A digital safe space for more trust and innovation at the City of Aachen

The challenge: finding the right solution is difficult

With this approach, the City of Aachen is specifically addressing the desires of employees in Germany. Three out of five employees wish for more digital support and counseling services. Additionally, four out of five employees state that an anonymous and digital communication channel would make it easier for them to seek counseling.

For this reason, the City of Aachen was searching for a digital platform that could flexibly integrate all existing internal and external support channels into one system.

Whistleblowing or reporting systems may address the need for a compliance solution but do not provide support for issues such as conflicts or mental health concerns.

External hotlines, which attempt to address these issues, are not always accessible, present a higher threshold, and are often only used when the problem is already acute.

"Evermood supports us in effectively handling reports by bringing together all existing support channels in one overview. This not only creates transparency regarding the utilization of our contact points but also provides a detailed picture of the questions and concerns that are important to our employees."

— Wolfgang Pauels, Chief Digital Officer of the City of Aachen

Why the City of Aachen Chose Evermood

Evermood is the only digital platform that enables easy contact and networking with support services. Thanks to an extensive role and rights system, the right trust persons can be assigned depending on the topic, and they can be contacted anonymously via chat or in person. This approach helps the City of Aachen to detect conflict potentials earlier and promote the health and satisfaction of its employees sustainably.

Furthermore, with the introduction of Evermood, the City of Aachen complies with legal requirements. The recently adopted EU Whistleblower Directive obligates companies with more than 50 employees to implement an anonymous reporting system. As an extended whistleblower system, Evermood is compliant with the law and is used by the City of Aachen to fulfill the directive. It ensures that whistleblowers can access Evermood from any web-enabled device, even without a work-related internet connection.

Evermood clearly positions itself as a third-party provider. On one hand, no access to the intranet is required, allowing all employees to receive help from anywhere. On the other hand, the distinction from the city administration as the employer enhances the trust of those affected in the neutrality of the communication solution.

By collaborating with Evermood, the City of Aachen also benefits from the expertise of the Evermood Advisory Board in caring for its employees. For example, Ms. Christine Lüders, the former head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency, is a senior partner and significantly involved in generating recommendations based on the available data.

Throughout this process, the City of Aachen enjoys maximum security. Evermood places great emphasis not only on the anonymity of whistleblowers but also on data protection and data security throughout all processes. All data is processed and stored exclusively in German ISO 27001 certified high-security centers. In addition, all procedures are regularly reviewed by external lawyers and IT experts.

"Networked organizations are the cornerstone of innovation. Evermood is one of the measures with which we actively pursue the goal of meaningful and comprehensive networking."

— Wolfgang Pauels, Chief Digital Officer of the City of Aachen

How Evermood Supports the City of Aachen

Evermood not only allows the consolidation of all existing offerings in one place but also provides detailed analyses and statistics in a dashboard for the City of Aachen. This offers a precise picture of the work environment.

Based on data, the city administration can quickly and effectively derive targeted measures to sustainably improve collaboration, motivation, and corporate culture. As part of the Evermood implementation, an "Evermood Trustee Network" is established, where trust persons receive regular professional training and preparation for dealing with upcoming issues and situations using practical examples. The network also serves for continuous alignment of standardized procedures.

Evermood's digital solution, with its range of features, contributes to promoting employee satisfaction and organizational health in the City of Aachen, leading to reduced sick leave and staff turnover and resulting in cost savings.

Does this sound interesting for your city as well? Due to the size, diversity, and complexity of the City of Aachen's workforce, the transferability to many other municipalities and municipal companies is ensured. Contact us to find out how Evermood can add value to your organization too.