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Panoram Helps RM in Achieving Their Mission of ‘Enriching the Lives of Learners’ Worldwide.

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Panoram | 4 minutes reading

Overview

Having brought in a new Head of Culture and Engagement at the end of 2019, RM recognised the importance of investing in its internal communications and employee engagement to build a purpose-led organisation.  The company was operating under 3 different brands with 3 major centres of operations around the world, delivering service for customers globally.  There was a desire to get all those brands and locations working together more effectively as ‘One RM’. Just as this work was getting underway the first Covid-19 lockdown hit and most of RM’s workforce around the world were forced to work from home.  

Covid-19 emphasised the importance of internal communications – keeping employees informed and connected as the world around them shifted and their customers in the education sector experienced their own seismic shifts.  It also highlighted the issues with current channels for information sharing and knowledge management, which were managed through an inconsistent and complex set of web-based tools such as Sharepoint.

Having an easily configurable and accessible single Intranet site became vital; designed in a way that allowed the company to disseminate information to employees as documents, videos, articles, blogs and vlogs, and to receive real-time feedback in the form of polls and analytics. This also supported the company’s aspiration to make the globally based and mostly remote workforce feel part of ‘One RM’.

Challenge

When Panoram became involved, RM didn’t have a corporate intranet.  Individual teams were using legacy technology inconsistently to share and manage information, and employees had a different experience of RM depending on where they worked (organisationally and geographically). This made it difficult for the company to communicate quickly and effectively. Sites were administered by different individuals, which made it hard to know how well communications were working, if at all. The whole experience was outdated and difficult to navigate, particularly when compared to the easy to use and deeply personalised Social Media platforms employees have become accustomed to. 

Having been recognised as a top employer for the last 16 years, RM were keen to make sure that even when staff were at home, they felt informed, connected and part of ‘One RM’. 

Execution

  • RM and Panoram worked closely together, via remote workshops, to design the new Intranet site, infoRM. RM provided a wish list and Panoram worked with them to maximise the benefits available using M365 technology. Together they created a project specification. 
  • An agile approach was taken, with three sprints of two weeks each. The project teams met twice a week so that all parties were involved and could see and adjust the project as it developed. 
  • The project management was supported through MS Teams not only for video conferencing and screen sharing but also requirements management and real-time progress reporting.
  • The project was completed on time and budget.
  • The site was handed over with a support package in place.

Results

  • RM now has one global platform, infoRM, where all employees can connect on a real-time basis. It is less of a notice board and more of an information hub – a place where employees can go to feel part of the company and understand what is happening beyond their department and geography. It draws together everything that they need to know in an easily accessible and engaging way. 
  • When employees log on remotely, they feel a part of the RM global community able to keep up to date with news in the form of blogs, vlogs and articles. They can find all essential information on HR, Learning and Development, Knowledge Management, Purpose and Vision, as well as business updates, how to log an expense claim and events that are taking place.
  • The Intranet site is personalised, so that relevant information is provided to each employee based on their location. It is easy to navigate for employees and simple to administer for the Internal Communications team who can use an analytics suite, so they know what content works best for employees. 

In a recent online poll conducted through infoRM, 84% of RM employees agreed that the new Intranet site has been a great addition to their working lives. 

“Panoram helped us understand what was possible and enabled us to achieve our project goals.”