Oak transforms Burger King UK’s employee experience with the launch of BK Hub

Burger King UK is a leading fast food chain. 

Reaching everyone was a growing challenge. With most staff deskless and frontline, employees often felt disconnected and new starters weren’t getting the support they needed – contributing to high turnover, high drop out rates and inconsistent onboarding. 

Nick Hollis, Head of Engagement and the team knew they needed to change how the business connected with its people. They created a personalised onboarding journey, streamlined processes and gave people a clearer sense of belonging and purpose. This resulted in a 32% reduction in employee turnover and a 40% reduction in new starter drop out rates.

Burger King’s primary challenge was to keep their employees informed and engaged, without overwhelming them with unnecessary information. Plus, with 98% of its workforce operating offline, there was a pressing need for a mobile friendly solution that allowed staff to easily access information, share achievements and seek support. 

Like many hospitality organisations, Burger King UK operates in an environment with consistently high employee turnover. Large numbers of new starters join the business every month, often across different locations and shift patterns. This made it difficult to deliver a consistent onboarding experience and ensure every new employee felt supported, informed and connected from the outset. 

Before Oak, the team relied heavily on manual processes and email heavy communications. Critical information was easy to miss, and new – and current – employees could feel disconnected from the wider business. For the team, there was also limited visibility into what employees had actually seen, understood or engaged with.

Why change was needed

The business needed a better way to support employees from day one and give every employee — regardless of role or location — access to relevant information. Success meant creating an onboarding experience that was simple, engaging and consistent, while also reducing the burden on managers and giving teams confidence that messages were landing.

Doing nothing risked continued early attrition, uneven employee experiences and a growing disconnect between restaurant teams and the wider organisation.

Stronger onboarding that supports retention from day one

Burger King UK needed more than a communications tool — they needed a platform that could directly support better onboarding, reduce early drop-off and help retain people in a high-turnover environment. Oak stood out because it enabled the business to create a more consistent, inclusive and engaging employee experience from day one, while also reducing the operational burden on managers.

By giving new starters immediate access to clear, relevant information in one mobile-friendly space, Oak helped Burger King UK strengthen onboarding and set expectations earlier. This early connection played a key role in reducing disengagement during the critical first weeks, supporting improved retention over time.

“We believe that this ongoing communication from job offer to day one has contributed to a reduction in new starter drop-out rates.”

Saving managers time and improving productivity

At the same time, Oak simplified day-to-day processes for managers. This reduced time spent on administrative tasks has freed managers up to focus on running restaurants and supporting their teams.

Reaching a young, deskless workforce through mobile-first communication

With almost the entire workforce operating without a company email address or desktop access, Burger King UK needed a solution that worked for frontline reality. Oak provided a mobile-first experience that employees could access easily, fitting naturally into how people already communicate and consume information.

For a workforce where many employees are under the age of 22, this approach was essential to driving adoption, engagement and long-term usage.

Nick said: “The beauty of BK Hub is that our people don’t need a company email address to access it”

Oak also enabled more targeted, relevant communication. Messages could be tailored to specific roles, locations or teams, ensuring employees only receive information that matters to them. This has improved clarity, reduced noise and increased engagement, helping teams stay informed without feeling overwhelmed.

Nick added: “The platform’s intelligent delivery mechanism ensures that our employees only receive the information that they need, effectively cutting through the noise and enhancing the overall engagement and communication within the company.”

Creating inclusive communication in a diverse workforce

Burger King UK’s workforce is diverse, and inclusive communication was a key priority. Oak helped remove barriers to access by ensuring employees could engage with information in a way that worked for them, regardless of background or language.

This focus on accessibility helped employees feel more confident, involved and connected — strengthening engagement and supporting retention in a high-turnover environment.

Nick added: “Making our communications accessible has helped give our employees a voice and create a more inclusive experience.”

Building a platform people rely on

Beyond onboarding and communication, Oak has become a core part of everyday working life at Burger King UK. The platform continues to evolve alongside the business, supporting social interaction, recognition and connection between Head Office and restaurant teams.

As Nick explains, adoption has grown organically — a sign that the platform delivers real value to employees.

Business impact

Oak has helped Burger King UK strengthen onboarding, reduce early drop-off and support improved retention in a high-turnover environment. At the same time, it has improved operational efficiency by saving managers time on admin and creating clearer, more consistent communication across the business.

By connecting frontline teams more closely with Head Office and giving employees a simple, engaging way to stay informed, Oak  has had a measurable impact on how Burger King UK works — supporting productivity, engagement and performance at scale.

“We know our platform is brilliant because it works so well for us, but to get the recognition externally is the icing on the cake. The old clunky intranets you imagined once upon a time have truly shaken off that reputation with suppliers like Oak leading the way in helping companies like us to achieve our internal comms and engagement goals with such an easy to use platform.”

The onboarding experience

BK Hub provides new starters with the information they need, without overwhelming them.

New crew are welcomed straight into their restaurant community through the BK Hub’s restaurant messenger chat, so they can receive a warm welcome and have any questions answered. Targeted, automated messages are delivered throughout their first few weeks to let them know about company benefits, policies and procedures, how to raise concerns and more.

Oak’s onboarding experience has positively impacted employee retention and engagement, which is crucial in an industry facing high turnover rates. This has drastically improved Burger King UK’s retention rates, with a 32% reduction in turnover of hourly paid crew in new sites from February to May 2024 and it continues to fall.

Reduced new starter drop-out

In addition to the improvements in turnover, the onboarding process that engages colleagues before they start their new job has had a significant impact on new starter drop-out rates. Prior to launching BK Hub, a significant amount of new hires would not show up on their first day, resulting in a loss of time and resource for HR and the restaurant teams.

Following the launch of BK Hub and the integrated, automated, personalised onboarding process through the app, Burger King UK has seen an incredible 40% reduction in new starter drop-out rates in the 6 months since it launched.