How to improve internal communication in a bilingual industrial company? Tara-Element Oy implemented the Piiri application, which allows the company's internal communication to reach all employees at once.
Concrete element supplier Tara-Element Oy employs around 50 people. Before implementing the Piiri application, Tara-Element only had a bulletin board and an info screen in the break room as a communication channel for the entire staff, so it was difficult to reach employees at the same time.
– Internal communication was also previously very one-sided, because all interactive communication was verbal. Feedback was also collected using physical feedback boxes, which were used sparingly, says Jonathan Fröjdö, CEO of Tara-Element, about the initial situation.
The Piiri application, intended for internal communication in SMEs, has been developed specifically for companies where the entire staff does not work on computers.
For Tara-Element Piirin, the most important thing has been the quick and easy distribution of personnel bulletins. In the past few months, the company has already produced around 20 news bulletins for personnel.
– The threshold for messaging is much lower when the news can be shared through Piir to the entire staff in two minutes. So far, announcements have been made about, for example, the return of tax cards, occupational safety, construction site hearings and the winners of the sports challenge.
Jonathan found the implementation of the circuit surprisingly smooth. Staff have also received positive feedback about the new communication channel.
– Employees appreciate that management provides more information about what is happening in the company. Our goal is to increase transparency and keep the staff more motivated. That is why I said in the first presentation that Piiri is exactly what we need, Jonathan sums up.
"Our goal is to increase transparency and that way keep the staff more motivated."
PIIRI'S STRENGHTS ARE EASE OF USE, BILINGUALITY AND THE POSSIBILITY TO SHARE IMPORTANT FILES WITH ALL STAFF
The Piiri application brings together Tara-Element's important files, such as personnel manuals and quality system documents, all into one place. Previously, the same files were only available to everyone in paper folders, which were cumbersome to update.
– We also want to share as many photos of the element delivery sites as possible with the employees. Previously, you could only see construction site photos on the screen in the coffee room. There, you had to stand in front of the slideshow for several minutes if you wanted to see the latest photos, Jonathan laughs.
The application's permanent pages include employee benefits and contact information, among other things. The event calendar and the registrations collected through it are used occasionally in the company.
Jonathan thinks the best thing about the Piiri app is its ease of use and the possibility of bilingual communication. Tara-Element uses Piiri in Finnish and Swedish, so users only see content in their chosen language.
Piiri also carries out targeted communications for the company's different personnel groups.
Tara-Element is a concrete element factory founded in 1973 that also offers construction-related services. “Prefabricated elements and concrete frames are still largely manufactured by hand, so we value skilled and healthy personnel,” says CEO Jonathan Fröjdö.
ANONYMOUS FEEDBACK CHANNEL ACTS AS A WHISTLEBLOWING CHANNEL AND A CLOSE CALL REPORTING TOOL
You can leave feedback in the Piiri feedback channel under your own name or anonymously. Tara-Element plans to utilize Piiri's feedback channel, among other things, as a whistleblowing channel. The recent whistleblowing law requires all companies employing at least 50 employees to implement an internal reporting channel by December 17, 2023.
– We suggested to the Piiri team that the feedback channel could have the option to send photos to support the text. This feature was implemented quite quickly and thanks to the update, we can also handle reporting of close call situations in Piiri.
In the future, Tara-Element plans to also use Piiri for personnel surveys, which were previously conducted on paper.
– A few smaller surveys have already been conducted. For example, we asked employees about their willingness to try molded hearing protectors and their wishes for the company's 50th anniversary. Surveys provide quick feedback with little effort and allow employees to influence what they do together, says Jonathan.
Want to know more?
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Arttu Myllys | Commercial Director
