In Nantes, an app strengthens the manager-driver relationship

Well-being at work: a key issue for employee retention 

Keolis has long prioritized creating optimal working conditions. Well-being at work is a key priority for the company, as well as the transport sector in general, at a time when the industry faces significant challenges in recruiting and retaining drivers. 

To address this, Keolis recently conducted a survey to measure drivers’ satisfaction, gain insights into their experiences and ultimately identify areas for improvement. The survey revealed concerns regarding management and the manager-driver relationship, with drivers noting a lack of availability at times from managers. This issue was particularly prominent among interurban and school transport drivers who do not have daily interactions with their managers as part of their roles and may lack direct contact.

During an innovation workshop organized by Keolis, which involved 80 employees from all backgrounds and professions, the idea of developing a mobile app to facilitate direct communication between drivers and managers emerged.

A mobile app to streamline the manager-driver relationship 

The concept behind the mobile app was simple: provide employees with a platform accessible on their work phones, allowing them to easily report any difficulties to their managers in just a few clicks. 

Since its testing phase in Nantes from November 2023, the app has prioritized user-friendliness, ensuring easy adoption. Drivers can log in at their convenience and answer three questions:

- “How did your shift go today?” allows the driver to describe their mood that day with one of four emojis.

- “What problems did you face?” enables the driver to share their challenges by selecting the type of problem they experienced, including technical, customer, planning or other issues from a list.

- An open-ended question gives the driver the opportunity to comment on any incidents or share their general questions and concerns.

Managers can acknowledge and address each driver’s response through tickets on their own interface. The driver is kept informed of the progress on their request in real time, with status updates when the request has been received, is being processed, and more. Employees also have the option to request direct meetings with their managers through the app, further strengthening the manager-driver relationship.

Cascading benefits: well-being at work, efficient management and an updated corporate brand image  

Developed through collaboration between the Inno Lab, the Operations Department and the Keolis Atlantique (Nantes) subsidiary, the app engaged drivers from the very beginning. The initial version of the app was fine-tuned to allow drivers to respond in less than 30 seconds. The early involvement of the various business units ensured the creation of an easy-to-use app tailored to the drivers’ requests. Moreover, the team’s experience in the field enables them to adjust features based on feedback. “Voix du volant” has received positive initial feedback, effectively enhancing the relationship between managers and drivers and, ultimately, improving well-being at work for all employees.

Centralized data collection via the digital platform allows Keolis to gain insights into employee sentiment and the quality of life at work. This empowers managers and HR departments to take swift action based on real-time feedback.

Next steps: expanding the solution across the entire Keolis network 

Following phased testing since late 2023, the project initially involved a team of 12 drivers and two managers. The “Voix du volant” has been growing since February 2024 and will eventually expand to 200 drivers. Evaluation metrics, including well-being at work and absence rates, will determine the effectiveness of the solution before it is rolled out to other subsidiaries.