Acosta Group Europe, a predominantly remote and field-based business, wanted to build a sustainable, inclusive, and engaged organisation that reflected the needs of their people, customers, communities, and the planet.

Their priorities lay within 3 core areas:

Environmental Impact

With a significant portion of their operations involving a mobile field team, Acosta Group Europe was committed to cutting their CO2 emissions through better fleet and operational practices.

As part of their ESG strategy, Acosta Group Europe has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2027 and are also working towards net zero.

Their broader sustainability agenda includes long-term sustainability, ethical business practices, and social responsibility. In support of this, they work with Planet Mark to measure their carbon footprint.

Employee Engagement

Acosta Group Europe was also eager to engage their people. Whether colleagues were based in-office or working remotely, they wanted to ensure everyone felt included, heard, and empowered.

They set out to actively develop their inclusivity strategy, with a particular focus on supporting neurodiverse employees. 

Their belief is simple: their people are their greatest asset. It’s because of this belief that Acosta Group Europe’s goal was to create a culture of engagement and shared purpose that aligned with their corporate value: Making A Difference.

Through team meetings, structured engagement activities, and charity partnerships, Acosta Group Europe wanted every employee to have the opportunity to shape the future and contribute meaningfully towards their mission.

Values and Volunteering

The organisation were also committed to being a positive force in their local communities across the UK. Whether through charitable giving, volunteering programs, or partnership, their goal was to make a measurable difference.

They also wanted to engage their supplier network with aligning shared values and working towards a more sustainable and equitable future.

As part of their ongoing journey towards understanding their CSR impact, Acosta Group Europe recognised the importance of listening to their people.

The organisation began by launching a company-wide employee engagement survey designed to better understand how their employees felt about Acosta Group Europe: what they were doing well, and where they had opportunities to grow.

Using the feedback, Acosta Group Europe was able to develop a clear roadmap outlining the actions they would take to engage and empower their team.

First, they created dedicated working groups focused on high-priority areas. These groups were open to all employees (both in-office and field-based), giving everyone the opportunity to be part of something transformative. By inviting their people to deliver meaningful change, Acosta Group Europe could make a real and lasting impact on sustainability and corporate responsibility. 

Likewise, Acosta Group Europe’s marketing team played a key role in driving engagement. They launched a major campaign across internal comms to promote their CSR impact initiative and include remote colleagues as well as office-based employees. This also ensured the organisation could showcase their commitments to external partners who shared their values. 

OnHand also became a central driver of employee engagement. Acosta Group Europe employees were given the time and autonomy to engage in volunteering during work hours, which demonstrated the company-wide commitment to doing good. 

Senior management also got involved, empowering team members to take part and be the best version of themselves.

Clear narrative

Acosta Group Europe had to ensure they established a strong, clear narrative that resonated with employees across all areas of the business and gave purpose to company initiatives. From the outset, they knew it wasn’t about launching another program, but creating a movement that employees could connect with on a personal and professional level.

Upskilling

The organisation would have to factor in elements of upskilling to support employees developing the behaviours, mindset, and confidence to actively contribute. They would have to equip employees with the tools to generate ideas around engagement and sustainability, while also empowering them to share these ideas and see them to completion.

Keeping the initiative alive

A key challenge was to ensure that CSR and OnHand weren’t seen as isolated programmes, but integral to the Acosta Group Europe culture. They would have to encourage employees to move away from traditionally ‘correct behaviour’ and embrace individuality instead – otherwise the initiative wouldn’t be able to flourish.

Likewise, Acosta Group Europe also had to ensure they tapped into everyday behaviours and interests. One of the biggest hurdles involved getting employees to talk about what they did outside of work. Without this information, the organisation wouldn’t be able to encourage activities that aligned with employee interests.

Mindset

Acosta Group Europe needed to create a shift in mindset around completing activities. They struggled with getting people to record impactful things they were already doing. The organisation would have to make colleagues aware of this and transform everyday habits into trackable impact, or risk losing documentation.

CSR Champion role

Having an employee dedicated to CSR for the majority of their working week has been a major consideration for Acosta Group Europe. With legislation continuously changing, the role of ‘CSR Champion’ at Acosta Group Europe shifted from a ‘nice to have’ to a ‘need to have’.

OnHand engagement

OnHand has brought a new way of approaching volunteering, as well as the day-to-day, at Acosta Group Europe. By using OnHand as a force for change within the organisation, Acosta Group Europe has been able to continue their engagement success.

Senior Team engagement 

Acosta Group Europe’s senior team has been key to the success of employee engagement. Leading by example has been a critical lever of change – through regular communication, events, and podcasts, senior leadership have embraced new methods of communication and set an example to all employees. 

Hero awards and recognition

Recognition, while initially an overlooked area, became a huge pivot for employee engagement. By recognising employees’ involvement with volunteering activities and shoutout out OnHand Heroes (as well as implementing award ceremonies as part of meetings), Acosta Group Europe has seen a huge amount of additional involvement from employees.

OnHand engagement

Since the beginning of their OnHand partnership, Acosta Group Europe has seen:

• 95% of employees signed up

• 80% of employees earning Hero Points

• 6,007 trees planted in their company forest

• 3rd highest engagement across all OnHand partners

Employee engagement 

The organisation’s employee engagement survey coincided with their OnHand partnership. Within a year:

• Response rates rose from 65% to 82%

• B Corp understanding rose from 93% to 97%

CSR and OnHand initiatives have also delivered the powerful outcome of employees stepping forward and leading with passion, driven by personal experiences and values.

Personal empowerment then has a ripple effect, inspiring others to bring their own passions and causes to the fore.

Commercial engagement

Acosta Group Europe’s OnHand partnership has created new opportunities for client relationships. More than ever, clients are interested in aligning with businesses that share their values. By prioritising value-led employee engagement, Acosta Group Europe has seen a significant shift in clients coming forward to ask how they can get involved. 

OnHand has also supported Acosta Group Europe in building stronger relationships across the client sector. It has become a bridge for:

• Dialogue

• Shared goals

• Innovative ideas 

Training and development opportunities & succession planning

The recent focus around CSR, B Corp, and OnHand has generated opportunities for:

• Self-development

• Additional training

• Increased focus on internal succession

The creation of B Keeper groups has uncovered employees who want to develop their passion for sustainability and lead their own teams to achieve great results. This is key for employees to become part of the organisation’s succession plan.

Neurodiversity

A particularly meaningful outcome has been the organisation’s improved understanding of neurodiversity. For example, a Acosta Group Europe employee with ADHD who struggled with task-based concentration found a way to channel their creativity into idea and project planning within the organisation’s working groups.

New behaviours and approaches, discovered through these working groups and wider CSR efforts, have helped drive the agenda forward with fresh energy.