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Making Employee Voice a National Maintenance Standard
Project Overview
Project Overview
Class Winner at the IOIC Awards 2026 for Best Listening Program
Network Rail faced a persistent operational challenge: approximately 14,000 employees working across 13 distinct Routes were addressing many of the same maintenance issues separately, without a reliable way to exchange lessons, avoid repeated effort or expand successful approaches. Earlier initiatives had struggled to gain traction because ownership, trust and clear follow-through were missing. Afiniti responded by designing and launching a listening-led knowledge-sharing program within six months.
Our solution brought together co-creation, community development, digital tools and clear governance, allowing frontline experience to reach more teams and local improvements to become practices that could be adopted nationally. Three objectives guided the work: convert shared knowledge into practical change, reduce duplicated effort across Routes and establish a lasting community of practice.
Our Solution
Our Solution
We partnered closely with the leadership team and adjusted the work as organizational priorities evolved. Together, we:
Developed the program alongside representatives from regional teams to build relevance, shared ownership and sustained adoption
Created a peer network and hosted in-person events to identify common challenges, highlight successful approaches and support collaborative problem-solving across regions
Introduced a governance model that gave high-value ideas a defined path from frontline insight to approved, repeatable practice
Launched a centralized knowledge hub featuring searchable case studies, practical guides, videos and reusable templates
Ran a focused communications strategy through trusted local channels, visible leadership support and recognition for contributors
Established ongoing feedback loops that strengthened the program as it developed and ensured participant input shaped each iteration
The Difference We Made
The Difference We Made
“The scale of opportunity is incredible, and I am looking forward to seeing the learning and growth develop in actions and outcomes!”
Program Director
Built senior-level alignment and visibility, giving more than 10 executive and vice president-level leaders a consistent narrative, clear accountabilities and a practical framework for leading change
Expanded national access to proven solutions through one shared platform, with 40 case studies and six spotlight videos contributed within the first few months, turning collective knowledge into practical improvements
Established the first structured pathway for frontline ideas to become organization-wide recommendations that reduced duplicated effort
Generated strong participation through a digital community and in-person events, with 88% of attendees rating the experience very good or excellent
Connected leaders who had rarely collaborated before, creating lasting relationships for peer learning
Established a lasting community of practice across leadership and regional teams, supporting continued knowledge exchange
Established a sustainable model that is now being adopted and tailored across the organization, supporting the broader program’s multimillion-dollar efficiency plans
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