Försäkringskassan: THE ENEMIES OF DESPAIR

Credits & Description:

Type of entry: Sectors & Services

Category: Internal Communications

Advertiser: THE SWEDISH SOCIAL INSURANCE AGENCY (FÖRSÄKRINGSKASSAN)

Product/Service: THE SWEDISH SOCIAL INSURANCE AGENCY (FÖRSÄKRINGSKASSAN)

Agency: PRIME Stockholm, SWEDEN



Creative Director: Tom Beckman (Prime)

Project Manager: Malin Severin (Prime)

Internal Communications Specialist: Russell Mattinson (Prime)

Publicity Specialist: Mathias Murman (Prime)

Senior Strategic Advisor: Markus Gustafsson (Prime)

Senior Account Executive: Per Hansen (Prime)

Planner: Marcus Wenner (Prime)



Describe the campaign/entry

How do you empower a demoralized public authority? You give it an enemy to fight.



Public confidence in the Swedish Social Insurance Agency had dropped to critical level compared with other Swedish authorities at the beginning of 2012. This was a serious situation for the agency responsible for providing social welfare in Sweden. The Government issued a firm directive to rectify the situation, posing a major challenge for the country’s second largest authority and its 13,000-strong workforce that was disillusioned following previous restructuring initiatives. How could the agency transform public opinion and give its employees the confidence to make a change?



The answer was not in brand-books and colorful intranet texts, but in the hearts and souls of the employees. So we engaged them in crowd sourcing a vision, which centered on a safe society. And then framed their work by launching the internal platform: The Enemies of Despair.



Several months of themed discussions and communications in previously unused channels showed 13,000 employees the true value of their role in society. They were no longer servants. They were fighters.



By the end of 2012, 96% of employees were aware of the new vision, and a clear majority perceived it to be important, engaging and much-needed. Public trust had also risen by 7%, and Sweden’s Quality Index highlighted a clear improvement in staff engagement. Moreover, the agency was named one of the best prospective employers in Sweden. A renewed workforce and a revitalized Social Insurance Agency had finally started to emerge.



Describe the brief from the client

The goal was to reverse the negative development in public confidence, and increase employee pride by engaging them in solving the problem.

• Unite employees around a common vision

• Establish an internal sense of responsibility in solving the problem

• Increase public confidence



The initial research undertaken to determine the strategy was an analysis of public trust figures within the agency’s 20 customer segments, along with parameters affecting public confidence. We also examined the agency’s internal cultural analysis.







Results





Two separate employee surveys carried out following the launch of the Agency’s vision revealed the following:

• 96% of employees are aware of the new vision

• 82% of employees think the agency’s vision is crucial

• 84% of employees think the vision represents a good society

• Perceived “authority to act on own initiative” increased to 67% (2011, 61%)

• 51% of employees think the agency is an attractive employer (2011, 39%)

Improved service was reported externally:

• Swedish Quality Index, a national organization that analyzes customer perceptions noted a clear improvement in staff engagement and a quantified increase in customer satisfaction.



The Agency was awarded by Dagens Industri, Sweden’s leading business daily, as one of the best prospective employers in Sweden. In addition previously unseen levels of positive media impact were noted.



Public confidence rose by 7%, and an external survey revealed 77% of public respondents think the agency’s vision is much needed.







Execution





The campaign launched in March 2012 with an invitation for all employees to participate in manager-employee workshops to “crowdsource” a vision/mission for the agency. Managers were provided with support material, and reported local findings afterwards.



A campaign film was produced (this was the first time film had been used in the agency’s internal communications) and a devoted intranet hub was set up to document the journey. Film reportage from workshops/activities meant that employees throughout the whole country were seen, heard and acknowledged.



In May 2012, based on 2000 pages of workshop feedback, the agency’s vision & mission “The enemies of despair” were launched via a personal pre-recorded phone call to all 13,000 employees from the Director General.



Follow up activities:

• Continued monthly workshops and internal podcasts to discuss new ways of working

• An internal storytelling site to share employee ideas

• Introduction of a more pro-active approach in external PR work







The Situation





Public confidence in the Swedish Social Insurance Agency had been declining since 1997. The agency’s portrayal in the media had also become increasingly negative, with Swedish media taking every opportunity to highlight public criticism of the agency. A major restructuring initiative took place in 2007-2008, in an effort to improve the situation by focusing on productivity. This only served to generate more heavy criticism, and severely deplete staff morale.



In 2011, the agency received a government directive to increase public trust, after noting a 15 year low in public confidence. It also needed to reverse the negative internal culture trend.







The Strategy





Our research suggested that the agency needed to show a more humane approach in its dealings with customers, and a much stronger understanding for those in vulnerable situations.



Employee interviews revealed an unwillingness to acknowledge the situation, and it was clear that the battle would not be won if they were not involved in the process of analyzing, addressing and solving the public confidence problem. New channels would be required, and a totally bottom-up approach would be necessary, particularly after previous unsuccessful top-down restructuring initiatives.



Our strategy was a process by which change was driven from within the organization, through crowdsourced solutions. A crucial element in this was to take the employees on a journey of self-discovery in which they realized the enormous role they play in modern Swedish society, taking care of vulnerable people and administrating a welfare system that is a role model around the world.