Snowballs & Flywheels case- Unilever Europe's internal engagement tool for sustainable growth

Incredible results!

Snowballs & Flywheel case:Unilever Europe’s internal engagement toolfor sustainable growthResults 2014

Increase internal engagement in Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) of employees across 15 sites in Europe

Objectives

• Change knowledge, attitudes, behaviours• Offer action perspectives and to make it tangible• Start the dialogue -> cultural change. From broadcasting to

interaction. • Get input from colleagues, get to know more about needs

and wants and daily issues at the work floor

• Online platform with 6 challenges over 6 USLP themes, (each country site chose from basket of 12 templates and tailored to local needs)

• Co-create content with internal experts and management and plan follow-through

• Colleagues earn points, battle with other teams• Interaction within and between teams, countries, and

different function groups

How?

6 weekly challenges

Personal tree grows after completing challenge

Sharing ideas and comments

Progress on collective target

Ranking teams

… weekly team and individual winners

The platform

…and team members

One week challenge in three steps: quiz – action - share

… were linked to existing facilities & schemes for greener mobility & indicated

their needs and barriers

… made their personal behaviour change plan to save energy at home

… started a collective brainstorm on a relevant packaging dilemma which is fed into R&D

community in their platform

Colleagues analyzed with help of Unilever’s behaviour change method how they can

help consumers choosing sustainable products

Example actions

Exceptional participation level and appreciation

• 6,000 colleagues invited > 4,500 joined (75%) • in 450 teams• and took part in (on average) 5 of 6 challenges • 22,000 actions• 16,000 votes & 10,000 shared ideas• 55,000 website visits & 820,000 page views

Why did you participate?

1. Relevant, content appealed to me93%2. Fun to do 92%3. Easy to do 88%4. I wanted a high score for my team 88%

Tangible impact and value

My department held a weekly meeting to discuss the challenges and how we could contribute/change our behaviour.

I now talk about our sustainable growth strategy with customers.

We redesigned the approach of our new sales material project.

I‘ve never seen an initiative within Unilever, that triggered such a high level of active

participation. Super initiative!

We started an energy saving project with a two-years payback period.

Gave me lots of new product ideas.

This really linked us as a team.

Sustainability has become a permanent item on our team meeting agenda.

Gave us a window of opportunity in our team to finally take more sustainable steps.

after: ..%

before: ..%

‘I believe that we are a different kind of business – one that is a force for good.’

+11%

after: ..%

before: ..%

‘I am able to explain our strategy to friends and relatives.’

+20%

after: ..%

before: ..%

‘I know what to do in my daily job in order to contribute to our strategy.’

+18%

Netherlands2013 (before first trial) – 2014 (after second trial):

‘structurally’

Europe (before - after in 2014):

‘structurally’

To what extent does sustainability play a role in the products and services that you provide?

+6% +18%

after: ..%

before: ..%

‘Our strategy has made me adopt more sustainable habits at home.’

+23%

Perceived effects on knowledge, attitude & behaviour

• It has given me extra knowledge about sustainabilitywithin Unilever. 92%

• These challenges made me think differentlyabout our strategy. 66%

• I have changed one or more behaviours at home/at work. 66/62%

Effect on cultural change & external reputationI spoke about USLP in Action…:

• ...with colleagues 82%

• ...with family members & friends 53%

• ...with business partners / customers 32%

Effect on employee engagement

● It gave me the opportunity to contribute ideas on relevant issues 81%

● It had a positive effect on the atmosphere in our team/department 69%

● I feel well informed about sustainability in my organisation, average increase of* +32%

*average increase of 5 other cases, not measured in this case

‘To achieve a mindset change towards sustainability among my colleagues is one of my personal challenges.

We have a very ambitious Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP), a visionary CEO, but that doesn’t mean all employees understand overnight what that

means for the business and for them personally, in their daily jobs as well as in their private lives.

‘USLP in Action’, has helped me above expectation in getting sustainability to touch down, to engage people, to share their ideas, to give them action

perspectives to get in gear themselves. From broadcasting to interaction.

The most important result for me, however, is the feedback I got from individual colleagues that USLP in Action helped them to make sustainability

business relevant.'

Anniek Mauser, Director Sustainability

more info?

www.snowfly.nl

or call egon de bruin: +31 206100072

Making change fun, fast and easy