As Google has grown, so has the responsibility of its Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) team.
They aim to help Google thrive by protecting the wellbeing of their people, partners, and the planet.
It’s a big job. So they asked us to help.
the challenge
Safeguarding several thousands of Googlers and partners across diverse locations and roles is complex. Delivering region-specific information in multiple languages while reinforcing central policies makes communication very complex.
How could we structure regional information at speed and scale, without fragmenting the central messaging?
Urgent updates are vital for safety and security information, especially during crises – like a global pandemic. But the complexity of regionalized communication can be time-consuming.
How could we build a fast, scalable narrative pipeline to effectively engage employees at the speed of change?
We wrapped EHS in one unified narrative strategy, then packaged communications in captivating short stories and campaigns designed to educate, engage, and entertain.
It started with helping the EHS team discover and define their North Star through a series of strategic workshops.
Developing their UNF® created clear, unified themes and concepts they now leverage across all communications.
The document contains information about who EHS is, where they fit within Google, what they do, how they do it, and why it matters.It enables storytellers at every level to reinforce the same essential pillars of EHS at Google.
design exploration
To start, we had to get away from tired, boring, or silly safety stories.We explored many different design approaches to depict characters and environments in the Google ecosystem. It was essential to capture the diverse Googley-ness of Google people and culture, while avoiding stereotypes and tropes.
narrative strategy
To ease the burden on EHS subject matter experts, we use a pipeline built from a series of frameworks that EHS team members become familiar with – enabling them to generate, review, improve, and approve content faster and more effectively.
This includes modular story parts that can be customized by SMEs in different global regions.
The result: A resilient storytelling pipeline that make it easier to tell cohesive, high-quality stories faster.
We use proven narrative frameworks to translate policies and procedures into relatable stories easily comprehensible to Googlers.
We employ a simple strategy for how characters, objects, and environments are used across different topics and regions.
Before producing content, we visualize everything so SMEs and stakeholders can easily provide detailed feedback.
The EHS story continues to grow across departments at Google.
Sustaining the story
To create even more return on investment and empower Google teams, all work First Person completes becomes part of a unified EHS Design Asset Library.
The “grab-and-go” library enables Google teams of all skill levels to craft memorable stories, enhance messages, capture attention, and add flair to training and informational documents.
Our partnership with Google continues to deepen.
In addition to helping the Google EHS team evolve themselves and their stories, we’re helping other groups within Google find their vision, align stakeholders, and activate teams through design storytelling.
It’s how we help organizations put Story at the Center of their business.
