Reaching frontline employees can be a challenge, especially when time-sensitive news or updates need to be shared from HQ to floor workers. How do you ensure that each and every frontline employee gets the right message at the right time? How do you reach them in times of crisis? How do you make sure they have the information they need to do their job?
The short answer: using an employee communications app.
We caught up with Arjan van der Wel, Training Teamlead HR & Operations at Bever, to hear some insights about how the Dutch retail giant uses an employee communications app to increase engagement for 2,000+ employees at their 40 stores. He shares how Bever Connect, their branded employee communications app created by Speakap, helps with increasing employee reach, particularly around events.
In fact, Bever's HR & Operations team members use the Events feature in the app to make sure that they reach every single employee, especially those that are deskless and don't have a company email address. Arjan tells us more about it below.
Q Josine
Can you give an example of how you use the employee communications app at Bever?
A Arjan
We use the employee communications app when reaching out to all our employees, specifically to those frontline employees who don't have a corporate email address. Using an app means that company information is accessible to everyone from their own mobile devices. We're a big fan of the Events feature on the internal communication software...it's a godsend. Since only some employees have Bever email addresses, the Events feature on the internal communication mobile app has proven to be the best way for us to reach the entire organization and easily keep track of those who 'join' the events. And the event reminders are extremely practical, especially for employees without calendars nor email reminders.
Q Josine
Interesting! Can you tell us a little bit more about how you use the Events feature in the employee communications app?
A Arjan
We started using the Events feature on the social intranet software when COVID-19 hit. With the employee communications app, we were able to train our store staff around new measures as well as our products. Training sessions are an essential part of our operations, and by using the Events feature on the app, we were able to keep these sessions going remotely. We also generally use the feature to schedule fun events with the whole company, such as quizzes. Essentially the app becomes an employee engagement tool.
Q Josine
How does the Events feature in the internal communication mobile app help with operations at Bever?
A Arjan
Above all, it's about being able to reach an entire region or the entire organization at once. This creates more inclusivity because different people in the organization are able to create an event on the employee communication app. For instance, a manager can schedule an anniversary event, or the head office can schedule a webinar around an interesting topic. And when it comes to small outings, such as having a beer together, an event can easily be created, which increases employee engagement. And for the employee it's easy to use, and simply all in one place: the Bever Connect app.
