Unifying an international workforce with Workplace from Meta
Work hard, play hard. That’s the motto that fuels the success behind pet manufacturing company Outward Hound. With a small but robust workforce of 72 passionate pet parents across the globe, Outward Hound is known for its innovative plush toys and games for dogs, cats, and pet lovers worldwide. The Colorado-based company may be small, but its bite is as big as its bark, housing seven unique brands, operating internationally across a team of hybrid and remote employees. The group boasts a fun, casual, and driven work culture and has been growing rapidly since becoming Private Equity owned in 2013.
As the company expanded across Hong Kong, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, Outward Hound was looking for a more cohesive business communications solution to unify their hybrid and remote employees. They wanted a one-stop-shop for critical information, to help improve communication on a global scale. Vice President of Human Resources Colleen Ruppe, and Human Resources Coordinator Ashly Roush, spearheaded the initiative to roll out Workplace from Meta across the organisation, partnering with Enablo to help them launch and embed the product.
Workplace Results
100%
Adoption Rate
Workplace Features they love:
- Cost-effectiveness
- Familiarity
- Knowledge library to house critical HR information
- Mobile app
- Groups
- Recognition features
- Employee analytics
Workplace helps Outward Hound with:
- Building connection and culture with hybrid and remote workers
- 24/7 access to Human Resources information
- Community building
- Culture amplification
- Two-way collaboration
- Accessibility
- Self-service/self-resourcing
Connecting and scaling a growing organisation
Accessibility and mobile functionality was one of Workplace from Meta’s biggest drawcards. Previous communication tools such as email, Teams, Zoom, and VPN access to share drives, couldn’t provide the information the company needed, when they needed it. Features such as Knowledge Library, groups, employee recognition capabilities, mobile app, and employee analytics, ensured essential information was available 24/7, and remote and hybrid workers could feel more connected to the company’s culture.
“Knowledge Library and employee recognition are a huge part of our Human Resources strategy. We needed to provide equal access to everyone to continue to showcase our welcoming, transparent and open culture and ensure critical information was accessible. I also love the employee analytics to help us quantify success. This isn’t something that was possible with email, and it helps us continually improve how and what we deliver to our employees.” – Vice President of Human Resources, Colleen Ruppe
Enhancing the employee experience with 100% adoption rate
Outward Hound pulled out all the stops in their Workplace launch, organising a Workplace scavenger hunt to help employee adoption, spurring some friendly inter-departmental competition to help champion the cause. The HR team also facilitated a number of educational games that taught employees about platform features, where to find essential information, and how to engage with one another. After two days, they had a 90% claim rate and 100% within the week. Workplace Partner Enablo helped them facilitate the successful launch, ensuring they had the technical support, education, and resources required to smoothly rollout their new product.
“Enablo’s expertise in helping us amplify adoption and engagement was instrumental in making our launch a success. The scavenger hunt created a buzz, and the team embraced Workplace wholeheartedly,” Human Resources Coordinator, Ashly Roush.
As Outward Hound continues to find new fun and exciting ways to leverage Workplace, their next focus lies in department-specific training, streamlining onboarding processes, and establishing which tool when to ensure Teams and Workplace run seamlessly side by side. They also have a highly engaged CEO who is leading from the front, ensuring new rules of engagement are established effectively for Workplace.
The 100% adoption rate is a testament to Outward Hound’s commitment to fostering a collaborative, connected, and accessible environment for all employees. Now we can continue to grow and scale our culture and innovation across the company, while ensuring our workforce remains engaged, motivated, and connected.”
Jared Mosher, CEO, Outward Hound
Ready to launch Workplace?
Enablo is a platinum Workplace from Meta partner that works predominantly in Australia and the United States. We are highly trained in the implementation, onboarding, and embedment of the Workplace platform in small, medium and large enterprise organizations.
If you are a global company struggling with employee disconnect, retention, connection and culture, contact us today.
We will help you build a business case for your new technology as well as help you launch Workplace smoothly and successfully into your organization in 6-12 weeks. Enablo ensures you are supported every step of your Workplace journey, and ensures your teams, employees, and leaders feel as confident as we do on the platform. Book a chat with us today to find out more!