Origin Energy powers homes and businesses across Australia. With over 5,000 employees spread across regional hubs, metropolitan offices, frontline sites, and remote customer call centres, the COVID‑19 shift to remote and frontline work raised an urgent question: how do we keep everyone connected?

A New Normal Means Reimagining Connection

As offices closed and teams scattered, Origin’s leadership knew that staying productive meant prioritizing mental health, wellbeing, and belonging. Without in‑person catch-ups or shared gathering places, lingering anxiety and isolation were real concerns.

Origin’s Employee Communications team understood the challenge: create a digital space that encompassed every team and location—one place where updates, stories, wellbeing tips, and authentic connection could all live.

Good Energy Exchange: A Safe Space for Shared Experience

One of the earliest initiatives was the Good Energy Exchange, a group where tips, home office setups, lunch ideas—and yes, #PetsOfOrigin—started to flow. It became a place to laugh, connect, and share, building camaraderie beyond job titles and kilowatt-hours.

Alongside this, the “Origin Cribs” video series invited everyone into each other’s homes—leaders and frontline employees alike—to share their work‑from‑home setups, best ergonomic practices, and everyday routines.

Helping Hands & Race Across Origin

With school closures and busy household lives becoming the new reality, Origin launched Helping Hands—virtual sessions with yoga, storytelling, and papercraft—so employees and kids could connect during disruption.

Just as popular: Race Across Origin, a friendly step‑tracking team challenge in October that brought healthy competition and community in a time of solitude. As one Origin employee reflected:

“Our range of health and wellbeing campaigns were brought to life in new ways … achieving greater reach and engagement, and building a stronger sense of community and connectedness.”
— Origin employee, COVID‑19 check‑in survey

One Place for Every Voice, Everywhere

What started as isolated efforts quickly united remote, frontline, and office teams into one shared space. From safety updates at outlying sites to video Q&As with leadership, the platform became the pulse of Origin’s One Origin culture.

No one was left out. Every employee—regardless of role or location—had access, a voice, and a sense of belonging.

What the Data Shows

The health and wellbeing campaigns sparked exceptional interaction and reach, reinforcing top-down and bottom-up engagement during a crisis.

Crucially, frontline teams could access the same content as their remote or office-based peers, helping to establish shared understanding and alignment across the entire business.

Want to build a culture that spans roles, locations, and daily routines?
Let’s talk about how we can bring your teams together—especially when it matters most.