At a glance

Organisation: Housing Plus Group
Sector: Housing, care and support
Employees: 2,000
Homes: 34,000 across Shropshire, Staffordshire and Telford

Housing Plus Group

Key outcomes

One unified communication hub replacing multiple disjointed systems
Rapid organisation-wide adoption within days of launch
Shared sense of “newness” supporting post-merger identity
Significant time efficiencies for communications team
Clearer, more consistent corporate messaging

Housing Plus Group
Unifying communication, culture and identity during a complex merger

The Challenge
Following a major merger, Housing Plus Group faced deep fragmentation in their communication ecosystem. Teams were navigating:

•   Three separate systems: Workplace, ‘The Hub’ and ‘My Housing Plus Group’ (both Source-based)
•   Duplicated workload: the same update posted in three places
•   Inconsistent user experience: colleagues unsure where information lived
•   Post-merger identity friction: “Is this the Wrekin way or the HPG way?”
•   An urgent deadline: Meta’s 2024 announcement that Workplace would close.

For an organisation responsible for 34,000 homes and 2,000 employees, many of them frontline, this complexity created operational strain, reduced engagement, and hindered the development of a cohesive culture.

Housing Plus Group needed more than a tool replacement. They needed a fresh start, a unified platform, and a rollout that could support both the technical migration and the emotional realities of merger integration.

"Work Networks helped us bring our entire organisation together on one platform at a critical time in our evolution. The launch was seamless, the adoption was immediate, and it is transforming how 2,000 colleagues stay informed and connected."

Edward Thomas, Director of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs

The Solution

Housing Plus Group needed a partner they could depend on to deliver a robust and high-stakes transition.

1. A trusted relationship built over years
After collaborating on the original Workplace rollout in 2020, the Director of Communications cultivated a strong, open and positive relationship with Work Networks for more than five years.

2. Expert Guidance and strategic consultation

Work Networks facilitated meaningful conversations with alternative platform vendors, provided insights beyond standard demos, and acted as a sense-checking partner throughout decision-making, helping Housing Plus Group select the right platform with clarity and confidence.

3. A platform colleagues could adopt effortlessly

Workvivo offered a simple, mobile-friendly experience suitable for frontline teams, office staff and everyone in between. Familiar enough to reduce change fatigue yet new enough to feel like a positive step forward.

The Impact: One platform, one organisation

Workvivo became the first truly unified communication space in the organisation’s post-merger journey.

A launch that exceeded every expectation

From the moment the platform went live, colleagues joined at remarkable speed, creating an immediate sense of shared momentum and confirming that the organisation was ready for a single, unified communication platform. Within hours, a significant proportion of the workforce was active, establishing a cultural foundation for the merged organisation.

A shared sense of newness

With three legacy systems retired, everyone started afresh. This helped reduce “us versus them” dynamics and provided a unified employee experience at a crucial integration stage.

Frontline inclusion

Mobile access made the platform available to teams in repairs, care and neighbourhoods. Usage patterns between frontline and office-based colleagues quickly aligned, showing that the platform met the needs of both groups.

Operational efficiency

Simpler message strategy for communications team
Corporate announcements are consistent and centralised
System maintenance overhead has dropped significantly
Leadership communication is clearer and easier to access

A maturing communication ecosystem

Around the four-month mark, user behaviour stabilised and insights began to reveal what colleagues valued most. This allowed Housing Plus Group to refine content, adjust support, and improve targeting based on real user needs. The platform shifted from “new tool” to core infrastructure, enabling smarter decisions, more relevant content, and greater organisational cohesion.

“Work Networks has been a true partner: fast when we needed speed, thoughtful when we needed clarity, and always focused on what would work best for our people.”

Edward Thomas, Director of Communications, Marketing & Public Affairs

What’s next for Housing Plus Group

Housing Plus Group is moving from activation to long-term optimisation, focused on:

Improving relevance and filtering for different roles and teams
Using behavioural insights to refine content strategy
Balancing an open-network philosophy with a curated user experience
Integrating Workvivo comms with traditional channels: newsletters, meetings, noticeboards
Supporting ongoing merger integration through a stable communications platform.

With Work Networks providing ongoing analytics, strategic guidance and hands-on support, Workvivo is emerging as the foundation of Housing Plus Group’s employee engagement strategy.