Octopus EV built a referral engine with no rewards on offer
Referrals were scattered across a shared ATS and lost in Slack threads. A branded program gave them a home, and people shared anyway, purely because they wanted the colleagues.
A strong referral culture without a home
Octopus EV wanted to amplify an already-strong referral culture through a dedicated, branded platform. Referrals were scattered across a shared ATS serving thousands of roles across the Octopus Energy group. They needed something clearer and more accessible that reflected their own employer brand.
“We’ve always believed that people refer because they genuinely want to work with great colleagues, not for rewards. Cruit simply made that easier.”
Shared, informal, and impossible to track
Their referral program lived inside a shared ATS spanning the entire group. Roles were passed around informally through Slack and email, hard to track and easy to lose. There was no clear ownership and limited visibility into progress or impact, so the process felt fragmented and inconsistent. Engagement suffered, and the harder-to-fill roles slipped through the cracks.
- Create a branded referral platform specific to Octopus EV.
- Simplify the referral process for every employee.
- Increase awareness and day-to-day participation.
- Drive referrals for harder-to-fill roles.
A branded app, in everyone’s pocket
Octopus EV launched a dedicated, branded referral platform and put it everywhere employees already were, Slack announcements, printed flyers with QR codes, and a place in onboarding. Weekly company meetings featured Cruit, success stories were shared on Slack, and consistent reminders kept the program front of mind.
The mobile app did the rest. Sharing a role took seconds and could happen anywhere, a link sent to someone over the weekend, straight from a phone. Employees described the experience as quick and genuinely easy, which is exactly what made them willing to refer again.
“People are actively using the mobile app, and it’s a game changer having something accessible. You can send a role link to someone on the weekend right from your phone.”
Impressive numbers, without a single bonus
Since launching Cruit, Octopus EV has driven 212 referrals, 49 introductions and 28 hires, reaching more than 42,000 impressions along the way. What makes it remarkable is what’s absent: there is no financial incentive for referring. Every share was a deliberate decision aligned with the company’s values, not a reward chased.
28 hires from 212 referrals, with no rewards, no bonuses, and no prompting beyond a platform that made sharing effortless.
“Since launching Cruit we’ve achieved impressive results, particularly considering we offer no financial incentives for referrals, a strategic decision aligned with our values.”
The future with Octopus EV
Early adoption concentrated on junior-level roles. Octopus EV has now identified clear opportunities to point the same energy at harder-to-fill, senior positions through targeted initiatives, while keeping the program true to the values that made it work.
- Shift focus toward harder-to-fill, senior roles
- Keep the program incentive-free and values-led
- Deepen adoption of the mobile app across teams
Ready to upgrade your referral experience?
Add your domain, tell the AI what matters, and the agent takes it from there. First month free.