FNV & AWAREWAYS

“Trade union membership is considered a special category of personal data,” says Maarten Risseeuw, Privacy & Security Consultant at FNV – “It is deeply tied to fundamental rights, so virtually all the member data we process is sensitive. Therefore, we must handle this information with great care. That is why awareness remains essential.”

FNV has partnered with Awareways for the second time now. “The first time was in 2018, and it won't surprise you why that year. As FNV, we wanted to tackle privacy awareness to stay ahead of the GDPR implementation. Awareways clearly stood out to me. While most vendors focused on rules and simulations, Awareways truly focused on behavior. You were the only ones at the time.” The first campaign quickly followed.

“It turned out to be a great campaign, very inventive. For example, we had posters featuring someone holding a protest sign in front of their face. You could recognize a job or profession from their clothing, but you couldn't see their face, just the sign—which displayed personal data. The person seems anonymous, but we still know a great deal.” The phone number shown then led to a voicemail with privacy tips.


“That concept was extended to a life-sized cardboard cutout of a person with a sign next to a separate, secure document disposal bin. The setup started talking when you walked past it, sharing messages about privacy.” Maarten plays an example from the archive: 'Be careful with my identity, I only have one.'


“Look, the GDPR makess things possible, you shouldn't see it as a prohibition or restriction. That was reflected in the campaign. Not 'this isn't allowed,' but 'this is how you do it.' That way, together, within the rules and legal bases, you can ensure that you work securely with data.”

“In 2022, we evaluated multiple vendors again through a tender process. It’s a major undertaking, FNV has not only over 1,400 employees, but also 20,000 union representatives. Once again, Awareways came out on top. And that wasn't just my recommendation based on their focus on behavioral change and creative approach; our Procurement department reached the exact same conclusion.”

Why creativity was the deciding factor becomes clear when you walk around the Central Trade Union House in Utrecht. There, you will find current campaigns and topics demanding attention through signs, posters, and flyers, ranging from 'The Netherlands Deserves Better' to raising the minimum wage, the 'buffelboete' penalty, and Labor Day on May 1st. “Every theme has to cut through all that campaign noise and hold its own, including security and privacy.”

“Awareways does that well: they come up with an original angle that grabs attention every single time. That theme is then carried through in a tone and style that truly fits the organization. The reporting capabilities are also excellent. Via an API, I can easily extract all the relevant data from the system and include it in my weekly presentations to management. And you can see there is genuine interest in the progress metrics.”

The value-add of reporting is not limited to participation and engagement. “Another major advantage is that the results are truly measurable. You see, within the organization, you can notice we’ve made significant progress. People are very eager; the focus and commitment to protecting our members are very high. Now, the knowledge and awareness are also there to do so. And you can see that reflected in the interim evaluations. These kinds of improvements happen gradually—you notice them, but when you see it reflected in the data over a longer period, you can look back and see that there is demonstrable progress.”


Significant strides have been made across the constructs measured by Awareways: social norm, knowledge, and opportunity. “That is highly recognizable, because we see it reflected in the workplace. More questions and reports are reaching the privacy officer, and there are fewer clicks on phishing emails, even in the recent simulation where our managing director was the sender. People realize that you can't just do or share anything. That you must always remain alert to that and take the appropriate measures. A privacy awareness has very clearly emerged, organization-wide.”


Asked about the collaboration with Awareways, Maarten is clear: “I can only speak in superlatives. In addition to their creative expertise and ability to cut through the campaign noise, they always collaborate with us on the right angle and possibilities, and always in a result-driven manner. For instance, in the new campaign, we don't use anonymous people; instead, our own employees were photographed. That was your idea, but it fits our organization perfectly. From there, they completely handle everything for us during execution; for a campaign video here at the office, Awareways showed up with a project manager, a photographer, a complete wardrobe, and even a makeup artist.”