Engaging a Hybrid Workforce at Provisur Technologies

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Our Customer

Provisur Technologies

Their Industry

Manufacturing

Location

United States

Number of Employees

750

Putting People First

Provisur Technologies is a people-centric company, proud of the long-term relationships they’ve developed with customers, vendors and their employees. They invest heavily in delivering innovative solutions to meet their customers’ needs.

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Provisur is a leading manufacturer of industrial food equipment with a sales and service network that spans the globe. Provisur employs nearly 750 employees working from 17 locations in 9 countries.

Wendy Braun, Corporate Human Resources Manager, enjoys championing the company's communication efforts around the world.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, she and Provisur’s global Human Resources (HR) team faced some unexpected challenges as a result of introducing a hybrid working model.

Tackling the Challenges of Hybrid Working

At the onset of the pandemic a COVID-19 task force was created. Together, members of HR, Operations, IT, Engineering, and other departments, brainstormed to create work-from-home solutions for those who could be remote. However, in a manufacturing environment, remote work is not possible for production and service associates.

Provisur production and service associates continued to work from Provisur’s plants and customer locations to ensure that the food processing equipment ran efficiently and effectively. As an essential business, Provisur was able to ensure continuity in manufacturing and customer support services.

 

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As pandemic-related working restrictions eased around the world, Provisur’s non-production and service employees gradually returned to the workplace where it was safe to do so. The HR team at Provisur discovered that one single approach wouldn’t work for everyone or for each location.

“Our remote employees fell into two categories,” explained Wendy. “There were those who became comfortable and easily developed a routine for working from home, establishing a balance between work and home-based responsibilities. And there were others who never quite developed a rhythm for working remotely.

“Some expressed a feeling of being disconnected or were easily distracted by household tasks or childcare responsibilities. Many in that group were anxious to return to the pre-pandemic ‘normal’ and work from the office.”

The HR team worked with managers across the company to assess the needs of their newly remote workforce. “What they needed from their employers was flexibility and understanding that life happens,” Wendy continued, “being flexible but still finding a way to bind teams together was essential.”

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A lot of corporations are looking at how they can reconfigure their workplaces in order to facilitate more team environments instead of individual offices or cubicles. I think that's the future of the workspace.

Wendy Braun - Corporate Human Resources Manager

Provisur Technologies

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Putting the Plan into Place

Provisur management was confident that employees were as motivated and committed as they were pre-pandemic but didn’t want to place this at risk. A clear plan, visible leadership, and management engagement were essential in meeting the needs of the business and its employees.

The decision was made to create a hybrid or remote work policy permitting employees to work from the office three days a week and remain remote two days per week, where possible. “There are very strong synergies that happen when you're in person together and you don't get that same connectivity working remotely,” explained Wendy.

Wendy, along with the rest of the HR team, began a series of internal communications designed to keep employees informed every step of the way. Messages, using SnapComms, were published to inform staff of the new policy and encourage them to begin making provisions for babysitters, dog sitters, eldercare providers, and so on, as they returned to the workplace.

 

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As a result, around 40% of the USA office staff and 100% of USA plant staff returned to on-site work during the summer of 2020 and again beginning in June 2021.

Other locations, like Provisur’s Thailand, Mexico and Brazil offices, remained completely remote while the COVID case counts remained high. Provisur facilities in Germany, Switzerland, and France worked on-site several days a week or on a modified schedule. Field-based technical service and sales staff are now traveling again visiting customer facilities around the world.

With such a dispersed workforce, effective communications are essential in maintaining engagement and a positive workplace culture.

 

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The Human Impact of Process Change

The combination of on-site and remote work made communicating a challenge. Communication channels that were effective pre-pandemic when we were all in the office were suddenly ineffective in reaching staff during the pandemic as they worked from home. Different employee groups also required different types of information.

Staff working in the various manufacturing plants needed immediate updates on changing safety protocols and facility cleanings. Centralized office staff needed to remain connected. Everyone had become ‘Zoomed out’ and email inboxes were overflowing.

The evolving COVID situation further complicated this matter, with remote staff being brought back to the office, only to revert to remote work again due to soaring case numbers.

“With all of the changes, there was a lot for people to process,” believes Wendy. “The world is very different now than it was pre-pandemic, and it happened all at once. People have conflicting priorities and their ‘new normal’ is challenging. We need to be sensitive and empathetic. Not everyone deals with change well.”

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We needed to think about what types of communication work best for each generation in our workforce. Newer generations often view what we’re pushing out as dated and think, ‘that’s your grandpa’s communication, give it to us in more of a social media format’.

Wendy Braun - Corporate Human Resources Manager

Provisur Technologies

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New Ways of Engaging Employees

Provisur used SnapComms to roll out a series of messages designed to support staff wellbeing.

Support services were made available. Tips for maintaining positive physical and mental health were promoted. Employee sentiment were assessed through engagement and other surveys allowing leadership to prioritize and address the results.

The changing demographics of the workforce also forced a change in approach from traditional communication methods such as email or postings. Provisur’s employees wanted communication fast, in bite-sized chunks, at their fingertips, visually appealing, and technology-enabled. They wanted their opinions to be heard, so a feedback mechanism was also essential.

“We certainly have to modify what we’ve done previously to attract and keep employees engaged,” believes Wendy. “The SnapComms multi-channel platform provides an ideal solution – formats which capture attention and features that drive 100% readership.”

 

Transitioning to a hybrid working model presented unique challenges for Wendy and the Provisur HR team, but through careful planning, and help from SnapComms, the company found themselves well positioned for success in the post-pandemic world.

Summary: What worked for Provisur

  • Leadership led from the front with a clear plan
  • Management consulted staff to understand their unique issues
  • Regular communications were used to address the changes
  • New communication formats were used to engage all generations in the workplace

quote

wendy-braun-provisur

SnapComms is easy, it's simple, it's fast. We can get messaging out in any shape, size or color. We can tell our story in a better way than through a bland email.

Wendy Braun - Corporate Human Resources Manager

Provisur Technologies

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