How Uniper modernized internal communication for the digital workforce

Uniper brought 7,500 employees closer with a social intranet to made communication faster, smarter, and more human.

7,500

connected employees worldwide

400

active communities

320k

page visits per year

Industry:
Energy

Use Case:

Social intranet

Objective:

Strengthening internal communication and knowledge sharing

About Uniper

Uniper is a European energy company headquartered in Düsseldorf with operations in over 40 countries. With around 7,500 employees, Uniper plays a key role in securing energy supply across Europe, particularly in core markets Germany, the UK, Sweden, and the Netherlands.

Its activities span electricity generation in Europe, global energy trading, and a comprehensive gas portfolio. Uniper sources gas – including liquefied natural gas (LNG) – and other energy carriers from global markets. It also operates gas storage facilities with a total capacity of over 7 billion cubic meters.

Uniper aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040. To achieve this, the company is transforming its plants and investing in flexible, predictable power generation solutions. Today, it is already one of the largest hydropower operators in Europe and continues to expand solar and wind power for a more sustainable and secure future.

The challenge

Before Haiilo, Uniper faced a core challenge: improving internal communication across a globally distributed organization. Information needed to be faster, more targeted, and accessible to all employees, regardless of location, role, or language.

Uniper set out to modernize how its 7,500 employees connect, collaborate and share knowledge. The goal? Replace top-down updates with dynamic, two-way communication that works across teams, countries and languages.

Why Uniper chose Haiilo

Haiilo stood out with its intuitive platform purpose-built for modern internal communication. Compared to alternatives like SharePoint or Viva, Haiilo offers:

• Low barrier to entry: The interface is easy to use – no training marathons needed. Employees can quickly create, comment, and share content.

• Real engagement and collaboration: Haiilo encourages an open communication culture where everyone participates, not just the comms team.

• Tailored functionality: Unlike more generic solutions, Haiilo addressed Uniper’s specific needs head-on.

• Personalisation options: Employees only receive company-wide or location-specific updates – tailored newsfeed keeps updates relevant and specific.

• Seamless integration: Works alongside the tools Uniper already uses, including Sharepoint, Teams and Copilot.

• Cost-effective and low maintenance: SharePoint was ruled out early. Haiilo proved simpler to manage, more impactful, and far more efficient from an IT perspective.

• Built for the future: Uniper needed a platform that could grow with them. Haiilo evolves continuously, helping them refine and improve communication over time.

How was the new intranet launched? 

Uniper launched Haiilo in 2016 under the internal brand “Ping”: a bold move back when social intranets were still new territory for many. The rollout was a cross-functional effort, led by comms, IT, and Haiilo, with one shared vision: build a modern platform that people actually use.

Here’s how they did it:

1. Setting goals and understanding needs
   Joint workshops with stakeholders helped define clear, employee-centric goals – focused on usability, relevance and long-term value.
   
   
2. Testing and refining the concept
   Pilot groups tested the platform and gave feedback, shaping it around real-life use cases and everyday needs.
   
   
3. Company-wide launch and comms campaign
   Uniper rolled out Ping with a “big bang” launch, backed by a strong internal communications plan and a network of employee ambassadors.
   
   
4. Training and empowerment
   Practical training sessions enabled employees to create and manage their own content. From day one, Ping was designed as a space for employees, not just about them.
   
   
5. Continuous improvement
   Haiilo has evolved with Uniper ever since. New features – including integrations with Microsoft Teams and Copilot – have been rolled out in close collaboration with the Haiilo team.

How Uniper uses Haiilo today

Today, Haiilo (aka “Ping”) is the heart of internal communication at Uniper. It’s where updates are shared, discussions happen, and communities thrive, across departments and borders.

Use cases include:

• Clear and consistent company updates
  Company-wide news – on strategy, leadership, or market changes – is shared through Ping using push notifications to ensure everyone’s in the loop.

• Targeted communication by role or location
  Content is personalized for different teams, regions, and roles, making communication more relevant and less overwhelming.
  

• Employee-led content and bottom-up communication
  Around 300 blog posts are published every month – most by employees themselves. From event recaps to personal insights, Ping gives everyone a voice.

• Seamless event management
  Ping is the go-to space for internal events, from leadership talks to safety weeks to inclusion days. With ~700 events per year, the platform manages everything from sign-up to follow-up.

• Smart search with Microsoft Copilot
  Ping is integrated with Microsoft Copilot, enabling smart search and instant access to key intranet content. The implementation took just three months: a perfect example of agile collaboration and innovation in action.

The impact: more visibility, more interaction, more value

Almost a decade later, Haiilo is deeply embedded in daily life at Uniper. The results speak for themselves:

• 400 active communities driving collaboration and knowledge-sharing
• 320,000 page views annually – a 50% increase since 2018
• 300 employee-created blog posts per month
• 700+ internal events managed and promoted through the platform

From 2018 to 2024, annual page visits grew by 50%, and interactions by 80%. The verdict: Haiilo isn’t just a communication channel, it’s a space for real dialogue.

Haiilo makes makes internal communication easier, more inclusive, and more impactful

• Intuitive: No technical expertise needed – just start sharing.
• Targeted: Tailor content for teams, roles, or regions.
• Engaging: Two-way communication with real-time feedback.
• Data-driven: Built-in analytics help measure what works.

In short: Haiilo delivered exactly what Uniper needed: a scalable, user-friendly platform that redefined how they connect their people.

Today, Ping brings global teams together, supports a strong knowledge culture, and helps communication become a true driver of business success.

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