Fashion company reaches deskless employees with mobile app

PVH—the company behind such brands as Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD and others—employs 35,000 people in 40 countries, 68 percent of whom are retail workers without access to the kinds of technology that would enable a connection with the rest of the company. PVH recognized the need to reach these employees, and its efforts have won it first place in the “Mobile App” category of Ragan’s 2018 Employee Communications Awards.

The communication department deployed SocialChorus, a mobile-focused internal communication platform, last year. The platform allowed PVH to establish “channels,” each focused on different categories of information from which employees can create a personalized news feed. Departments were also able to request private channels for sharing relevant information to targeted employee groups.

The platform also enabled bottom-up communication, with employees able to submit photos, and promoted advocacy by letting employees share approved content in their own social media communities. The PVH team behind the program ensured retail workers were aware of the app’s availability through a campaign that included a launch at the 2017 Calvin Klein Store Managers Conference, where 98 percent of store managers downloaded it.

Once it was widely adopted, the team launched engagement campaigns, including “State of the Business,” which lets retail associates access a business update call with the company’s CEO for the first time. Other campaigns included an associate relief fund and photo competitions. Within its first six months, the app had inspired employees to submit more than 15,000 pieces of content.

Congratulations to PVH’s Tiffin Jernstedt, Kelsey Graziano and Steven Leonardi.