Case | Evidensia
Evidensia builds corporate culture for 40,000 employees in 16 countries
It started as two intranets in the Nordic region, but then became the basis for a solution that spans 16 countries and 40,000 employees. Employees at Evidensia now have a common platform to communicate on.
Background information
"It spread by word of mouth"
Evidensia is an animal healthcare chain operating in 20 countries – in Sweden, the Nordic countries, Europe and Canada. For a long time, the group was working with an outdated and overcrowded intranet. In fact, not all countries even had one. This made internal communication difficult in the local markets but also between countries.
Sweden and Norway each decided to build intranets in Sitevision – and now the solution has been launched across Europe and is used by almost 40,000 animal-loving employees at Evidensia.
– Word of mouth spread. The other countries wanted a similar solution too, explains Maria Hofling, Product Owner at Evidensia.
"Employees meet digitally in groups to discuss different topics. We avoid working in silos and specialists in different offices can share ideas with each other."
Utmaning
Internal communication, company culture and a meeting place
– When we acquired Sitevision, Evidensia was in a start-up phase and we needed to establish achannel for how we talk to employees. We needed a better intranet solution that allowed more than one-way communication and where more people could manage the content. Easy to use and modern, says Maria Hofling and continues:
– In the past, two people had to spend twice as much time updating the intranet. For example, a veterinarian needed to contact IT and explain where and how they wanted to share information and then there were feedback rounds on that.
Another challenge was to create a natural hub for all the systems and functions used within Evidensia. And to build corporate culture.
– We wanted to build corporate culture and make all employees understand what they are part of. That we work for first-class animal care and to always increase the level of knowledge. While we were growing and on a journey of change, effective internal communication was important.
Solution
Shared platform in all countries
The new intranet is based on the same basic templates in all countries. The basic template includes support for your own work, answers to HR and IT questions, and a veterinary section with treatment advice, policies and networking opportunities.
– Sharing the same platform allows us to communicate more with each other and develop the benefits of the intranet together. The more we grow, the more material and content we have for everyone to access. This benefits everyone.
The intranet is now used in the daily work of the clinics. A flow of the latest news, information on training, integrations and links to other systems and knowledge articles is a great help during the days out in the clinics. In addition, there is a hub where research projects are collected and where everyone can follow new findings.
Valued features by the editors are the ability to target personalised messages, the social features that reduce the number of emails with heavy attachments and that it is a proven and well-functioning tool.
The result
Now everyone has time to spare
What started as two intranets, one in Sweden and one in Norway, has become a common platform for all countries. A platform where everyone can communicate with everyone, where knowledge is exchanged every day and where new discoveries are generously and effectively shared. Employees can log in with their own login and be active in groups.
– The commitment of employees is absolutely crucial, says Maria Hofling and continues:
– It's only when engagement is in place that you can really work on retaining and attracting new skills. After the first year with Sitevision, daily active users increased by 67 %.
Previously, Evidensia disseminated internal information campaigns by making posters and moving material that was sent out to the clinics. Often, employees had to wait until the next scheduled team meeting to receive more information. One such campaign took an average of two weeks to complete and involved 10 staff members. Now they communicate campaigns easily and effectively via the intranet.
Many people appreciate the news feed, training pages and articles that enable staff to solve practical clinical tasks. The fact that knowledge can be accessed quickly means that employees have time for the work they are really passionate about. The work that really matters.