Using Employee Voice to Drive Engagement and Mission Impact
The team at Diabetes UK uses employee feedback to strengthen culture, guide decisions, and ensure colleagues feel heard every step of the way.
Not-for-Profit
251 - 500 Employees
The overview
Diabetes UK partners with Hive to better understand and support its employees, ensuring
staff feel valued, empowered, and able to contribute to the charity’s mission.
Starting with engagement surveys and expanding into always-on feedback tools, the organisation tracks key workforce metrics, responds to challenges like flexible working, and strengthens its EDI initiatives.
The result: actionable insights and a workforce more connected to the charity’s mission to improve the lives of people living with diabetes.
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What brought them to Hive
Partnering with Hive gave Diabetes UK the tools to understand its people at a deeper level.
Key factors in choosing Hive included:
- Rock-solid confidentiality so employees could share the “good, bad and the ugly”
- Benchmarking against other non-profit organisations to provide meaningful context
- Flexible question sets, including custom strategic and EDI questions
- Reporting designed to inform real decisions, not just generate data
- Value for money, essential for a charity stewarding donated funds responsibly
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Hive’s platform allowed the charity to move beyond simple snapshots of employee sentiment to a strategic early-warning system, where real-time insights help guide leadership decisions and respond to challenges as they arise.
Protecting a high-performing culture
For a legacy charity like Diabetes UK, employees aren’t just staff, they are the heartbeat of its mission. Founded in 1934, the charity works every day to improve the lives of people living with diabetes through trusted information, research funding, campaigns, and community mobilisation. Sustaining a high-performing culture over decades requires more than tradition—it demands truly listening to its people.
When Emily Wilson, Internal Communications Manager at Diabetes UK, looked for a new employee voice partner, the goal wasn’t to “fix” anything. As she explains:
“We weren’t trying to fix disengagement. We were trying to protect what was already working and get even better at listening.”
The charity recognised that the biggest risk isn’t what employees say, but what they don’t.
Diabetes UK wanted to make the most of every donated pound and stay true to its mission. To do that, they needed a platform where colleagues could speak openly and safely.
Moving from "snapshots" to a strategic early-warning system
Engagement surveys are a good start, but Diabetes UK went further by implementing Hive Open Door—a confidential, always-on digital suggestion box.
Engagement surveys are a good start, but Diabetes UK went further by implementing Hive Open Door—a confidential, always-on digital suggestion box.
This transformed their HR approach from reactive to proactive:
- Psychological safety: Open Door provides a secure space for colleagues to raise concerns the moment they arise
- Mitigating burnout: It acts as a trusted “early-warning system,” allowing managers to address stress and workload pressures before they escalate into turnover or disengagement
- Real-time agility: By using custom questions on flexible working, EDI, and wellbeing, the charity can respond to emerging workforce issues in real time
“Surveys help us understand how our employees are feeling. When they’re supported and heard, they can more effectively support people affected by diabetes.”Â
–Â Emily Wilson, Internal Communications Manager at Diabetes UK
These insights directly inform internal communications, leadership visibility, and the accessibility of learning and development programs, creating a more informed and supportive workplace.
Open Door: Always-on feedback
To complement surveys, Diabetes UK implemented Hive Open Door, a confidential space where employees can raise concerns or share ideas at any time. This acts as a trusted early-warning system: managers can respond to stress or workload pressures before they escalate, safeguarding both employees and the mission.
“Open Door gives colleagues a real sense of psychological safety and the confidence to share concerns.”
By combining strategic surveys and always-on feedback, Diabetes UK has shifted from reactive management to proactive support. Real-time insights allow the charity to adapt quickly to emerging workforce challenges, from wellbeing and burnout to flexible working needs.
Closing the loop builds trust
Participation rates have reached up to 85%, demonstrating the trust employees place in Hive. Diabetes UK shares reports promptly, guides senior leaders with dashboards, and encourages teams to act locally.
“The confidentiality in Hive is so important. People feel safe saying what they really think.”
This predictable rhythm of feedback—asking, listening, acting—creates a culture where employees know their voices lead to tangible outcomes.
Listening as a mission-critical tool
For Diabetes UK, employee experience and beneficiary impact are inseparable. A workforce that feels heard, valued, and empowered is better equipped to support the millions living with diabetes.
 “Hive has helped us understand our people in a way we simply couldn’t before. The insight we get directly influences how we work, how we serve the community, and ultimately how effectively we deliver our mission.”
— Emily Wilson, Internal Communications Manager at Diabetes UK
Listening isn’t just good practice, it’s central to protecting culture, sustaining performance, and delivering on a mission.
Who is Diabetes UK?
Diabetes UK is the leading charity in the UK dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1934, the organisation provides trusted information and support, funds research to advance treatment and prevention, campaigns to improve healthcare and policy, and mobilises communities through fundraising and awareness initiatives.
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