Gilead Turkey - Internal Communications Campaign of the Year

Company: Gilead Turkey
Company Description: Gilead is a biopharmaceutical company that has pursued and achieved breakthroughs in medicine for more than three decades, with the goal of creating a healthier world for all people. The company is committed to advancing innovative medicines to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Gilead Turkey is responsible for registering, importing, marketing, sales and distribution of our products.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Internal Communications - Up to 100 Employees

Nomination Title: Gilead This Is Us!

Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:

“Gilead This is Us!” employer brand was launched in August 2019, during an all-employee event following a presentation of the General Manager and HR Director. An employer brand launch video featuring employees was screened for the first time during this meeting, which was liked by all employees.

Before the employer branding was planned, an employee engagement and satisfaction survey was conducted by Gilead Global. The survey highlighted some areas for improvement. These were: recognition & motivation, work & life balance, following a common goal & collaboration

During the designing phase of employer brand projects, the goal was always to nurture these areas. Aside from that, although there were many different projects implemented within the company, these were not communicated from a single source, which made it difficult for the employees to connect with what was being done. Especially the strong benefits package, which was far above what the sector provided, was not sufficiently appreciated by the employees. While establishing the employer brand, we made sure to form an inclusive roof that would cover all the information and increase the visibility of the projects, and the projects were gathered under Gilead, This is Us! brand.

First we asked the employees “What does being a part of Gilead mean to you?” and used the following responses in our manifest: “it’s life, the future, friendship, hope, happiness, sharing, team spirit, researching, discovering, learning, treating others, trusting, touching lives, embracing differences, being one!”

Internal Communicatons Activities:

-Communication of benefits
-Video series of employees expressing their stories of being a part of Gilead
-Communication of the General Manager, letters and speeches
-Communication for families-children: Office activities with children, online zumba classes, cartoons, reading activities.
-I&D activities aimed at breaking down implicit prejudices like March 8th, Pride Week events
-G-Team, which is requested as a result of focus interviews and has the task of conveying the ideas of the employees to the management

COVID-19 Activities:

We maintained our principles of transparent and continuous communication during the pandemic.

-Suggestion for staying at home, maintaining productivity and motivation with #HeartsTogether motto on Yammer and Instagram
-Informative mailing and meetings of the General Manager about global and local developments during the pandemic
New online platforms:
-G-Together: Expert seminars on leadership, risk management, and pandemic
-G-Vibes: Seminars on wellbeing and personal development, 2 pilates and breathing exercises per week
-G-Vibes OnStage: Meetings where employees share their own experience

Work from Home

Due to the pandemic, the WFH model has been adopted and encouraged for more than a year.

-Arrangements for meeting hours
-Meeting-free days and hours
-Flexible working hours
-Financial support for WFH, wellbeing, and childcare
-Employee support program

About one year after the launch of our employer brand, 2 pulse survey studies were conducted in May and September 2020. In January of the same year, focus interviews were held with 70 people. During these interviews, employees were asked about their satisfaction with all the changes and practices implemented within the year, and areas of improvement were determined. In addition, special attention was given to the psychological status and wellbeing of the employees during the mandatory WFH period, and steps were taken to improve communication.

According to the interviews and surveys, 94% of the employees believed that the company’s initiatives were sufficient; 100% thought that General Manager’s communication was sufficient and they expressed satisfaction.

The motivational and informative posts shared on different channels were appreciated by the employees with a rate of 81%. All employees were reached with at least 1 post per week during internal communication activities, which were moved from Instagram to Yammer.

Informative expert seminars held during the pandemic were liked by more than 80% by the employees.