Digital technology solutions can support HR teams to be more efficient and productive but also enhance engagement with employees. Shortlisted organisations in the 2024 Personnel Today Award for Digital HR and Technology, sponsored by NU Concept Solutions, reported multiple benefits in their use of workplace technology.
AMFRESH Group UK
AMFRESH is a leading supplier of fresh fruit, vegetables, and juice to the UK’s top supermarkets, with three main sites in Peterborough, Alconbury and Skelmersdale. It employs around 400 salaried and 1,000 weekly paid staff. It has recently experienced rapid growth in operations, customer base and employee numbers. However, internal communication across its dispersed workforce was weak, especially between desk-based and factory-based employees who lacked access to work computers.
This led to disengagement, inconsistent updates, and a lack of connection across its sites. The challenge was intensified by language barriers, with over 25 languages spoken within the company, making translations time-consuming and selective. To address these issues, AMFRESH implemented Workvivo by Zoom, a mobile-first platform that improves internal communications and engagement.
Workvivo offers features such as in-platform translations, streamlined rewards and recognition, community spaces for collaboration, and tools for sharing up-to-date documents. It enables all employees, including those without company laptops, to access important information in their native languages.
Since its launch, 83% of employees have activated the platform, which has significantly improved communication, engagement, and recognition processes. The introduction of Workvivo has reduced email traffic and ensured that employees across all sites receive consistent updates, enhancing equality and connection throughout the company.
Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland aims to be an inclusive employer where all staff can thrive. To support this goal, it developed the Colleague Career Proposition ‘Careers Academy’, which offers employees a digital careers platform and digital learning experience so they can work out future career pathways and the skills they will need to acquire. These were created following a group-wide skills assessment that highlighted the need for upskilling and reskilling employees to future-proof the organisation.
Careers Lab is a digital platform that matches employees with opportunities based on their skills and values. It allows employees to understand their career motivations, build networks through mentors and career connectors, and access personalised learning resources. It simplifies access to career development, making it easier for employees to progress within the company. A pilot with 200 staff provided insights that helped refine it, and it was then rolled out in phases to ensure smooth adoption.
Future Skills Pathways complement this platform through self-led learning journeys to enhance digital skills in areas such as data fluency, project management, and cyber security. These pathways include both foundational and advanced learning options, featuring a mix of digital content, expert sessions, and role-based certifications.
The technology has significantly improved career mobility and skills development at Bank of Ireland, resulting in increased engagement and satisfaction among staff. The use of these digital tools supports the bank’s strategic ambitions by equipping employees with the necessary skills to succeed in a competitive market.
Ciena in partnership with Benefex
Networking equipment company Ciena has over 8,000 employees across approximately 35 countries. Despite its strong presence in the tech sector, its benefits system was outdated, relying on spreadsheets and manual processes that varied by country. This led to poor user experiences and inefficiencies, including prolonged onboarding times and significant administrative burdens for the benefits team.
To address these challenges, Ciena collaborated with Benefex to develop Circuit, an automated self-service portal designed to streamline benefits processes and provide a consistent, modern experience for employees. Circuit offers a unified platform that reflects Ciena’s tech-driven culture, meeting the high expectations of its tech-savvy workforce.
The solution has simplified benefits administration, significantly reducing manual reporting by at least five hours per month and eliminating 70 hours of annual enrolment reporting in the UK. The platform also enhances data security and integrity by minimising the risk of human error. By providing timely reports to providers and brokers, Circuit ensures that employees can access their benefits quickly and without delays.
The introduction of Circuit has also increased employee engagement, with log-in rates rising significantly during launches. Moreover, employee queries to the benefits team have decreased tenfold, freeing up time for HR operations. Ciena employees have responded positively, with an overwhelming majority expressing satisfaction with the platform.
Deloitte UK
Deloitte UK has significantly improved its benefits offering by overhauling its outdated system with a new, technology-driven approach. Its previous system had been cumbersome and inflexible, leading to poor user experience and high administrative costs. To address this, Deloitte partnered with Aon to implement the TBS ‘Next Generation’ benefits platform, which introduced automated processes and a streamlined user interface.
This transformation allowed Deloitte to scale how it manages benefits in line with future growth and provided a seamless experience for employees, who could access all reward elements in one place at any time. The new platform also featured a mobile app, Total Reward Statements, and a multi-channel communication strategy that engaged employees through innovative methods, including virtual experiences.
Benefits transactions now happen significantly faster, reducing the administrative burden and eliminating the need for human intervention. This led to substantial cost savings, improved compliance, and a more transparent, market-aligned rewards system.
The overhaul has increased both employee engagement and adoption rates, with a notable rise in the perception of the benefits offered, despite no increase in benefits allowance. The project met its strategic objectives, including reducing attrition related to remuneration and enhancing the overall employee experience, making the benefits system easier and more appealing to use.
Mitie in partnership with eArcu
Facilities management company Mitie onboards 20,000 new hires each year and has ambitions of employing over 90,000 people in the next three years. Prior to installing a new onboarding platform, the process was manual and time-consuming for managers. Mitie already used eArcu’s applicant tracking system and chose to implement its digital onboarding solution to further streamline the onboarding process and align with Mitie’s employee value proposition.
Previously, onboarding was tracked with Excel sheets, leading to data integrity issues and difficulties in performance reporting. The process was also labour-intensive and costly, with managers often opting for agencies due to high customer demands. Interviews with new hires highlighted frustrations with the process, which took an average of 45 days from job offer to readiness to work. The new system was implemented over four months and went live in July 2023.
Automation has reduced the manual tasks for managers, enabling new employees to start work with the necessary tools more quickly. New hires receive alerts via SMS and email so communication is effective and frequent. A dashboard for managers showcases the onboarding progress, reducing the average onboarding time to 23 days. The system has improved efficiency, data quality, and overall experience for new hires, delivering significant cost savings and enhancing business performance.
Sonova
Sonova operates under brands such as Boots Hearing Care and AudioNova, forming one of the world’s largest networks of hearing care stores. This extensive network enables Sonova to integrate consumer feedback directly into the development of innovative products and services. The company has introduced an app designed to enhance the skills and capabilities of its regional sales managers (RSMs), who are crucial in driving sales and customer experience.
This app, developed by Sonova in collaboration with Relesys and Go1, merges operational excellence with learning opportunities. It offers a clear and consistent approach to managing daily tasks and includes engaging learning content that managers can access anywhere. The app saves time, builds essential skills, and promotes transparency. It also fosters effective communication and planning, ensuring RSMs are well-prepared and confident in their roles.
The app addresses several key challenges for managers, such as providing clarity, improving time management, and driving accountability. It supports high-quality interactions at all touchpoints and offers learning in short, relevant bursts. The app’s features include planning tools, store visit records, coaching aids, and task management, all underpinned by tailored learning content.
Since its launch, the app has been widely adopted, with impressive engagement metrics and a significant impact on performance and coaching quality. A pilot at Boots Hearing Care led to improvements in store visits, coaching effectiveness, and performance assessment. The app is now an integral part of the RSM role, offering valuable insights and supporting continuous development and strategic goals.
Welcome Break
Welcome Break is a leading motorway service area operator in the UK, managing 59 service areas and 31 hotels nationwide. It employs over 6,000 team members and operates renowned food and retail brands such as Waitrose & Partners, Starbucks, Subway, WHSmith, KFC, Pizza Express, and Burger King, alongside hotels under the Ramada and Days Inn brands.
Personnel Today Awards
To enhance onboarding and development, Welcome Break faced challenges with an outdated, desktop-only learning platform, which hindered engagement and tracking. To address this, the company partnered with Attensi to implement a new interactive, gamified learning platform called ‘Highway!’. Accessible online and via mobile app, this has transformed the training process. It uses engaging elements like characters and challenges to motivate staff, who earn ‘stars’ for correct answers and can advance through modules, eventually reaching the top of the leaderboard.
The revamped platform includes an immersive onboarding journey, covering essential customer service principles and other key topics. The ‘Leading a Team’ development programme has also been digitised, offering a tailored training experience through videos, quizzes, and interactive content. Managers can track progress more efficiently, and the programme now features face-to-face check-ins to further support team members.
The new platform has led to over 27,000 hours of learning, with an impressive 99% engagement rate. Customer satisfaction has improved, and team members report higher satisfaction with their development and company direction. The platform continues to evolve, supporting various business objectives such as diversity and inclusion.
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