Empowering a global workforce: SD Worx boosts engagement & self-leadership with Eletive

For years, SD Worx had been running engagement surveys internally. But over time, the system they used became less effective. The tool was difficult to use – both for sending surveys and for analysing the results – and the once scientifically validated questionnaire had lost its reliability after years of edits and adjustments. It was time for something new.

We needed a solid, validated questionnaire, and we wanted an easier and more powerful way to analyse results and take action.

“We wanted a solution that would help us with both sides of the challenge,” explains Ellen Devlieger, People Data Manager at SD Worx.

We needed a solid, validated questionnaire, and we wanted an easier and more powerful way to analyse results and take action.

Focusing on self-leadership

When evaluating different engagement platforms, SD Worx was looking for more than just a tool – they wanted a partner that shared their values.

What made Eletive stand out was the strong focus on self-leadership. At SD Worx, every employee is seen as a leader, regardless of role or title. Empowering people to take ownership of their own engagement and growth is a cornerstone of the company culture, and Eletive’s approach aligned perfectly.

The fact that employees and managers can both access their own results and take meaningful action was a big reason we chose Eletive

“The fact that employees and managers can both access their own results and take meaningful action was a big reason we chose Eletive,” says Ellen Devlieger. “It reinforces our philosophy that leadership isn’t limited to people managers – everyone has a role to play.”

Another important factor was language support. With colleagues across many countries, ensuring that surveys could be completed in each employee’s native language was essential. “That inclusivity is something we really value, and Eletive makes it possible,” Ellen adds.

How to boost self-leadership in the workplaceThe ability to lead oneself not only boosts individual productivity but also drives team success and organisational resilience.Download

Smooth implementation and reliable support

Rolling out a new engagement platform in a 10,000-person, matrix-style organisation is no small task. To make the process efficient, SD Worx split the work into two streams: one focusing on technical aspects like data and integration, and another on survey content.

“The structure helped a lot,” says Ellen. “Not everyone had to be in every meeting, but we kept each other updated. It made things run smoothly.”

The first survey with Eletive was launched manually, but within months, SD Worx had integrated the platform with SuccessFactors. Today, survey distribution is fully automated.

Throughout the implementation and beyond, support from the Eletive customer success team was another highlight. "And after the implementation, the communication lines remain very open, which is really valuable. Whenever we have a question or need a final check before launching, we can count on them," Ellen says.

Userfriendly experience and better insights

Managers, in particular, appreciate the improved user experience and the ability to easily access and filter results for their teams.

“The heatmap is a great feature,” says Ellen. “It makes it easy to see at a glance where things are going well and where we need to focus.”

Another major improvement has been reporting. SD Worx now measures both eNPS and an Engagement Index, giving a more complete and reliable picture of employee sentiment.

“eNPS is based on one question. Adding the Engagement Index to the KPIs that we in the people team report on gives a much fuller, more accurate picture.”

eNPS eNPS is short for Employee Net Promotor Score. It's a score used to measure employee engagement and employee satisfaction.Read more

Eletive has made our process easier, our data more useful, and our conversation about engagement stronger.

While it’s still early days, SD Worx sees Eletive as a key partner in building a stronger culture of self-leadership and employee-driven action. Beyond the annual engagement survey, the company is also using custom surveys for acquisitions, ESG initiatives, and contingent workforce engagement, and is gradually introducing pulse surveys.

“With Eletive, we’ve taken an important step forward in how we measure and work with engagement,” says Ellen. "Eletive has made our process easier, our data more useful, and our conversation about engagement stronger."