the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and has raised £3250 to date

What the judges said…

“Heron Bros was a very worthy winner, providing an outstanding submission and evidencing it with examples, statistics and demonstrating cost savings. Heron Bros took a ‘people first’ approach; listening to its people and building a digital transformation with the user in mind. Combining a range of digital technologies to ensure their digital transformation was a success, the company showed a lean and agile approach, delivering a unique approach that others could learn from, and one of which it should be very proud.”

Find out more about the Awards and enter at www.bitcni.org.uk/awards.