The organization
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is Ontario's independent regulator of the electricity and natural gas sectors. The OEB protects consumers and makes decisions that serve the public interest. Its goal is to promote an affordable and reliable energy system that supports Ontario’s growth.
As a top quartile and modern regulator navigating a generational energy transition, the OEB has created a digital first strategy that aims to enhance its existing digital assets while transitioning non-digital interactions among stakeholders and staff to digital platforms.
Touching upon all aspects of OEB operations, many unique projects identified in the strategy are now speeding up processes and services for stakeholders–the regulated entities that it serves and intervenors in its processes–and enabling time, cost and paper-waste savings with a view to delivering on the OEB’s commitment to deliver service effectively, transparently and efficiently.
Equally important are the enhancements made to modernize its internal digital assets that support the inclusive, open, and transparent culture of the OEB as a people-focused organization.
The challenge
The intranet was old, manual, static, and ran on an outdated platform which made it difficult to integrate and communicate internal messaging in an efficient and effective manner.
But with a 13-year-old intranet that was difficult to access remotely in a hybrid/virtual work environment, they knew they needed help to reach their digital-first goals. As a public sector organization, the OEB sought a partner to help create a trusted communication channel and mobile-friendly resource to foster collaboration and information-sharing between individuals, teams, and departments across the organization anywhere, anytime.
The solution
Enter Brandon Pittman, Modern Workplace Practice Lead (Employee Experience Platforms) at BDO, and his team who explored the integration of Microsoft technology into their modernization strategy. Being a Microsoft Partner, the BDO team possessed the expertise to tailor a solution for the OEB’s specific needs.
With a focus on enhancing the employee experience, the team embarked on creating ‘The Grid,' a centralized intranet powered by SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and Viva Connections. Accessible on both desktop and mobile devices, the platform was designed with five key objectives in mind: improve communication, foster engagement, inspire confidence, nurture community, and drive efficiency. The platform was carefully crafted with alignment to objectives ensuring it would keep pace with a shifting culture and constantly evolving workplace.
The Grid is now a tool that offers a range of features, including:
- A comprehensive employee directory and organization chart that had been removed previously due to obsolete technology.
- An organization-wide calendar accessible by anyone, anytime.
- An employee dashboard, complete with tasks, recent documents, and bookmarked content.
- Quick links for employees to access commonly searched documents.
- Interactive functions that allow employees to engage with internal content and communicate with their colleagues in a meaningful way.
- Integrations with integral business systems.
The outcome & benefits
With a new centralized intranet in place, employees of the OEB are now able to find and obtain information in an efficient manner. Created in partnership with OEB staff, a bright, branded and user-friendly layout reduces the need for IT requests and allows employees to engage directly with internal content, prompting an open culture environment.
In the weeks since its implementation, The Grid has seen a surge in use, with 3,000 visits in the first week alone, a significant number for an organization of fewer than 250 employees. With this system fully operational, the OEB can now communicate internally without the barriers of outdated technology.
The Grid has now become integral to the OEB's employee experience and culture, fostering trusted lines of communication and content without limitations.
Contact
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