Working closely with Octopus Energy, Your London Tutor (YLT) has delivered a series of personalised English language programmes that have empowered employees to connect with colleagues, stakeholders and customers around the world while cultivating a sense of community among the company’s international divisions and customer support teams.
Programme objectives
Octopus Energy is an international energy company, powering homes and businesses in the UK, EU, Japan, New Zealand and the USA.
Recognising the value of fostering a cohesive workforce, the company sought to enhance connections among its employees across different national divisions. Specifically, it aimed to build strong bonds and a sense of community through a shared language, with English deemed the logical choice as a global business language and given the company’s global footprint.
As a first step, specialised English language training was planned for 25 employees, with the goal of empowering them to connect with internal stakeholders, overseas colleagues and customers. Your London Tutor was consulted to bring these ambitions to fruition.
Taking a consultative approach
Working closely with Octopus Energy’s Management and People teams, YLT delved into the company’s objectives and tailored a programme to meet its specific needs. In taking the time to understand the value that the firm places on employee freedoms, trust and authentic interactions, a bespoke programme was as much about promoting that culture as it was about mastering English.
Personalised one-to-one sessions were held to understand the team’s goals, learning styles, and confidence levels, ensuring courses were designed to maximise learning potential, enjoyment, and engagement. Following these thorough consultations, Your London Tutor developed a comprehensive proposal that would provide support in several areas:
- Group and one-to-one language training to enable employees to communicate effectively with colleagues and customers.
- Workshops to foster collaboration across teams and regions and sharpen key business skills such as presenting, written communication and networking
- Realistic projects to immerse participants in real-life scenarios they may encounter, equipping them with the tools and strategies needed to successfully navigate and overcome potential challenges.
Real-world language solutions
With a strong emphasis on personalisation, language classes for Octopus Energy’s teams often went beyond traditional classroom approaches in favour of varied and more interesting alternatives.
Central to this approach has been the creation of relevant and tailored scenarios for participants. As the Octopus Energy teams work in fast-paced business environments, customised exercises were developed to equip them with the specific language skills needed to navigate challenging conversations and be vocal members of their teams when needed.
Tailored language scenarios included learning how to listen effectively and respond with empathy, aligning with Octopus Energy’s focus on sharing ideas in a supportive environment. Equally, other classes focused on enabling the participants to talk passionately and eloquently when discussing Octopus Energy’s services and technologies with overseas colleagues.
Within these real-world training scenarios, learners are encouraged to tackle complex or demanding situations, and their skills and confidence invariably improve.
As the needs of Octopus Energy have naturally evolved over time, regular and transparent communications have been held with all key stakeholders, ensuring that suitable adjustments are made to courses, whenever and wherever necessary.
Phil seamlessly connected with our company's culture and ethos, becoming a true advocate. His remarkable dedication extends beyond language training; his exceptional ability to communicate and collaborate makes him a pleasure to work with at every level, and we're grateful for his contributions.'
A natural match
The results of the English language programmes have been immensely positive.
Impeccable customer service is at the heart of Octopus Energy’s mission, values and success. The company seeks employees who are informative, friendly, always act in the customer’s best interests and can communicate key information comfortably, confidently and clearly.
With this in mind, YLT has helped Octopus Energy’s employees enhance their skill sets in the most useful ways possible. Crucially, staff members have been able to leverage their newfound language and communication skills when interacting with English-speaking colleagues in different regions. This proactive engagement has strengthened internal communications, building on a strong sense of unity and collaboration across the company’s global teams.
What’s more, those engaged in the programme now exhibit considerably greater confidence in using English to convey their ideas, facilitating internal meetings spanning multiple national teams in a common language. Those same employees, who are now more able to freely converse, have continued to build strong personal relationships – so much so that there have been instances in which Octopus Energy employees have visited and met their colleagues abroad.
The synergy between Octopus Energy and Your London Tutor through culture, focus and employee opportunity has been key. The importance of talent engagement and upskilling is ingrained into the ethos of both companies – a natural alignment that has made this partnership uniquely effective.
Elevate your team's communication with Your London Tutor's training
Why choose Your London Tutor?
- Personalised training: Programmes tailored to your specific business requirements.
- Global reach: Enable your employees to effectively connect with colleagues and customers around the globe.
- Expert guidance: Delivered by experienced professionals who understand your industry.
