Download the full case study on the same topic here: http://bit.ly/2WtHWAd One of the biggest challenges facing many companies is to ensure they have effective communication systems in place to reach and engage employees right across the organization, whether they are desk-based in HQ, at regional locations, or not as digitally connected as some of their colleagues. Reaching the latter was the challenge Laura Barbour faced when she joined Formica Group Europe as European Employee Engagement Manager in 2015. The task she faced was daunting: * The company was in financial trouble and morale was on the floor * The latest employee engagement scores were terrible * Confidence in the company leadership was very low * She was the sole internal communicator * It was very difficult to reach employees as most were shop floor workers who were not digitally connected and weren’t allowed have phones while on duty. This presentation takes you through the fascinating story of how Laura and her Formica colleagues tackled and overcame these challenges. ---  We know that every organization faces different communication challenges. Call us now if you’d like to discuss yours with one of our IC experts.  Intl. +353 21 242 7277  UK 0800 904 7955  US 781 443 7600  or visit Poppulo.com

1. Reaching Non-Desk
Employees
A Case Study from Formica Group Europe

2. One of the biggest challenges for many companies
is reaching non-desk employees.
Laura Barbour, European Employee Engagement
Manager for Formica Group Europe, took on this
challenge at a difficult time for her company.
She shared her results in a recent Poppulo
webinar. Here are the highlights.

3. The Background

4. In 2007, they were
acquired by Fletcher
Building, creating the
world’s largest
manufacturer of these
surfaces.
Since 1913, the Formica Group of
companies had been a leading
provider of decorative surfaces
and high-pressure laminate for
commercial and residential
customers worldwide.
Then, in 2008,
the Great
Recession hit.
• The collapse of the construction
industry had a sudden, massively
negative impact on Formica
• The company was losing money
• 80% of the leadership team was
replaced in a period of 6 months
• Employee engagement was at
rock bottom

5. To move the company
forward, a new interim
CEO, Mitch Quint, was
put in place.
A critical hire was Laura
Barbour as European
Employee Engagement
Manager.
Mitch and Laura had a tough
road ahead of them
Before that, the company had
no internal communications
staff, and no established
communication channels

6. The Challenges

7. Mitch created a recovery plan, but communicating
it to employees was going to be tough.
Phones were not allowed on
the factory floor
Most workers had no
email accounts
Most employees were unionized, with little ability or
appetite to communicate outside of work hours
800 of 1,000 employees were
non-wired, working in production facilities
with no access to digital technology

8. To make matters worse, employees …
Wore protective hearing
devices for safety, inhibiting
communication
Worked three separate,
staggered shifts
Largely spoke only their own local
language (Finnish, Spanish,
French, Swedish, or English)
Communications
couldn’t be pushed out
in one language!

9. At one point, 1 in every 10
laminate boards produced was
being scrapped …
… and it hadn’t been
pointed out to operatives
by management
Then, there was the issue of “scrap.”

10. Production staff were being
asked to work extra hours
It was actually because
of wastage due to
high levels of scrap
Staff thought
this was
because of high
product demand
Overtime had to be paid ꟷ a
huge cost the company could
ill-afford in a deep recession
$

11. The Recovery Plan

12. Developing an employee engagement plan was critical
Laura had her work cut out for her.
Confidence in senior
leadership only 28%
Employee engagement
only 49%
Absence rate of
almost 10%

13. Those who had
strong opinions
and would be
very vocal
Tip:
Laura held these
sessions without
company leaders
present, hoping she and
an HR rep would be
viewed as more
impartial listeners
Her first step: set up Listening Sessions
She met with three different employee groups:
Those with a
more positive
and optimistic
outlook
Those who were
more middle-of-
the-road and
less vocal
1 2 3

14. Here’s some of what she heard:
We’re worried,
not about if we
close, but
when we close.
Morale
is
ugly.
If I have an
idea I don’t
know what to
do with it.
No one comes
in to try to
make scrap.
If you make a
mistake you
are singled out
by the shift
managers.

15. She found something surprizing
This team of people looked highly
disengaged on paper, but actually
when you were speaking to them
they had ideas, they wanted to
improve, they were saying things like,
“we don’t come in here to make scrap.”
– Laura Barbour
Tip: Laura
dedicated a lot of time in
each session building up
employees’ trust, so they would
open up and give their honest
opinions. Before they would
share, they had to be
convinced they wouldn’t be
fired for giving
their opinions!

16. Check on
their
commitment
Based on what she heard, she built a 5-part model
Make sure
people become
aware of what’s
happening
around them
Give people the
opportunity to
check and
gain an
understanding
Ensure people
feel they are
supported Get people
involved
The goal:
1
2
3
4
5
get employees
involved in
shaping the
future of
the business

17. The Path to Engagement

18. 6:55
employees arrive
on site
Laura had a tiny window of time to reach employees
6:55 – 7:00
they change into
protective gear
7:00
they hit the floor and
begin work

19. So she created a Communication Station in the
changing room
Tip: Each
week, Laura cleared
out all the info sheets
from the boxes. That
way, people noticed
when new information
appeared.

20. Included critical information
about the recovery plan, as
well as “shout-outs” and
“well-dones”
• Available via Yammer to desk
employees
• Available via flyer to non-desk
employees
She also created the “Weekly Informed”
Measure your IC campaigns offline and online using Poppulo Insights

21. Takes staff off the shop floor
for 1 hour once every 6 weeks,
for discussion and Q&A about
• The recovery plan
• Investments in the plant,
property, and equipment
• Updates on the business
She introduced Team Talks …
Tip: These talks
weren’t “free.” Taking
300 employees off
the shop floor for an
hour was the equivalent
of 27 production days
for one person!

22. These
smaller talks
focused on
• Issues relating to
employees and
their work
• Staffing changes
• Any other issues
people wanted to
ask about
… and Department Team Talks “We would
get between 20 and 30
questions per session.
It was like having a
conversation and it brought
the dialogue right down to
the local level. ”
ꟷ Laura Barbour

23. • Introduced in response to feedback from
workers that they were not being listened
to and had no forum to share their ideas
• Also in the expectation that while leaders
had a recovery plan, most production
ideas would come from the shop floor
• Any employee could submit an idea, and
a winner was chosen every eight weeks.
That person won a week’s pay as a prize!
Finally, they launched the
“Better Together Awards”

24. The Outcome

25. Employee engagement soared after just one year:
Survey your employees before, during and after your campaign to understand their engagement and knowledge with Poppulo Survey

26. Plus …
Relations with unions
improved greatly
Scrap dropped
from 9‒10%
to 4%
Company saved
2.1 million NZD
(US$1.5M) on absence
Investment of
stg£40M secured from
parent company

27. Engagement did slip some the following year
It was a good reminder that you must
continuously “take it to the next level” ꟷ find other
areas where you can improve
Tip: You can’t just
“bank your success”
and expect to maintain
engagement. It
requires continuous
work.

28. Final lessons from Laura

29. “If you are looking at working with non-wired,
manufacturing employees, you’ve got to remember
that these are people who often do not get a
chance to express their voice.
So the first thing you must do is really
understand them and their work, before you can
expect them to understand you.”

30. “You truly need to design channels that work for them.
Ask ‘how do they get on site, how do they get onto the shop
floor, how many minutes is that window of opportunity for
engagement, do they care about business when it comes to
their break time?’
It’s really stepping into their shoes and looking at what kind
of framework will work for them.”

31. About the author
Laura Barbour has 20+ years of experience in the Internal Comms
field. Laura has worked in an assortment of industries, including
water, oil, social housing, and financial services. She is now
European Employee Engagement Manager for Formica Group
Europe, which has 1,000 employees based across Europe.
Moving from 8 years in financial services into the non-digital
manufacturing world was a total culture change for her. Over the
past 2 years she has developed an undying passion for
communicating in the operational industry, especially when
targeting engagement for non-wired/manufacturing employees.

32. Poppulo is the global leader in employee communications software. We
work with many of the world’s most successful corporations.
Contact us today
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Poppulo Platform
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33. Want to learn
more?
Download the Case Study