This was our first induction design and it was an amazingly creative and touching experience.
Charter Hall is a large Australian Property Fund Management group. We were asked to design an onboarding experience that would leave newcomers feeling connected, intrigued and already seeing themselves as part of the story. The induction day would compliment their existing online resources.
Our design included story gathering sessions with the founders, key players and other team members and then working with them to share their stories out loud. We heard tales of derring do, determination, trusted collaborations, near misses and wild successes. These stories are the heart and soul of any business. They reveal the true brand story better than anything…but often they never get told.
Chief Experience Officer, Natalie Devlin, was the driver behind the storyful approach and is a great believer in the power of stories. Natalie wanted to welcome the new staff to the ‘tribe’ in a way that would cut through the usual organisational expectations – and reveal the heart, personality and mission of the business. She believed Charter Hall’s real stories would jumpstart the newbies’ understanding and their feelings of belonging and possibility.
We didn’t want it to be the usual death by Powerpoint or dry corporate day. The purpose was to drive connection through storytelling – the Group’s story, key people in the Group’s story (a mix of old and young) and the new inductee’s story too. All the messaging is either through experience or storytelling. The stories illustrate what’s important to us; what makes this company and its people so special and what is asked of all of us in good, and more importantly, challenging times.
Natalie Devlin
Everything about the day was planned through a story lens, including the interactive experiences, a 30 year story timeline and a gathering around the ‘campfire’ to meet the storytellers themselves. The focus was on real stories, boldly and truthfully told, to inspire, inform and encourage this very select audience.
It was and continues to be a great success: welcoming not just new staff but new stories that continue to explain and celebrate Charter Hall’s journey.
Thank you for our first ever Induction Day! Excited to see everything brought to life – I am very happy with how we delivered and engaged with our new starters yesterday. It has also been pleasing to hear from our attendees how much they loved the day and how connected they feel to Charter Hall.
Lisa Corcoran, People Manager
