For nearly three years, Ibnsina Pharma’s leadership had been searching for a way to answer a simple question: How are our people really doing?

As one of Egypt’s largest pharmaceutical distributors, Ibnsina serves over 50,000 customers and partners with 350+ manufacturers. Its 8,000 employees work across 55 sites from Cairo and Alexandria, to the Delta, Canal region, and Upper Egypt.

The business was growing. But with thousands of employees spread across different regions and functions, leadership needed a reliable way to understand where their employees were struggling, and how to provide them with the best support to achieve their growth.

That mindset marked the beginning of a more deliberate approach; one where engagement could be measured, understood, and improved with confidence.

Ibnsina Pharma’s leadership wanted to strengthen engagement in a way that could be measured, compared, and acted on. With thousands of employees across different regions and functions, each facing their own realities, they couldn’t rely on anecdotal feedback or generalized practices.

If they were going to act, they needed to trust what they were acting on. That meant finding a solution built on a validated framework to assess engagement scientifically, highlight strengths, identify development areas, and design practical action plans backed by data.

Knowing how people were feeling or what they needed couldn’t rely on assumptions. Leaders wanted evidence: reliable data that could highlight what drives engagement, pinpoint where improvement is needed, and guide every next step with confidence.‏

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After exploring multiple local and international providers, Ibnsina Pharma selected Engagesoft for its scientific foundation and analytical depth.

What set it apart was visibility. The platform’s Org Chart and Heatmap tools gave leaders a complete view of engagement across departments and regions, something essential for a large and distributed organization. They could see exactly which teams needed attention, in what capacity, and act accordingly.

That level of visibility set the foundation for everything that followed. Managers could act on clear data, and leadership could track progress with precision.

Before any actions could begin, Ibnsina Pharma needed a clear picture of where engagement actually stood. The 2023 baseline survey marked their first full cycle using Engagesoft’s validated model.

The Human Resource team worked closely with Engagesoft to explain the science behind the model to directors and managers, showing how engagement would be measured and why it mattered. That transparency was critical. Employees needed to trust their voices would be heard and their data handled seriously.

When the results came in, leaders could see the full picture for the first time: engagement scores segmented by region, department, and function. Some findings confirmed their instincts, others challenged a few, and the gaps between teams were clearer than expected.

That visibility sparked action. Human Resources, managers, and leadership started having real conversations about what needed to change and who would own it.

With the baseline in place, Ibnsina Pharma focused on two key areas that would define the next two years.

Initiative 1: Enabling Managers to Drive Engagement

Once the baseline was established, the next priority was turning insight into action. That began with managers.

HR positioned managers as the bridge between data and day-to-day culture. They began with one-to-one sessions for directors to walk through results and the scientific model behind them, then cascaded these discussions across departments.

Twelve managers joined focused workshops to interpret their team results and identify realistic next steps. The sessions focused on what could change within each team’s reality, whether that meant clearer communication, more recognition, or removing small barriers that slow down daily work. 

Then came the critical part: weekly check-ins. Every week, HR checked in on progress and helped managers adjust their approach and keep momentum going. Over time, those short, consistent conversations turned engagement from a seasonal event into a management habit.

Initiative 2: Recognition and Communication in Practice

As managers began acting on their data, two needs were consistently highlighted : recognition and communication. Both proved central to how people felt about their work, and both became focus areas across the company. 

At the leadership level, simple but consistent habits made the biggest difference. Ibnsina launched "Breakfast with the CEO" sessions – open spaces where employees from different branches could share ideas directly with senior leaders. What started as a recognition initiative soon became a channel for dialogue and a way for people to feel seen and heard.

For employees without easy access to digital tools, HR introduced WhatsApp feedback lines. On-site and field staff now had a direct way to share input. These small steps brought inclusivity into the process, so that every voice could reach the conversation. 

HR also launched behavioral awareness workshops, including one titled "Tell Them How to Treat You." The sessions encouraged managers and employees to discuss expectations openly and translate appreciation into daily interactions, whether through a message, a check-in, or a public thank you. Recognition started showing up more frequently and more naturally. 

By the end of the 18-month cycle, communication and recognition scores saw strong improvement across the company. As well as a real qualitative shift, employees described feeling closer to their leaders and teams. 

Following the first baseline, Ibnsina Pharma maintained a steady rhythm of listening and measurement, using each cycle to validate progress and guide the next stage of action. 

2024: Pulse Survey Checkpoint

To test whether initiatives were working, the HR team ran a Pulse survey covering both head-office and regional teams. Despite expanding participation to include more on-site and operational employees, response rates stayed strong. Each region was tracked daily through Engagesoft's dashboard until they reached 95% participation – proof that engagement had become a company-wide habit. 

2025: Measuring Progress & Refining Action

The next full engagement survey confirmed the upward trend. Engagement rose from 8.1 to 8.7 out of 10, with notable gains in recognition, communication, and leadership visibility. The biggest validation was that departments that had previously shown early areas of concern recorded the strongest improvements, a reflection of the consistent manager engagement and HR guidance throughout the year. 

What started as a baseline survey had evolved into standard practice. Managers were checking in regularly, adjusting based on feedback from teams.

Across three survey cycles, Ibnsina Pharma recorded steady, data-backed progress:
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Improvements were seen across departments, including significant jumps in areas that had required early attention.

Beyond the numbers, leaders noticed other changes like more recognition and faster manager follow-up. The link between action and outcome became clearer with each survey cycle.

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By 2025, engagement had become a leading indicator of performance measured consistently and discussed openly across teams.

By 2025, employee engagement had become part of how Ibnsina Pharma operates daily . Every manager now owned their team’s data, discussed it openly, and followed up on action plans as part of routine performance conversations.

The leadership team used the results to keep focus areas visible across the organization: recognition, communication, and values in daily practice. The data gave leaders a common language for understanding engagement and acting on it.

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Every organization’s culture is different, but the need for clarity, listening, and data-driven action is universal.

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If you’re ready to build a consistent system for understanding and improving engagement, talk to our team about how Engagesoft can help. Book a demo to see how