Partnering for long-term impact through customised listening
MinterEllison, a leading Australian law and advisory firm, initiated a strategy to enhance its performance culture and people engagement.
In 2015, under new leadership, the firm launched a comprehensive effort to align its workforce with its strategic vision and effectively measure people engagement. MinterEllison needed more than a generic, off-the-shelf solution. They needed a highly customisable, agile listening solution that could match the complexity of a partnership model and evolve with the business.
That’s where WTW came in.
WTW partnered closely with MinterEllison’s leadership to design a survey approach based on our research into engagement and high-performance organisations. The survey design, analysis and recommendations were developed to enhance both client and people experience, supporting the firm’s strategic ambitions.
Between 2016 to 2021, MinterEllison conducted annual firm-wide engagement surveys, with additional check-ins during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor the wellbeing and engagement of its people. While the pandemic brought a temporary decline in engagement, the firm’s proactive response, listening closely to its teams and focusing on its culture of client excellence, helped engagement levels rebound strongly.
By 2021, MinterEllison evolved its approach by adopting WTW’s Engage software to support a more agile and continuous feedback model across the people lifecycle. Engage enabled MinterEllison to design and run its firm engagement and lifecycle surveys, while getting expert advice on understanding and using the results to inform action. In 2024, the firm developed a new listening strategy organised around three targeted surveys in the year, covering firm strategy, team culture and emerging priorities like wellbeing.
Through consistent listening and action, MinterEllison has developed and sustained levels of people engagement and retention that exceed legal and professional services industry benchmarks and achieve Global High Performance (GHP) in several areas.
From 2015 to 2025, MinterEllison built on its already strong engagement and achieved a 2% increase in employees’ willingness to recommend the firm as a workplace and a 4% rise in intention to stay, both exceeding benchmarks for the professional services sector.
+2% points On willingness to recommend as a place to work over the period 2015 - 2025. 2% point above Professional Services and Global High Performance
The changed listening approach in 2024 focused partners and managers on team experiences. The results? Substantial improvements in the culture of excellence and effective management. Teams became significantly more proactive in sharing client satisfaction feedback, with a 15% increase, and seeking diverse expertise, with a 9% increase. Partners and managers feedback on individual performance also improved by 13%.
+15% points Feedback on how satisfied clients are with the work we perform is shared in my practice group/team over the period 2015 – 2025. 13% points above Professional Services & 3% above GHPN
+9% points My practice group/team actively seeks differing opinions and expertise from across the firm to come up with the best solution for our clients over the period 2015 - 2025. 9% points above Professional Services & 3% above GHPN
Wellbeing of people has also been a focus for the firm since 2015. A step change in results was seen post COVID-19 and has continued as the firm built an integrated wellbeing strategy to support its people in work and life. Leadership focus on wellbeing rose by +13%.
+13% points Partners/Directors are interested in the wellbeing of our people over the period 2015 – 2025. 1% point above Professional Services & 1% above GHPN
Finally, in the last few years, confidence in the firm’s vision and brand perception also increased by 7%, supported by clear messaging, leadership alignment and industry-leading technology adoption.
+7% points Firm leadership had a clear vision for the future over the period 2022-2025 6% points above Professional Services & -1% to GHPN
“WTW has been a trusted partner in shaping our people engagement strategy. Their expert advice on listening, survey design and clear recommendations on where to focus our actions – combined with intuitive, user-friendly software – have truly set them apart.”
Nikki Jones | Chief Talent Officer, MinterEllison
By partnering with WTW and adopting a tailored, evolving listening strategy, MinterEllison built and sustained a high-performance culture, setting itself apart in the legal sector. In the words of Nikki Jones, Chief Talent Officer at MinterEllison, "WTW has been a trusted partner in shaping our people engagement strategy. Their expert advice on listening, survey design and clear recommendations on where to focus our actions – combined with intuitive, user-friendly software – have truly set them apart".
