Animation Helps Employees Understand New Performance Management Program

Backstory

Headquartered on the US east coast, this company employs nearly 20,000 people who work at 26 facilities in six countries. Last year’s annual sales topped $8 billion. Committed to smart growth and innovative product development for consumers, the company is equally invested in providing cutting-edge training and support for their workforce.

Opportunity

Changing the way 5,000 salaried employees are evaluated for promotions and salary increases is one thing.Getting those employees to feel good about the coming change—and understand its impact—brought the companyto Unboxed for help crafting—and presenting—just the right message.

Partnership

We started with discovery, and a lot of it. We delved into the company’s performance management program and analyzed employees’ past responses to it. We explored the program’s new content and uncovered exactly what the company wanted their employees to take away—that a person’s true value lies in more than the tasks they complete or the goods they produce. What really matters—and what the company strives to measure—is what each individual brings to the company’s culture, vision, and bottom line goals.

The process was incredibly collaborative throughout. Your team has this uncanny ability to peel back the layers and ask really insightful, thoughtful questions. That's a real differentiator for Unboxed.

“The process was incredibly collaborative throughout,” the Head of Global Learning and Development shared. “Your team has this uncanny ability to peel back the layers and ask really insightful, thoughtful questions. That’s a real differentiator for Unboxed. You really listened and took the time—in multiple discovery and exploratory sessions—to understand who we are, our culture, where we’re going, and what we’re looking at. You push back and challenge our thought processes, give recommendations, and are really forthright with feedback. And the work is important to you. You want a superb end product just as much as we do—that’s what we’re striving for together. It’s been a great partnership.”

Solution

Following that discovery phase, Unboxed recommended a one-two punch of two-minute animated videos. The first video would define the new individual contribution concept. The second would show employees how to put that concept into action. Strategic scripting made a complicated idea straightforward and easy to understand. Hand-drawn animation gave the videos a fresh, relatable look and feel. The sequence of the two videos introduced the company’s message in stages that were appealing and easy to absorb.

Results

The video received more hits than any other video we've ever sent out.

The launch of the first animation—on the company’s global intranet—brought an unprecedented level of response. “The video received more hits than any other video we’ve ever sent out. That was one of the things we were happiest to hear,” the company’s Head of Global Learning and Development told us. “We got a lot of feedback that people really gravitated to it. It was light, it was refreshing, it was pragmatic, and it made sense. And it was fun.”

He added, “One of the beautiful things you really helped us do was boil this down into something that is very meaningful in everyday language. Our goal was to create awareness and understanding about the new performance measurement program. The first video did that, and we’re looking forward to launching the second one at year end.”

“If you want something fresh, something different and engaging, then work with Unboxed,” the Head of Global Learning and Development said. “They’re really going to take the time to listen to what you’re looking for, understand who you are, and create really strong solutions that are gonna knock your socks off.”