How Public Group Transformed the Employee Experience with an Integrated HR Platform

Who is Public Group?

Public Group, one of Greece's leading omnichannel tech, home appliances, and entertainment retailers, operates 64 stores across Greece and Cyprus, a dynamic ecommerce platform, and more than 2,000 people who bring their passion for customers to life every day. The organization sought to modernize how it engages, develops, recognizes, and communicates with its people. With a nationwide, predominantly frontline retail workforce, it needed an HR platform that could support the full employee lifecycle through a seamless mobile experience.

Business Challenge

Public Group's previous employee survey solution successfully supported anonymous engagement surveys but lacked the flexibility required to support a broader people strategy.

As HR initiatives expanded to include onboarding feedback, exit interviews, performance management, peer evaluations, employee communication, and recognition programs, maintaining multiple disconnected systems created operational complexity and limited visibility across the employee lifecycle.

In addition, the majority of frontline employees do not use corporate email addresses, making mobile accessibility a critical business requirement rather than simply a convenience.

Solution

HR Cloud provided Public Group with a unified platform that brings together employee communication, engagement, recognition, performance management, and feedback processes within a single ecosystem.

Today, Public Group leverages:

• Workmates to strengthen communication and engagement across headquarters and retail stores.
• Performance to manage performance reviews and trainer-led evaluations throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Surveys for both anonymous engagement measurement and personalized onboarding and exit feedback.
• Kudos & Appreciationto encourage real-time recognition, celebrate employee achievements, and reinforce the organization's culture and values.
• Custom Rewards to support employee recognition through personalized reward programs that increase motivation and engagement.
• A direct API integration with Softone, ensuring employee records remain continuously synchronized between payroll and HR systems without manual intervention.

Business Impact

The implementation of HR Cloud has enabled Public Group to standardize key HR processes while improving both operational efficiency and the overall employee experience.

Key outcomes include:

• A unified platform supporting communication, engagement, recognition, performance management, and employee feedback.
• A mobile-first employee experience designed specifically for frontline retail employees.
• A culture of continuous recognition through Kudos & Appreciation.
• Increased employee engagement through personalized reward programs.
• Automated synchronization of employee data through payroll integration.
• Reduced administrative effort and improved data accuracy.
• Greater flexibility to scale HR initiatives as organizational needs evolve.

Partnership Beyond Technology

Beyond the platform itself, Public Group values the collaborative relationship established with the HR Cloud Customer Success team.

Responsive support, continuous communication, and a willingness to incorporate customer feedback into product development have contributed to a long-term partnership focused on continuous improvement.

“The platform has evolved alongside our needs, and the Customer Success team has consistently demonstrated responsiveness, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to helping us succeed.”

Results at a Glance

• Unified HR platform supporting communication, engagement, recognition, performance management, and employee feedback.
• Mobile-first employee experience for frontline retail teams.
• Kudos & Appreciation fostering a culture of recognition and peer-to-peer engagement.
• Custom Rewards supporting employee motivation while reinforcing organizational values.
• Automated employee record synchronization through Softone API.
• Streamlined HR operations with reduced manual administration.