Marijke Verboven

Marijke Verboven (Orpea): connecting with a positive note 

Orpea Live is the app through which this care organisation connects with its employees. “‘How can I help you’ should be the central question in your internal communication, not ‘what do I want to tell you’,” says Marijke Verboven. 

Who?

• Marijke Verboven

• Marketing and communications manager at care company Orpea

• Introduced Orpea Live during the coronavirus crisis

In a company with 80 residential care centres and around 4,200 employees, the need for a central communication tool was high when the coronavirus crisis hit. “The directors asked us: help us communicate,” says Marijke. “We looked for a tool and there was an instant connection with Spencer, both with the people and the product. And that’s how Orpea Live was born.” By the way, that name refers to the tagline “Life goes on”.

Marijke has meanwhile developed a clear vision of where Orpea Live sits in the communication mix and in the organisation. “The most important thing is still personal communication between director and employees. Orpea Live supports that by giving them the option to send chat messages or post articles in the app in a secure way.” In addition, Marijke also uses the app for communication from head office: both for organisational news and to share best practices and inspiring initiatives from the residences. “That way, we avoid reinventing the wheel every time.”

Marijke sums up what Orpea Live is for with the word AHA:

1. Attention: drawing attention to new items

2. Help: helping employees with their work through tutorials

3. Appreciation: the app is used to show appreciation for everyone’s hard work

This acronym largely determines the content calendar. The tone of voice is also intentionally positive. “There is already enough negativity; we consciously choose the positive route because people need that.” 

Marijke’s ultimate tips for strong internal communication are:

1. Know your audience and invest in contact with them.

2. Be open to criticism.

3. Test important communication in the two official languages: what comes across well in one language can still come across differently in the other language.

4. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes when you communicate.