ENGIE Services AG is a subsidiary of the Paris-based ENGIE group, a global corporation with 170,000 employees and a history that goes back to the construction of the Suez Canal in the 1850’s. The group is a global reference in low-carbon energy and services. In Switzerland, ENGIE employs 1600 people in offices throughout the country. Many of those people are in fact deskless, on the move or located at client facilities and construction sites.
Communications between such a dispersed workforce was a challenge. The company’s intranet could only be accessed within its offices, never in the field or on the frontlines.
The pandemic showed that we at ENGIE Switzerland are well positioned technically and culturally to engage with our employees wherever they are, thanks to our LiveTiles-based deployment.
The Swiss subsidiary’s own digital transition had included the 2019 deployment of LiveTiles Reach, which allowed ENGIE’s employees to connect with news and documentation on mobile or desktop devices wherever they were. From a starting point of four channels – ENGIE Switzerland News, Health and Safety Information, HR, and IT – Reach has now grown to fifteen channels.
The core channels are managed centrally at ENGIE’s Zurich head office, while the other channels are run by specific departments and business regions.
According to Senta von Dach, ENGIE Communications Manager: “Regional identity is part of the company’s Swiss identity, and it was important to give autonomy for local or department specific communications.” von Dach managed a comprehensive onboarding campaign for the new communications platform. She had the key introductory information mailed directly to employees’ homes and encouraged activity by running a competition directly on the new platform.
Developing and expanding the digital footprint
Krisztina Barany, IT Project Manager, identified the benefits of the solution: “LiveTiles Reach and the new intranet platform complemented our ongoing digital transition at ENGIE Switzerland”.
The transition continues, including the development of ‘Montagespick’, which provides instant online access to essential documentation for heating and cooling installations. The documentation included digitized manuals for engineers in the field, covering, for example, hydraulics, pipeline construction and installation.
In March 2020 ENGIE Switzerland expanded its communications platform with LiveTiles Intranet Hub, complementing the functionality of its LiveTiles Reach employee communications solution. With Reach offering a single news platform for staffers, intranet Hub further gives users the ability to consume varied information through traditional intranet portals on company and personally owned devices.
This was important, because that same month the world changed, and robust internal communications quickly became a core business priority.
The company offices changed to home offices, while customer-facing, technical staff and construction staff kept operating with COVID restrictions. “During the pandemic fast-comprehensive communications was essential” said Senta von Dach. “We started a special COVID channel to keep all employees informed and share important documents, security information and facility updates with everyone.”
Added Krisztina Barany, “The pandemic showed that we at ENGIE Switzerland are well positioned technically and culturally to engage with our employees wherever they are, thanks to our LiveTiles-based deployment.”