At Virgin Australia Group, 70% of the workforce is out on the front line—pilots, cabin crew, ground staff—while 30% work in corporate head offices. This dynamic team is passionate, energetic, and proud to be part of the aviation industry. But as the business expanded and became more geographically diverse, staying connected became harder, especially for deskless workers.

Emma Mehaffey, GM of Culture & Employee Experience explained the challenge: “We grew and diversified, and we also spread geographically. It was harder for us to connect. People started feeling a little siloed in their spaces.”

What made it even more frustrating was how much the Virgin team wanted to connect. “Our workforce is passionate about what they do... we’re a fun, innovative company. It didn’t make sense that we weren’t interacting in a more fun manner than on emails.” The inboxes were clogged. The energy was lost in translation.

This was a cultural issue just as much as a communication issue.

Launching a New Way to Belong

Virgin looked to roll out a new digital employee comms platform right as COVID disrupted the aviation industry, grounding all planes. Luke Evans, Customer Experience at Virgin, shared the positives and negatives of this timing. “Rolling out a program like this around a time like COVID… it was a blessing in disguise, but also really challenging. We had to be agile. We had to rethink our program very quickly.” 

That’s where Enablo came in.

“Enablo very quickly understood the kind of business we were,” said Mehaffey. “We worked fast. We needed it to happen fast. And we needed to be agile... Enablo were able to work with us at the pace that we were working at, which was fantastic.”

Together, the teams launched a digital hub that wasn’t just functional—it felt like home in a time of immense stress and change. “It’s like two positive cultures came together,” they shared. “I actually don’t know where we would be right now... if we hadn’t done it.”

Connection is the Culture Now
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The results of the rollout speak for themselves. Over 92% of employees claimed their account, with 85% logging in monthly. Depending on the content, some posts reached 100% view rates. “We’re actually reaching all our people for the first time ever.” Mehaffey explained.

It didn’t just change how information was shared—it changed how people showed up. “It’s given people permission to be more their genuine selves,” Evans noted. From videos of people mowing lawns to photos of pets and runs, “it’s brought a personal side to our leadership team, which has been incredible.”

Innovation is now coming from the frontline up. Mehaffey highlighted the power of deskless teams to make a difference to operations: “Departments are coming to us with new ideas. One team’s exploring how to use the tool to get live feedback from crew mid-flight—what’s not working, what needs improving. It’s a faster, more effective way to do things.”

As Virgin Australia continues to rebound, this platform is more than a comms channel. It’s a pillar of how the company is rebuilding its culture. “It’s about reinvigorating what we stand for, why we come to work each day. This platform will be a huge driver of that.”