Thales is a global high technology leader investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology – to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers – businesses, organisations and states – in the defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process.
Turning inductions virtual
Unable to do their inductions for their grads and apprentices face to face, Thales needed to search for a new, engaging way to still provide a great candidate experience for all new starters. This was the perfect opportunity to utilise Connectr’s employee engagement platform in their on-boarding and pre-boarding process, which allowed for all new starters to feel a sense of belonging before and beyond day one.
Covid-19 served to emphasise how easy it was for Thales to pivot to using Connectr’s platform for this, whilst they saw other partners experiencing serious tech issues. Through Connectr’s technology, Thales were able to host all induction activity on the platform, including e-learning modules, a digital buddy network (typically called mentoring ), live events, & to use forums functionalities. With in-depth reporting from all these activities, they were also able to have all users participating together on the platform at the same time.
The benefits of going digital
Being able to virtually welcome their 2020 grads and apprentices with a fun-filled week including live sessions, guest speakers, interactive activities and e-learning content was a must! Setting a high standard and positioning yourself as an employer of choice does not stop when you go digital. From these events, Thales were able to:
- Create a sense of belonging
- Showcase their brand and show how much they value the grads and apprentices
- Use Connectr’s platform with colleagues
- Build their network
An integrated engagement strategy
To deliver this for Thales, we proposed:
- A virtual induction week hosted on Connectr’s employee engagement platform.
- Potential post-induction modules & events for additional support.
- A mixture of live & static e-learning content for a user driven experience with content to be provided or approved by Thales and adapted for Connectr’s platform.
What does success look like?
Thales needed to establish an engaging experience that receives positive participant feedback, and generates that necessary sense of belonging for attendees.
During the week, we saw:
- 33,000+ platform views
- 160+ mentor/mentee interactions
- 93 out of 5 average module ratings
- 87% average task completion rate
- 17 live events taking place
- 964 event registrations
- 902 forum views
- 75 graduates and apprentices engaged
Attendees said:
“Very useful information. Will be sure to be checking back in on the module throughout my program to effectively grow my communication skills.”
“Today was another great day of learning. The only thing I would improve is perhaps the opportunities for networking with graduates, although it is difficult over webcam. But, it looks like we will have plenty of opportunities to do this throughout the rest of the week.”
“Really good to see all of the support Thales gives to it’s employees, it’s good to know that we are all welcome within the company whatever our background.”
“I found the keynote speeches very empowering and motivational. I found them very informative to listen to personal stories and enjoyed the diversity of speakers.”
“I considered the social events to be a great success, despite being forced to experience the induction online. It was a great way to network with the early careers team as well as the rest of the graduates.”
Eloise Allen, Head of Early Careers Talent Acquisition at Thales said:
“We have been working with Connectr for two years looking at the on-boarding experience for our Early Career talent. Connectr’s platform has enabled us to engage and communicate with our new starters from offer stage, right through to the start of their career with us. When we were faced with the decision this year to change the way we ran our induction, it was an easy decision to partner with Connectr. We already had a trusted relationship and knew they would be able to support us to achieve an impactful virtual induction experience.
Our virtual induction was a complete success, we have received fantastic feedback from both our new starters and the business. During what has been a difficult time for so many, knowing that our apprentices and graduates feel valued and supported has been a real achievement for everyone involved.”