Dominion Energy

Insight

With nearly a third of its workforce eligible for retirement in a five-year span and a highly competitive labor market, Dominion Energy realized it was more important than ever to create a workplace that attracts and retains top talent. The company partnered with Padilla to launch an initiative to modernize its workspaces to best meet the needs of its employees, customers and communities.

We know that employees are more willing to adapt to change when they are involved in creating it, so we formed Employee Advisory Committees to allow employees at all levels to be involved in defining the desired culture and the changes needed to bring it to life. The committees provided insights into employee needs, preferences and challenges related to workplace culture, new ways of working, workspace changes and the move to the new building.

Idea

Under the branded Dominion Energy Workplace Plan, we incorporated culture transformation needs into the overall move communications strategy. Activities included the launch of a workplace-focused intranet site, a monthly employee email newsletter, Town Hall meetings, celebrations for various milestones (such as a beam signing event), leadership culture trainings, and many other opportunities to build employee engagement and excitement about Dominion’s workplace of the future.

Impact

In addition to constructing a new headquarters building in downtown Richmond and modernizing its other office facilities, the initiative served as a catalyst for a significant cultural transformation to enhance the workplace experience and position Dominion Energy as an employer of choice.

More than 2,000 employees moved into their new workspaces with minimal business interruption, with 88% of employees very satisfied or satisfied with the ease of the transition, and 90% very satisfied or satisfied with the move overall.