220
Employees
Silva Homes is a vibrant, ambitious and independent housing association with big plans, backed by strong finances and excellent colleagues. Established in 2008 as a stock transfer association, they have since significantly invested in, and improved, the homes and services to their customers. With over 220 employees the company provides services which include housing management, supported housing, repairs and maintenance, landscaping, development and central services.
Silva hoped that a new digital workplace would enable colleagues to work more effectively and help the business identify opportunities for business efficiencies and cost savings. The new digital workplace would be launched alongside the rebranding to give employees a new and engaging way of working and communicating within the newly branded organization.
Silva also hoped Powell Intranet would enable them to quickly deliver a powerful digital workplace that is easy to maintain and available to all colleagues from any device. They wanted it to be future-proofed with regular product updates in line with Microsoft’s development roadmap for Office 365.
“We are fortunate to employ a fantastic and dedicated group of colleagues, and it is crucial that they have access to relevant, current information so that they can excel in their roles. Knocking down internal barriers is a necessary stage in empowering colleagues and driving business efficiencies.”
Alan Ward
Chief executive, Silva Homes
Objectives
Replace an existing in-house intranet that no longer fits user needs
Enable global communication and strengthen cross-functional collaboration
Provide access to easy-to-find and relevant information
Enable learning across the organization and for remote workers
Give employees a new and engaging way of working
The principles of the employee portal
- ONE global employee portal (no alternatives, one single software solution, all devices)
- Active and passive personalization alongside the rebrand
- Open communication without borders, just necessary private groups are restricted
- The new employee portal hosts the additional tools
- Shut down of redundant tools and reduce tools to core functionality
- Help for business efficiencies and cost savings
The solution
Silva’s new intranet, Powell Intranet, has been introduced as part of a business-wide project, which will see administrative processes and communications digitally reconfigured over the next two years. This plan, known as ST21, has been launched following an examination of the housing association’s internal and external workflows and will aim to improve service quality to its 7,400 affordable homes by shifting 80% of customer-initiated transactions to the web by 2021.
The new Business Blog and Performance Dashboard is a fantastic way of providing regular business news, updates, facts, and figures in a dynamic and engaging way. All employees are now receiving the same information at the same time, regardless of location.
Silva Homes has worked with SORCE to customize the search functionality within Powell Intranet, creating an intuitive, easy-to-use and simple standard way of searching. The search is based upon a hierarchical structure and applies to all areas of the site, whether you are searching for documents or contacts. Standardizing how a user searches for information has proved to be a great success. Time and therefore cost savings are being made across the business as information is now quick and easy to find.
Improvements in knowledge sharing across the organization have already been seen. Employees are now able to quickly and easily share news and important information to everyone across the whole organization, including those employees who work remotely. Employees can now openly pass on compliments and feedback from their customers to their colleagues across the whole organization, which is great for morale. They can also publicly recognize and thank their colleagues for individual actions and achievements. Providing feedback and compliments openly in this way is great for employee engagement.
Results & impact
The new intranet has successfully made sense of the complex Office 365 landscape and has digitally transformed the way employees work within Silva Homes.An exciting new Office 365 functionality has been introduced in a user-friendly way that is easy to maintain.
Silva Homes employees now have:
- A better understanding of their individual business impact
- Increased employee engagement
- Improved efficiency
- Interactive internal communication & collaboration
As part of Silva’s digital transition, in addition to its new intranet, the association has already rolled out a new website, a customer self-service portal, an income management tool, a development monitoring tool and an asset management system, and is now working on digitising other internal and customer-facing processes
“We are delighted with how empowered our employees now feel; they can quickly and easily add content to the new site and share news and knowledge. Everyone now feels more connected and we all have a better understand- ing of the different departments within the organisation. This is especially true of our remote workers who now have access to the same information as those who are based in the office. We are thrilled with our new intranet and look forward to unrolling future developments within the site”.
Justine Thompson
Lead Transformation Partner, Silva Homes
Conclusion
Silva Homes’ implementation of Powell Intranet has successfully transformed its digital workplace. The new intranet has streamlined access to information, enhanced employee engagement, and fostered a more connected and collaborative environment. By effectively integrating with Office 365 and simplifying complex processes, Silva Homes has empowered its employees, improved communication, and laid the groundwork for future digital advancements. The project has not only replaced an outdated system but has also played a key role in a broader digital transformation, demonstrating the significant impact of a well-designed intranet on organizational effectiveness and employee satisfaction.
