Putting a stop to silos
and dinosaur systems
at SJC

Since we adopted Workvivo, we have been very successful with using the acknowledge button feature, allowing us to use the tool not just as a means of communications but as a means of also getting that acknowledged when we need it on things like launching the annual employee handbook with all of the revisions or important or urgent communications that we need to ensure every employee has seen. We’ve also been able to use the metrics and analytics to tailor our communications, as we now have a much better sense of which devices people are using to check in and what type of information and the presentation of information gets more traffic. This has been tremendously successful because we’ve also had a lot of verbal communication back that people feel we’re breaking down the silos between divisions, they’re learning more about their coworkers, they’re meeting people they didn’t know before, and we’re getting much more shared information across the whole organization. This has even led to, without seeking this as a specific result, improved Glassdoor commentary and ratings, which has been a tremendous outcome.

A wonderful moment I experienced through Workvivo was when we shared a highlights reel of an employee of our organization who’s not just a tremendous member of our finance community, but does some significant volunteer work out in our local community as well, around volunteer annual tax clinics and a lot of work with a lot of volunteers doing work to feed the homeless and people in shelters. This highlight reel didn’t just share what a tremendous colleague we have, but generated so much support and so much enthusiasm from other employees who were able to see the video that her team has expanded. Another employee of ours has reached out to her to understand how to open her own volunteer tax clinic that’s free to the people who need to use it, and she has received all kinds of donations of not just perishable items to use in her weekly work towards feeding people, but also tools to continue that trade, larger sauce pants for soups, volunteers, hands to actually help cook, package and distribute. And this has been just the most incredible outcome of that broader ability to share important information across our organization.

To others considering Workvivo I would say that you will not find a better group of people to work with. The implementation was easy, the setup was easy, all of our questions after the fact were easy. This is not one of those companies that lets you implement and then abandons you, as I’ve so often experienced in my career. This is a company that feels that as long as changes happen with their software, they’re there for you. As long as you have questions, they’re there for you. Their online help center is outstanding. Their updates are wonderful. They listen to the customer. They help you with your technical glitches. They immediately solve problems. They put you in a queue and get back to you within sometimes even an hour. None of this, three days later you’re following up nonsense, and they’re just very interesting, kind, wonderful people. They also have a great newsletter after the fact.

I would also say if you’re considering Workvivo, this is a wonderful way of combining some social interaction, the breaking down of silos, the social media element that people so love, the ability to pull everything together in one space, as well as the more boring traditional intranet components with documents, with sign-offs, with permission levels that have one person see one element over the work and other people see a different element. And just overall, it’s been a tremendous success for our organization.