Talent management at Cork Supply: a strong commitment to innovation

The multinational Cork Supply, belonging to the cork industry, is part of a business group (HARV 81), which supplies the wine and spirits industry. It invests in technology and quality in production and processes, as well as in innovation and in the way it communicates with the people who make the company every day.

Maria de Fátima Gonçalves (People & Int. Communication Director at Cork Supply) and Joana Castro (People & Communication) tell us in this interview conducted by Rui Chen, their vision for the area they lead and the results they are reaping for standing up for what they believe in and therefore invest in: people and their happiness at work.

It was in July 2019 that the project began, when they found the answers that made sense: A multi-module, fully digital solution, with access via mobile and web apps, in the cloud, with intranet features (such as the news publishing wall), training in microlearning mode and gamification.

Rui Chen: What are the main objectives that the team has defined for the People & Int. Communication area?

Fátima Gonçalves/Joana Castro: Our strategic proposal for the company had as major objectives the development of people through a focus on internal communication, the identification and mapping of human potential based on the management of skills and training, and performance evaluation.

These processes, nowadays, have a great advantage in being digital and internet-based, for the accessibility and agility that they allow (and to reduce paper to a minimum), but we wanted to go further by selecting a solution with gamification to also transform the experience.

We wanted to support these processes with a multidisciplinary platform in these areas, that is, a solution that is agile, simple to handle, and with a truly impactful experience for managers and users.

Then we wanted to transform the training model, particularly for sales teams, by investing in e-learning. The existing 300-page sales manual was converted and segmented into training content in microlearning mode, with the right “doses” for the right training moments.

RC: How was the involvement of the company’s structure?

FG/JC: First we had the support of the board and the technical approval of the IT area. Then we involved the whole organisation, with a greater focus on the commercial teams.

Our priority is to improve and enhance communication and the involvement/motivation of people, using the platform’s features.

For example, we use the Learning module a lot with our sales teams all over Europe, in the various languages available on GFoundry, in this case Italian, French, Spanish, English and Portuguese.

We use the Goals module to set objectives in the context of Performance Evaluation, which is the module through which we manage employee performance, potential and identify talent.

The Recognition module is very useful and practical for recognising courage, commitment and team spirit (to the point of excellence) giving immediate recognition, in public or private, and is a powerful communication tool in this area.

We also take advantage of the FAQs page to communicate the company’s protocols with other entities in order to give our employees better conditions to access products and services.

RC: How was the implementation of GFoundry at Cork Supply?

FG/JC: Regarding customization, we had the support of a designer who works in another area of the company, and the constant technical monitoring of the GFoundry team.

At the level of users, managers and non-managers, we held sessions to explain how the platform works in general and, more specifically, about the Performance Evaluation module, namely, how to prepare the moment, the functionalities, the objectives and the follow-up of the process, such as the touchpoints and the talent management in the development component, thus justifying a holistic management process and continuous feedback.

RC: How is planning and communication done to operationalise these dynamics?

FG/JC: We have an annual communication plan, deployed monthly and supported by the GFoundry platform.

The plan maps out the launch of activities, such as our “We Care” programme.

The use of the GFoundry platform was very important for communication on the Coronavirus issue, for example. We are dynamic in publishing news that we think is relevant, also launching competitions and events.

RC: What kind of dynamics are you implementing and what results are they having?

One of the suggestions made by a collaborator was the launching of a contest to create ideas, called “Eco Tips – Taking Care of Tomorrow” within the scope of environmental responsibility, done through the use of the Innovation module.

We are receiving ideas such as: planting cork oak trees on Cork Supply’s land; adding environmental awareness messages to the company’s communication plan, focusing on saving water and electricity resources, as well as on reuse and over-consumption during the current Christmas season.

We also received ideas for carpooling for home/work/home journeys.

We have several metrics so we know the impact our initiatives have on users. An example of this is the publication of new content that causes logins to skyrocket.

On the other hand, we receive positive feedback from our initiatives through the questionnaires we do with the Contributions and Surveys module from GFoundry, with immediate access to the data.

In terms of learning, we know the growth in the completion rate of training actions, and the duration of these actions.

RC: What do you most highlight and value in the GFoundry solution?

FG/JC: Without a doubt the Gamification Engine that gives a power of animation to the activities. It is very dynamic, offers fun, and it is noticeable how it involves users as in games. We also highlight training and learning. The Learn module generates a lot of potential.

Our employees refer in their questionnaires to the training formats and ease of learning, internal communication, and highlight the possibility of consultation on the same platform where they learn.

In short, GFoundry is a solution that allows the integration of processes, with which people can consult the annual objectives, their evaluation, the protocols with various entities, have access to their information and that of the company, participate in activities and interact with the community.

For all that we have pointed out and what we will activate, we recommend GFoundry to any company that wants to introduce dynamics in its activities with people and see a transformation of behaviours and results.

RC: And what do you have planned for the future?

FG/JC: Well, with all that we can already do, we still want to increase initiatives and participation, because there is a lot of potential for that. In the meantime, we are always very curious about what’s new at GFoundry, now with the link to Linkedin, which gives the possibility of adding GFoundry certificates directly to users’ profiles.

 

Maria de Fátima Gonçalves (People & Int. Communication Director at Cork Supply) and Joana Castro (People & Communication)