Business Issue

  • Large commodity business with global holdings
  • Major business transition to respond to increased competition, customers and employees who are increasingly sophisticated and demanding more
  • Need to ensure meeting full business potential

Communication Issue

  • 40,000 employees – 72% outside Canada
  • Employees including the most senior management are highly motivated but don’t know where the business is going, or how what they do fits
  • Reliance on print material

Solution

  • Targeted communications with a particular focus on supporting management in communicating with their people including:
  • Encouraged face-to-face communication for important business issues
  • Created and leveraged two informal networks – Communications Working Group and Advisory Group – to ensure best practice across the business:  First ever all Senior Management Conference call and follow-up survey, Internal Comm branded e-mail template to ensure expectations were clear at a glance

The Result

  • Clarity and consistency of message led to increased understanding of where the business was going and what action individual employees needed to take
  • Core communication practices continue to be used and considered best practice 10 years later and after 2 significant acquisitions and having been acquired
  • Internal Comm branded template considered a fundamental tool and in use over 10 years later