Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson hosts weekly staff sessions

Every Friday at 4.15pm, Octopus Energy founder Greg Jackson hosts an online session called “family dinner” for the company’s roughly 13,000 staff across eight countries. The half-hour gathering features rapid-fire presentations from Jackson and his top managers concerning the latest company news, interspersed with video clips, jokey animations, and online staff comments.

Inside the Weekly Online Gatherings

During one session observed at the group’s London headquarters on Oxford Street, staff grabbed drinks from company fridges and settled in front of a large screen as 4.15pm neared. Jackson talked about people he had met at Octopus Live customer sessions, including a Manchester couple who reduced their bills to £12 a month and a breast cancer survivor assisted by the company. Country heads then delivered updates, prompting lively reactions from Jackson, who exclaimed Jesus! upon learning that the German division swept all 36 categories in industry awards for customer service and innovation, and called the news Absolutely f**king great! when his colleague in Tokyo reported reaching 600,000 Japanese customers.

Jackson Offers Trip for Solar Panel Knowledge

The sessions alternate formats each week, cycling through a global session, a country-specific session, another global session, and a team-level session. To engage employees further, Jackson announced a prize offering a free trip to China and Japan for the two workers who can correctly state how many solar panels were installed in China in 2025.

Communication Approaches at Other Firms

Other major organisations handle internal communications differently. At HSBC, where Georges Elhedery runs a listed company with more than 200,000 employees across 56 countries while axing expensive staff, the chief executive uses emails at quarterly results time, regional town hall meetings, panel discussions, and online chats with outside guests like Demis Hassabis. Meanwhile, BBC director general Matt Brittin participates in online Q&A sessions for more than 20,000 staff, and McKinsey global managing partner Bob Sternfels writes a regular blog covering client forces and his travels.