Challenge

Morgan Sindall contacted us in late 2020, knowing that they needed an alternative solution to hosting their annual early careers assessment day but not knowing how we would make the event happen in practice given the restrictions posed by Covid-19. 

The critical challenge for the client was how to engage and interact with a group of Gen Z candidates who are much more tech-savvy than us and who have different employment expectations and what a career in construction looks like. Face to face interaction, particularly when interviewing a candidate and genuinely trying to get to know someone virtually, is not easy. 

Solution

Working closely with the HR lead throughout the process, we designed a day that would be interactive and engaging for the graduates and would allow the interview team to get a sense of how the graduates reacted to a very unexpected task. 

A week before the interview day, we posted each candidate a workshop pack with a Lego Explorer pack, branded notebook, and pen. 

On the day, we split the graduates into two teams. Whilst one group were being interviewed, the other group participated in a Lego Serious Play workshop. We designed the workshop to allow the graduates to talk about themselves, Morgan Sindall as a potential employer, and their traits to help them have a fulfilling career in the construction sector.

Keeping a group of people occupied virtually for an entire day is not easy. It was thankfully a great success. We observed our candidates interacting with one another; seeing how creative they were when making their models was delightful. Watching our senior team engaging with these candidates and having fun was brilliant. 

Jonathan of Make Happy provided key observations and feedback on all of the candidates during our review of the day, which fed into the decision-making process and was invaluable. Throughout the day, Fiona’s nerves of steel ensured everything went off without a hitch – people went into the correct virtual meeting room and the various activities of the day ran to time. 

The whole event was slick and professional, with high energy and fun for all. I would not hesitate in recommending Make Happy to anyone. They are already doing more work for us as I type this. If you are looking for a thoughtful, energetic, responsive collaborator to work with, then look no further.

– Cat Puglia, HR Business Partner