Keeping connections

The last 12 months have torn teams apart, literally, as employees have had to work separately from their homes where possible. This has meant that the face-to-face interaction and collaboration which once took place in a physical work setting has been halted altogether, which likely will have had a marked effect on communication.

With this in mind, research carried out by Clutch last year discovered that 26% of companies have given their employees more access to communication tech during the crisis, suggesting the importance of team communication within a business. And, Avon’s VP for People has similar notions as she pointed out: “People needed to be able to collaborate day to day, but we also needed to stay in touch with how our people are feeling about their careers.”

To make this possible, the usual in-person focus groups were scrapped for virtual ones, which Parczuk shares was a positive change, as it allowed the business to reach more people than it normally would allow them to in person. But that’s not all, the business is also using Glint technology to allow senior leaders and line managers to explore the detail of what its people are telling them. In addition, a communication, learning and collaboration platform known as Fuse has also helped Avon’s people to “stay connected, upload their own content and ask questions in real time, which has been highly successful”.

All of these initiatives combined have helped to boost employee engagement, build natural communication between leaders and their people and increase empowerment among team members, all helping to demonstrate how tech has allowed Avon to enhance its workforce.

‘The Beauty of Doing Good’

Adapting to new technologies can sometimes cause challenges, partly because human beings are creatures of habit and often do not welcome change. Some may not understand how to use a new piece of tech and therefore become disengaged with it, while others may simply prefer the original method of doing something and will disregard a new idea altogether. However, these challenges can be overcome by a shared sense of purpose, and Avon has shown how this is possible.

The firm’s drive to truly listen to its sales representatives is indicative of its company purpose, which is “to transform women’s lives for the better.” Therefore, inviting team members to share their feelings openly and honestly has allowed the organisation to tap into what its people need and want. However, with the pandemic causing colleagues to work separately, Parczuk notes that “purpose is even more important when we can’t all be together – it’s our constant reminder of ‘why’ we do what we do”.

With this in mind, the company used its purpose as well as insights from its teams to create a new Employee Value Proposition known as ‘The Beauty of Doing Good’. Commenting on the initiative, Parczuk enthuses: “It spells out what people can expect from working at Avon and how purpose is part of our everyday life here. Creating this with our people – as a direct reflection of their feedback – means it’s resonated well.”

But to get to this point, tech has played a fundamental role, from the digital focus groups, employee surveys, online communications and internal app (more on that later) – it has all been key to Avon’s HR strategy.