Communication plan designed to promote integration
Social initiative award nominee 2007
Dalkia Chile (a Veolia Energy company) has introduced a communication plan to establish the Dalkia corporate culture in its recent acquisition, CONADE.
Who took this initiative?
Dalkia Chile (a Veolia Energy company) employs nearly 550 people in 3 companies: ESENER, IMAC and CONADE. This initiative originated with the Human Resources Department.
Why
The Dalkia Chile HR teams have developed a communication plan to support the integration of CONADE employees with those of IMAC and ESENER, and encourage the loyalty of all employees.
The plan also aims to establish the Dalkia brand image within CONADE.
For whom
All employees concerned by this initiative which aims at bringing them closer together by raising their awareness of Company Culture.
Implementation
A number of initiatives have been introduced:
- the installation of display panels for employees working on customer premises to keep them upto-date with the latest company news;
- distribution of a quarterly in-house newsletter;
- the Dalkia Chile Anniversary was marked with the creation of trophies awarded to those employees who best embody the company's key values (customer awareness, responsibility, innovation, performance and mutual support) and spirit. The names of the winners have been included on a roll of honor.
How
The HR teams have introduced individual support for new employees. Highlights include Welcome Breakfasts with presentations of the company and its aims (Dalkia 2010), and discussion meetings in the presence of managers to answer the questions and concerns of employees in the wake of the merger. Ongoing training courses have also been introduced for technicians under agreements signed with a number of technical colleges.
Managers have also been offered a university-based management and leadership training program.
Outcome
Over 80% of employees joining the company as a result of acquisition have taken part in local Welcome Days.
Twenty young technicians are currently receiving practical training at Dalkia Chile as part of their college courses.
Problems & solutions
The main problem has been the physical distance between teams, which has led to the head offi ce breakfasts being discontinued. These have been replaced by group events at local level.
Extending the initiative
The communication resources produced for this initiative are reviewed and supplemented regularly.
Employees now eagerly look forward to the Awards which have been extended to include Brazil, and will soon be introduced in Argentina.
