Nandoca, Dec 2016You guys have done a really good job with the app. It's really handy and it will change Nando's and hopefully other companies will follow with an app similar.
Nando’s
Co-creating and scaling a brilliant employee experience
The challenge
Made by Many partnered with casual dining chain Nando's to redesign their employee experience, providing smart digital services to improve life at work for their 17,595 employees (known internally as Nandocas) across 400 restaurants.
Employee happiness is core to Nando’s DNA. The business believes passionately that happy Nandocas are more productive, and give their customers the best possible experience. And if you’re finding it frustrating and inefficient to organise yourself at work, you have less time to make customers happy.
Nandocas swapped shifts and booked holidays with pen and paper, their managers (known as ‘Patraos’) printed out weekly update emails and pinned them up on notice boards, and computer systems for downloading payslips and updating personal details all needed usernames and passwords, which meant many teams relied on Whatsapp and Facebook groups to communicate.
The Nando's team had previously tried various off-the-shelf workplace tools, but they’d struggled to find a solution that aligned with the company’s values and culture.
Our approach
We knew that Nando’s would gain a lot by engaging employees in the change process, from initial ideation to implementation so we co-created a solution that was native to Nando’s and reflected their culture and brand, rather than using a cookie cutter solution.
It was crucial to the success of the project that we engaged with people across the business as we developed features.
We started by addressing two of the heftiest problems to solve: rotas and news, and had the first prototype in the hands of Nandocas in six weeks. After 12 weeks of close collaboration, we had 100 staff in two restaurants using it.
In all, around 150 restaurants (out of 400 nationally) participated in the creation of the application and contributed to the app's evolution. This not only helped us build a product with a Nando’s personality but also served to spread the word and excitement about the project across the organisation.
17,595
total no. of Nandocas in the UK/IRE
87%
of Nandocas have used the application
77%
of Nandocas use it weekly
The results
Nandocas and Patraos all over the UK now have their own app for work. It’s packed with a plethora of useful information, including rotas, ‘how to’ videos, career opportunities within the business, campaigns to engage employees in fundraising events like Nando’s Fighting Malaria, and opportunities for sharing feedback with the business. The app has significantly contributed to equipping teams with the tools they need to do their job even better, and as a result, deliver unforgettable customer experiences
Seen by Nandocas as their own organising tool, many thousands use it, creating a better happier working environment. Engagement is exceptionally high – 87% of the UK’s 17,595 Nandocas have used the application and 77% use it weekly.
The Nandoca App has transformed how we engage with our Nandocas and people feel more connected to our family (company) now, which was one of our primary goals. Employee feedback has been predominantly around the positive impact the app has had on their lives. It’s also opened up the conversation and Nandocas are continuously suggesting new ideas. We’ve really developed our internal team and ways of working, learning from Made by Many and collaboratively adapting our processes to make them more effective without losing what’s really special to Nando’s. Our small team is starting to influence ways of working across the business and we’re sharing with wider teams. Our senior leadership team gave us the freedom to pursue a different approach and it’s great to see that trust being rewarded with a brilliant result.
Kieren McKenna, Program and Portfolio Manager, Nando's UK
