Background
In 2021, VML (then Wunderman Thompson) recognised a critical need to enhance career coaching and mentoring for its global workforce of over 12,000 employees. Employee surveys revealed gaps in career growth, feedback and goal-setting resources. Traditional career development tools were either costly, unscalable or lacked customisation for VML’s unique culture. To address this the organisation sought to create an innovative, scalable process rooted in its branding expertise to empower employees to define and achieve personal success.
Approach
VML launched THRIVE, a bespoke career solution integrated into Microsoft Teams for accessibility and ease of use. THRIVE operationalised the company’s personal branding philosophy through its 4Ps framework: Purpose (career ambition), Proposition (unique strengths), Personality (perceptions of value) and Priorities (goals).
The rollout began with annual global Career Hack events, featuring panels and coaching sessions led by senior leaders. The process extended throughout the year with tools like THRIVE Office Hours (supporting managers on how to guide employee career conversations), THRIVE Thursdays (dedicated times for self-reflection and coaching) and bias-free feedback training.
“What started as an organisation without a formal career conversation process has evolved into one where 72% of employees now actively participate”
Employees use the app to manage career and wellbeing goals, request feedback and access coaching dashboards. Available in seven languages it’s intuitive design includes just-in-time tutorials and office-level, regional and global leaderboards to nurture healthy competition, encouragement and best practices.
Outcomes
THRIVE has achieved measurable success over three cycles. What started as an organisation without a formal career conversation process has evolved into one where 72% of employees now actively participate, with 80% of feedback requests successfully completed. The simple consumer-like UX has resulted in an 11% rise in employee-reported goal clarity and development awareness.
The app is now the most-used PowerApp across WPP, VML’s parent company, and was adopted organisation-wide by more than 26,000 employees following the Wunderman Thompson/VMLY&R merger. Employees praise THRIVE for its transparency, user-friendliness and impact on personal and professional growth. An upcoming GPT integration will augment managers’ coaching effectiveness through AI-generated colleague feedback summaries and custom coaching prompts. By transforming coaching into a seamless, meaningful experience VML exemplifies a commitment to empowering its people.