How Ruia Group improved culture in a dispersed workforce
Stribe has worked with Ruia Group to strengthen the employee voice and improve the culture in their dispersed workforce.
Read MoreHow Arighi Bianchi improved internal communications in their dispersed team
Arighi Bianchi is a high-quality family-run interiors and furniture business based in Macclesfield, Cheshire. Founded in 1854, they are a 5th-generation family-run business that places customers at the heart of every aspect of their operation.
They pride themselves on happy customers and understand that the way to achieve that is by creating highly engaged employees using excellent internal communication and employee recognition.
Arighi Bianchi launched Stribe to their dispersed and offline teams in 2022. They use Stribe to strengthen their employee voice and peer-to-peer recognition and enhance their internal communications. We spoke with their Director, Nick Bianchi, to learn more about how Stribe works for their team.
What is the main purpose of Stribe within Arighi Bianchi?
For us Stribe is a way to improve communication within the business. We were finding ‘all user’ emails – which was the main way we were communicating – were very impersonal. We also realised recently that because of the nature of our business, people can’t check their emails regularly. Only 61% of staff have access to company emails which meant that our deskless employees such as van drivers, carpet fitters, and cafe staff were missing important communications. It also meant that we were relying heavily on managers communicating key news and updates to their teams.
We introduced Stribe because it’s a great employee communication tool that reaches everyone in the business. Even if staff don’t have access to a computer or email, they can access Stribe via the app! We wanted to involve everyone in the internal communications at Arighi Bianchi and Stribe is a great way to do that.
We introduced Stribe because it’s a great employee communication tool that reaches everyone in the business. Even if staff don’t have access to a computer or email, they can access Stribe via the app! 
How does Stribe contribute to the bigger picture at Arighi Bianchi?
We are a close-knit family business that has high staff loyalty and retention, however, we want to build an inclusive organisation where everyone feels like they belong. We’re currently growing quickly and exploring opening new stores. We realised that as we grow we need a tool for communication to enhance the feeling of belonging. Even though we have a close relationship with our staff, we still wanted to take it to the next step and put something in place we could be confident reached everyone. We didn’t want to assume everyone would always hear everything through word-of-mouth and email. We were looking for a tool that was easy to use, that staff were comfortable using, and has an app that was easy to access for staff that didn’t have access to emails or computers. Stribe ticked all the boxes!
Do you have any stats that demonstrate Stribe’s impact since launch?
Our company Trustpilot reviews have definitely improved. Myself and the directors share shout-outs (which are a wonderful part of the app) when we see good reviews on Trustpilot. This encouraged sales staff and their service because they knew that we were seeing all their good work, responding to the reviews, and sharing it with the wider team to encourage peer-to-peer recognition. This – we felt – underpinned good business performance.
How have you found working with the team at Stribe?
Excellent! When we had feedback and suggestions for the app it was listened to and you worked with us to build Stribe into a product we really love.
Definitely take Stribe on, it’s a great employee engagement tool.
Do you have any favourite stories where Stribe has really worked in your team?
Employees have really enjoyed using Stribe. We sent a pulse survey earlier this year asking colleagues about whether we should open during the King’s Coronation. It was a decision we very much delegated to the staff and wanted to get their feedback on. 80% felt the store should close, which we listened to.
We also wanted Stribe to be an extension of our communications, and that could be on anything. Recently 30 members of staff ran 10k and raised money for East Cheshire Hospice. We used Stribe to share updates and information about our runners, there was a real buzz on Stribe during the lead up to the run – it felt like the whole team were behind our runners!
The resources tab is also brilliant for people to check in on information such as holidays, health and safety guidelines etc. it’s great that the important stuff is right at their finger tips, especially for a team that aren’t regularly at computers.
What would you say to someone who is on the fence about taking on Stribe?
Definitely take Stribe on, it’s a great employee engagement tool. Certainly, if you’re a larger business. It’s very easy to use, and getting staff bought in and engaged with Stribe is easy too. Stribe’s shout-outs feature is also brilliant for staff morale, helping them see their names in lights is great for recognition and motivation.
Like what you read? Hear more about how Stribe can support your employee engagement and internal communications from our team. Get a quick chat booked in and we’ll show you the ropes!
