How phs Group uses SWOOP Analytics to listen, learn and respond to its people
Faced with the task of reaching 3,000 employees working across the UK and Ireland - many in frontline and operational roles - phs Group’s internal communications team made a deliberate decision to simplify how information flows through the organisation.
Amy Ellis, Head of Internal Communications and Engagement, phs Group.
Rather than maintaining multiple channels competing for attention, the UK’s leading hygiene services provider chose to make Viva Engage its primary internal communication platform. The intranet was intentionally downgraded to a simple document repository, with no role in news or engagement.
The priority was not just to communicate more, but to communicate more clearly, and in one place.
“We realised we were duplicating our work across too many channels,” explains Amy Ellis, Head of Internal Communications and Engagement at phs Group.
“The engagement on Viva Engage was already so much higher than anywhere else, and it gave us visibility we just didn’t have with our intranet.”
The goal was clear: create a single, open, social space where employees could share, react and participate, and where leadership could connect authentically with the workforce.
The challenge: Seeing beyond surface‑level engagement
As Viva Engage became central to communication at phs Group, a new challenge emerged. High activity was a positive sign, but it wasn’t enough.
The team needed deeper answers:
How are employees really feeling over time?
Which topics matter most, and which campaigns are resonating?
Where might risks be emerging beneath the surface?
How engaged are leaders, and how visible are they to employees?
Traditional measurement tools, and annual engagement surveys, couldn’t answer those questions.
“Surveys give you a snapshot,” Amy said.
“But organisational sentiment changes constantly. We needed a way to see how things were tracking all year round.”
Building an organisational listening system with SWOOP Analytics
A screenshot of phs Group’s Sentiment Analysis report from SWOOP Analytics for Viva Engage.
phs Group began using SWOOP Analytics as an always‑on listening layer across Viva Engage - not to police conversations, but to understand them.
“We use SWOOP as our organisational listening engine,” Amy said.
One SWOOP Analytics report Amy heavily relies upon is Sentiment Analysis. Instead of waiting for annual survey results, sentiment is reviewed on a rolling four-week cycle, giving a clear view of mood trends over time across the entire organisation.
“Sentiment is really important to our CEO,” Amy says.
“This is the only way we can track how people are feeling continuously, rather than at one moment in time.”
Sentiment insights are shared regularly with HR leadership and used to inform executive discussions.
A screenshot of phs Group’s Hot Topics report from SWOOP Analytics for Viva Engage.
Understanding topics, trends and campaign impact
Along with Sentiment Analysis, SWOOP Analytics’ Hot Topics and trend analysis helps the team understand what employees are actually talking about, and how interest shifts over time.
“When we run campaigns, we can see whether they really land,” Amy said.
“For example, Winter Wellbeing Week was still the hottest topic 90 days later, which showed the investment genuinely mattered to people.”
Amy said this data allows her to go to the leadership team with confidence to double down on what resonates, and rethink what doesn’t.
Tracking personas and behaviour change
Rather than focusing on the number of posts on Viva Engage, Amy said she pays close attention to people’s behavioural personas on Viva Engage to see who is posting, engaging, browsing, or staying silent. This is especially important for the leadership team. Understanding how people participate matters more than how often they post.
SWOOP Analytics’ Viva Engage personas.
A screenshot of phs Group’s Persona Distribution report from SWOOP Analytics for Viva Engage.
“We know we’ve got active contributors, but we also see a large group who are just scrolling,” Amy said.
“That’s not a failure, but we want to gently encourage more people to participate.”
Leadership engagement that encourages participation, not broadcasting
One of SWOOP Analytics’ most powerful roles at phs Group is enabling healthier leadership engagement.
Rather than focusing on how much leaders post, phs Group uses SWOOP Analytics’ benchmarking leaderboard to show each leader’s persona.
“It’s not about volume,” Amy said.
“We want everyone to become an Engager, so everyone gives as much as they get.”
SWOOP Analytics’ 1-2-3 rule.
That approach has driven a visible cultural shift, with leaders commenting, reacting and sharing on Viva Engage alongside employees - from business updates to everyday life moments.
Amy encourages everyone at phs Group to use SWOOP Analytics’ 1, 2, 3 rule – for every one post, makes two replies and three reactions. She said following this rule has resulted in measurable shifts toward more conversational leadership behaviour.
Turning insight into action - without shutting down conversation
Crucially, insights from SWOOP Analytics enable phs Group to respond to issues without silencing employee voice.
Critical or sensitive posts are rarely removed from Viva Engage. Instead, data and context guide thoughtful responses.
“Someone criticised the CEO in a post recently,” Amy recalls.
“We didn’t take it down. We replied publicly, discussed it with the CEO privately, and then addressed it properly in his next blog.”
This approach reinforces trust and psychological safety, while still maintaining community standards.
“In five years, we’ve only taken down a couple of posts - usually jokes in very poor taste,” Amy said.
“People feel safe to speak up, and that’s exactly what we want.”
The result: A living, breathing listening culture
Today, phs Group operates with a constant feedback loop. The data reflects just how employee‑led communication has become:
The vast majority of posts on Viva Engage come from individual employees - only about 24 of 673 posts in a typical four-week period come from the comms team.
Leadership participates visibly and authentically.
Sentiment and engagement trends actively shape strategy.
Viva Engage is a source of truth for understanding employee voice.
“It’s so tightly wound into how the organisation works now,” Amy said.
“I honestly couldn’t imagine not having this level of insight.”
Examples of employees sharing their personal stories on Viva Engage.
Why this matters
Many organisations still rely on surveys and lagging indicators to understand employee experience.
phs Group demonstrates a different model with Viva Engage as its single communication channel, supported by continuous, real‑time insight from SWOOP Analytics.
By using data from SWOOP Analytics to listen - not just measure - phs Group has built a culture where employees drive communication, leaders stay connected, and decisions are informed by what people genuinely care about.
