How do you lead and engage employees in an organisation facing an intense period of transformation?
When SJ Stockholmståg took over Stockholm County’s commuter rail operations at short notice in spring 2024, the objective was clear: passengers should not notice the operator change. Services would continue to run by maintaining existing ways of working, “as is”.
Despite the short preparation period of four months, compared to the usual timeframe of around one year, the launch exceeded expectations. In a short time, the organisation delivered more reliable services and created stability within a complex organisation of around 2,000 employees, diverse working environments, and high expectations from both staff and passengers.
A crucial success factor was gaining employees’ trust in the assignment and creating a workplace where people want to come to work. Pulse surveys became – and remain – a central tool for understanding the organisation’s situation and developing the new company. It was also a tool already used within the parent company, SJ.
One person who has played a key role in the process is Sanna Schönwell, Head of HR at SJ Stockholmståg, who joined the organisation during the transition.
(Sanna Schönwell, Head of HR at SJ Stockholmståg)
“The biggest challenge was the high expectations and the fragmented operations that quickly needed to come together. We needed to create a sense of security, show that we listen, and ensure fair leadership in everyday work. It was also important to establish a way to measure and follow engagement over time early on – that’s where pulse surveys came in,” says Sanna.
The HR department and management team quickly focused on stable processes, clear communication, and building culture through everyday behaviours – rather than starting with typical value statements. The goal was for employees to feel seen, heard, and included in the new organisation from an early stage.
Pulse surveys were introduced immediately after the takeover to quickly understand employees’ experiences and needs.
“Pulse surveys have been an important tool that helped us create structures where employees’ voices can be heard,” says Sanna.
The surveys are conducted four times a year and combine questions about leadership, the working environment, and collaboration with thematic questions related to current challenges. The results are broken down at team level, enabling managers and employees to identify focus areas together. At company level, trends in the results are used to support strategic decisions and priorities.
A key focus has been ensuring that all employees can participate in the surveys – even those without access to a computer.
“This is crucial for us. Allowing employees to respond by phone, and clearly communicating why we measure and how little time it takes, makes participation easy regardless of role,” says Sanna.
Feedback is key to maintaining a high response rate. When employees see that pulse surveys lead to follow-up dialogue and concrete actions, both engagement and trust increase. Managers receive training on how to follow up on and discuss the results within their teams, strengthening trust and involvement.
Something else Sanna believes contributes to the high response rate is how they work with internal communication ahead of each pulse survey. She describes it as a larger campaign where information is shared on the intranet, by email, and through their podcast (Pendelpodden) – all aimed at creating as much engagement as possible.
The first pulse survey gave SJ Stockholmståg a clear baseline and delivered surprisingly positive results.
“The results were actually better than we had dared to hope for, considering all the changes. There was a strong sense of professional pride and willingness to contribute to the new company,” says Sanna.
Since then, pulse surveys have been used to track trends over time, identify areas for improvement, and connect concrete actions to the HR promise of professional and fair leadership in everyday work. The transparency of the results, where employees can see how their teams are experiencing the workplace, creates both accountability and engagement among individual employees.
SJ Stockholmståg is now working to further integrate pulse surveys into occupational health and safety work and leadership development. The goal is for data to become a natural part of how the company is managed – while continuing to build trust through presence, clarity, and consistent action.
“We measure regularly, always provide feedback, and connect results to concrete activities. It must not become a desk product,” says Sanna.
In addition to pulse surveys, HR works with thematic surveys focused on the working environment, collaboration, and the conditions needed to do a good job. Leaders use the results to initiate dialogue, plan initiatives, and follow up on changes over time.
Through clear communication, presence, and concrete actions, the organisation has been able to move from an initial transition to a long-term development journey. Sanna describes it as a “star family”, where everyone comes from different backgrounds – the previous operator, the parent company SJ, and new employees – and together they are building the company forward.
“For us, it ultimately comes down to making every employee feel that their voice matters. When we listen – and show that we act – we build both trust and the future together,” Sanna concludes.
SJ Stockholmståg is a subsidiary of SJ AB and has been fully responsible for Stockholm’s commuter rail services since March 2024 – including operations, maintenance, and service. With around 2,000 employees, the company works closely with Trafikförvaltningen (SL) to deliver safe and reliable commuter rail services to the more than 340,000 passengers who travel by commuter train every weekday. As part of the SJ Group, SJ Stockholmståg contributes to more sustainable travel in a growing metropolitan region.
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“We have never had such a high participation rate in our employee surveys, and we receive many valuable comments from our employees. This gives us new opportunities to target both work environment and engagement”
– Inger-Elisabeth Følling, Senior HR Consultant, Coop Norge SA
