November 2020 – Unipart Group has won a CovidComms award for the best in-house corporate communications response to the pandemic.
The CovidComms Awards 2020 replaced the annual CorpComms Awards and concentrated on the work of communicators during the crisis. Over 100 companies, public sector organisations and agencies entered.
Communications specialists from Unipart Group and its divisions – Unipart Logistics, Unipart Rail, Unipart Manufacturing and Unipart International – have been working together as one team to meet three leadership priorities: keeping our people safe, keeping our customers safe, and keeping our processes operational.
A prime focus was informing employees of the rapidly-changing situation on an almost daily basis. While physical changes were being implemented in sites, it was vital to engage colleagues in the behavioural and cultural changes required for a Covid-Secure workplace, and to manage the communication to people in Unipart sites as well as those working from home.
CovidComms Award judges were impressed by the sheer volume of materials produced. The output of the team increased by nearly 200%.
The largest single communication was a 60-page online operational handbook called Roadmap to Return which set out the processes for managing in a Covid-Secure environment in warehouses, factories and offices.
Unipart’s unique Digital Communication Cells were central to linking Unipart people working on site with those working remotely so geographic boundaries virtually disappeared.
A multi-million pound investment, Digital Communication Cells are powerful information portals that provide teams with up-to-the minute business data vital for day-to-day activity. They make it possible for teams to meet virtually anywhere across the globe, and review performance data in real time, working together to solve problems, and access important news and information.
Frank Nigriello, Unipart Group Director of Corporate Affairs, said: ‘While the pandemic has been terrifying, it brought out the best in our team. Our response demonstrated colleagues across the group would step out of their day-to-day role and work as one team to deliver clear, professional, creative and engaging communications at an incredible pace.’
Helen Dunne, CorpComms Magazine Editor and CovidComms Awards organiser, said: ‘The quality of entries was extremely high. There are some great businesses doing great things in a time of great need. The winners we have chosen have in our mind ‘gone above and beyond’, but that shouldn’t diminish the contribution, efforts and work of everyone during this very difficult period.
‘The judges felt Unipart’s entry demonstrated the team’s interdependence and ability to work together, and highlighted how it evolved over the period.’