CUSTOMER STORY
Gore Mutual Predicted and Addressed Turnover, Informed Business Strategy With Visier
Built on a foundation of financial strength for more than 180 years, Gore Mutual Insurance Company is one of Canada’s first property and casualty insurers. With offices in Cambridge, Toronto and Vancouver, Gore Mutual is a Canadian mutual company offering competitive insurance products through trusted broker partners. Every decision and investment made is anchored in the long-term benefits to customers, members and communities.
INDUSTRY
Insurance
HEADQUARTERS
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
EMPLOYEES
600+
VISIER PEOPLE® SOLUTIONS:
- Planning
- Learning
- Talent Essentials
- Talent Acquisition
- Organization
- Benchmarks
- Standardized Occupations
Gore Mutual knew keeping their people analytics data in spreadsheets was no longer working. They wanted a solution that could give them accurate insights that would benefit both their employees and the business strategy.
Identified and addressed turnover risk, increasing retention by 25%
An employee journey mapping effort elevated engagement scores by 8%
Created a business strategy based on real-time data and insights
Gore relies heavily on human capital — just like many other businesses. I believe understanding human capital is key for a company’s success.
Yannick Fouagou, Director of People Operations and Analytics at Gore Mutual
THE CHALLENGE
An outdated HR analytics system that couldn’t scale with the business
Gore Mutual's strategic decision to transition from traditional spreadsheet reporting to an advanced analytics program marked a pivotal step in their journey towards a consistent and superior employee experience. This shift was aimed at harnessing people-data-informed solutions to propel both employee engagement and business strategy.
When Director of People Operations, Yannick Fouagou, joined in 2021, he found that the current HR data and analytics ecosystem was ready for an upgrade. The organization’s manual spreadsheet-based approach to critical workforce planning and people metrics could not scale alongside the company's ambitious growth trajectory to become a purpose-driven, digitally-led national insurer.
Yannick articulated a clear vision: “To enact transformative change, it's imperative to demonstrate unequivocal value to our leadership. Establishing a digital and scalable HR platform is not just an operational necessity but a strategic imperative to support the company's growth ambition.”
THE PLAN
A three-step plan to bring a data-first approach to Gore’s HR operations
Recognizing the magnitude of shifting from manual processes to a sophisticated system offering accessible, real-time people data, the Leadership team formulated a three-phase strategy. This roadmap was not merely focused on the initial transition but also aimed to unlock the potential of these systems in enhancing Gore Mutual’s overarching business strategy and operations.
1
Stabilize data
The initial phase involved stabilizing the existing data. The team meticulously cleaned and verified the people data to guarantee precision, constructing several foundational reports. Yannick noted, “Our initial data-informed storytelling from these foundational reports was pivotal in showcasing the capabilities and the transformative potential of a more powerful, platform-driven approach to people data.”
This phase was instrumental in obtaining quick, impactful wins for the business, paving the way for executive approval for the strategy's next phase: investing in sophisticated people analytics software for deeper and more nuanced insights.
2
Build for scale
In 2022, the HR team received executive buy in and was ready to find the right solution for the company's needs. Gore Mutual chose Visier and added data from other tools it had implemented, such as Greenhouse, into Visier. Gore was up and running with Visier within six months (including the data migration work and the internal training). Immediately upon Visier’s implementation, the organization saw a marked impact on the business.
3
Influencing business solutions through people insights
By 2023, Yannick describes Gore Mutual transitioned into the "business solutioning” phase, wherein Visier ceased to be merely an HR tool; instead, it became a dynamic catalyst, actively utilized by the HR team. This stage underscored the opportunity to extend the influence of these technological advancements and maximize the return on investment.
We finally were able to tell our executives that we have a people platform not only to help HR, but to help the business overall.
Yannick Fouagou, Director of People Operations and Analytics at Gore Mutual
Best in class tools are critical for insightful data, and when complimented with exceptional minds, these insights generate transformative business outcomes.
Jason Ramgoolam, VP People, Gore Mutual
THE SOLUTION
Predicting turnover risk, mapping employee journeys
Gore Mutual has already seen impactful business results with Visier that the plan is to eventually roll out Visier access to every employee at Gore.
Predicting and addressing turnover risk
One of the initial strategic victories involved addressing turnover risks. Detailed analytics from Visier indicated a trajectory towards increased turnover in a specific team. The Gore Mutual team responded with agility, reversing the trend and significantly reducing turnover rates.
Employee journey mapping
Utilizing the insights from Visier, Gore Mutual embarked on a comprehensive mapping of employee personas. This strategic initiative helped identify key drivers, outliers, and opportunities within the workforce.
Yannick observed, “What traditionally required extensive consulting efforts over years is now achievable within moments through Visier.”
This mapping was a cornerstone in refining Gore’s people strategy, leading to a more aligned strategy for employee experience and engagement.
THE SOLUTION
Predicting turnover risk, mapping employee journeys
Gore Mutual has already seen impactful business results with Visier and the plan is to eventually roll out Visier to every employee at Gore.
With Visier, the time it takes to extract, analyze, and share crucial data has been reduced substantially. This access to real-time data, has been instrumental in enhancing our leaders' decision-making skills, enabling them to better support our business strategy.
Kristy Hrycyshyn, Director of Talent Acquisition at Gore Mutual
Predicting and addressing turnover risk
One of the first significant victories involved addressing turnover risks. Detailed analytics from Visier indicated a trajectory towards increased turnover within a specific team. The Gore Mutual team responded with agility, reversing the trend and significantly reducing turnover rates.
Employee journey mapping
Utilizing the insights from Visier, Gore Mutual embarked on a comprehensive mapping of employee personas which helped key drivers, outliers, and opportunities within the workforce.
These insights served as a cornerstone in refining Gore’s people strategy, ultimately leading to a more aligned direction for employee experience and engagement.
THE OUTCOME
A 25% increase in retention rate, employee engagement scores up by 8%
The adoption of Visier across Gore’s HR team has resulted in a measurable impact. Since implementation, the HR team has employed scorecards to monitor engagement which has improved by 8% over six months taking their overall score to 80%. Their inclusion and well-being scores are also at 80% and the retention rate has increased by 25%. Gore now hosts monthly meetings centered around deriving actionable insights from analytics generated by Visier to create even more impact like this.
The next strategic step involves extending Visier access to Gore’s broader leadership team, enabling leaders to leverage these insights directly. The ultimate goal is organization-wide access, tailored to individual roles, to foster a culture of informed decision-making at all levels. Yannick asserts, “Empowering every individual in the organization with the tools to measure and understand business outcomes is vital for collective success.”
Currently, Gore is evaluating Visier’s Smart Compensation tool as a potential addition to enhance their strategic compensation framework.
THE OUTCOME
Putting Visier into every employee’s hands
The adoption of Visier across Gore’s HR team is a testament to the tool’s transformative impact. The team employs scorecards to monitor engagement, and monthly HR meetings center around deriving actionable insights from analytics.
The next strategic step involves extending Visier access to Gore’s leadership team, enabling them to leverage these insights directly. The ultimate goal is organization-wide access, tailored to individual roles, fostering a culture of informed decision-making at all levels. Yannick asserts, “Empowering every individual in the organization with the tools to measure and understand business outcomes is vital for collective success.”
Currently, Gore is evaluating Visier’s Smart Compensation tool as a potential addition to enhance their strategic compensation framework.
Gore relies on human capital a lot - just like many other businesses. I believe understanding human capital is key for a company’s success.
Joy Brown, Senior Manager of HR Analytics at Bridgestone
THE SOLUTION
A secure, self-service people insights platform enabled democratization and data literacy throughout the organization
After implementing Visier and streamlining data sources into a central system, Bridgestone could operate from a place of mostly self-service reporting with all functions within HR able to access people data and insights securely and at a permission level set by Brown’s team. The self-service model freed up the people analytics team creating a federated model with HR analytics and insights within the organization.
With the security flexibility Visier offers, Brown could also empower non-HR users and the product development team to access analyses without the ability to make changes. “Visier really promotes data literacy in the way that end users can start building and designing for themselves,” reflects Brown.
Replacing massive spreadsheets with Visier revealed how turnover impacted DEI
Bridgestone has prioritized DEI efforts for many years, but it was a much more manual process before Visier. With thousands of employees being accounted for in spreadsheets, it was challenging to see the actual data concisely. Now, the team can easily visually see and think about diversity.
What’s next on the roadmap for Bridgestone
Currently, the organization is in the process of incorporating talent acquisition data into Visier, focusing on the data that supports the full employee lifecycle—from hire to retire.
And next, Bridgestone plans to roll out Visier access to more business leaders across the company, adding manager-validated skills data.
Enabling company-wide adoption of Visier will continue to be a high priority for Brown because, "when we share Visier, everyone loves it,” says Brown. “They all say it's so easy when you have information at your fingertips."
The ability to predict future recruitment needs
Recently, ACG has implemented Visier People® Talent Acquisition which has provided powerful insights into internal recruitment processes. Now, the organization knows how long it takes to backfill positions and can plan accordingly.
We wanted to improve data literacy, data accuracy, and be able to have non-HR functions utilize HR people data in a way that it's accessible but also protected.
Joy Brown, Senior Manager of HR Analytics at Bridgestone
THE SOLUTION
A secure, self-service people insights platform enabled democratization and data literacy throughout the organization
After implementing Visier and streamlining data sources into a central system, Bridgestone could operate from a place of mostly self-service reporting with all functions within HR able to access people data and insights securely and at a permission level set by Brown’s team. The self-service model freed up the people analytics team creating a federated model with HR analytics and insights within the organization.
With the security flexibility Visier offers, Brown could also empower non-HR users and the product development team to access analyses without the ability to make changes. “Visier really promotes data literacy in the way that end users can start building and designing for themselves,” reflects Brown.
What’s next on the roadmap for Bridgestone
Currently, the organization is in the process of incorporating talent acquisition data into Visier, focusing on the data that supports the full employee lifecycle—from hire to retire.
And next, Bridgestone plans to roll out Visier access to more business leaders across the company, adding manager-validated skills data.
Enabling company-wide adoption of Visier will continue to be a high priority for Brown because, "when we share Visier, everyone loves it,” says Brown. “They all say it's so easy when you have information at your fingertips."
Visier solutions used by Gore Mutual
Visier People® Organization
With core HR metrics, Organization starts you on your analytic journey answering questions around headcount, employee starts, and demographics, and how you compare to Visier Benchmarks.
Visier People® Benchmarks
Benchmarks complements government-published measures such as those from the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and US Bureau of Labor Statistics—also included with Visier— adding even more relevant context and timeliness.
Visier People® Talent Acquisition
Connect recruiting data with employee outcomes so you can refine and define recruitment processes, programs, and results.
Visier People® Talent
Identify the attributes that produce long-term, high performing employees and make better hiring decisions faster.
Visier® Workforce Planning
Plan, forecast, and shape your workforce according to your business goals while managing costs. Enables continuous, collaborative, data-driven planning across a variety of use cases.
About Visier
Visier is the recognized global leader in people analytics, workforce and compensation planning, embedded solutions, and genAI for people answers. At the core of Visier’s innovations is a simple premise: People impact is business impact, and you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Visier gives people-powered organizations the tools and insights to drive productivity, performance, and business outcomes through people impact. Founded in 2010 by the pioneers of business intelligence, Visier has over 60,000 customers in 75 countries, including enterprises like BASF, Panasonic, Experian, Amgen, eBay, Ford Motor Company, and more. Visier is headquartered in Vancouver, BC with offices and team members worldwide.
For more information, visit visier.com