Communication with employees and colleagues is one of the key factors in a good and productive workday.
Everyday tasks were tedious and disorganised, and important information got lost in a sea of e-mails. Communication didn't get past the store managers, as the store assistants rarely read e-mails. The shop managers had to spend time and resources on writing messages and passing on information to their staff.
Another major challenge was that the staff had no sense of belonging to the chain because there was no platform for sharing information, knowledge or social news. Nor did the head office have any guarantee or overview of how many had read important messages and information.
We're extremely campaign-driven, with activities that change quickly, so we were on the lookout for a tool that could gives us a fast and effective way of getting information out to all our employees at all levels in the chain.
Nina Olene Sefland, IT and Store Coordinator for Kitch’n Norge.
Kitch'n wanted an effective and easy way to communicate internally. The solution had to be implemented fast as a tool for everyday communication. They wanted a tool which senior management, the store managers and the store staff could use together.
The advantage of Workplace by Facebook is that the user interface is already familiar to people who already use Facebook privately – which in Norway applies to 83 per cent of the population. The system is designed for sharing information and knowledge and exchanging ideas inside an organisation.
Because Kitch'n's employees were very familiar with the user interface, Workplace could be implemented right away, without having to spend time on training courses.
Although the user interface is similar to Facebook's and can be used on PC or mobile, the Workplace system is separate from Facebook itself. This means that even users who do not have a private Facebook page can use Workplace.
With Workplace, Kitch'n now has a platform where important information reaches all levels in the chain. It's easy to track who has received important information, and time and resources are spared.
Kitch'n now feels that its working day is more structured and effective, and Nina has noticed a more positive attitude among the employees. And the number of internal e-mails has dropped significantly.
Workplace also owns a translation function, which has helped communication between Sweden and Norway run more smoothly.
Workplace requires minimum time and training to roll out, and running costs are low, so for Kitch'n it was a cost-effective solution that gave them a structured, easy way of communicating with employees at all levels in the chain.