If your organization regularly communicates with employees, then you understand the value of keeping employees informed about changes and plans for the organization. If you don't have a program for regular employee communications, there are compelling reasons to start one.
External Media Relations
Organizations across the country spend large amounts of money,
engage outside consultants and employ staff to help ensure that the
organization's message reaches its external audiences. Most
successful business people know that it is smart to maintain a
public relations program. Strategic campaigns can boost sales,
attract investors, draw talent and change minds.
At times, while paying close attention to external media
relations, many companies overlook one very important audience
– their own employees.
An Organization's Most Important Public
A recent Internet search on the term "employee
engagement" revealed more than two million results.
"Employee communications" resulted in nearly a million
hits. Certainly, not all results are on target, but the point is
that these topics generate a great deal of interest.
Your most important public is your workforce. Everyday you have
the potential to send dozens, hundreds, or thousands of brand
ambassadors into the marketplace. On the flip side, you can send a
similarly-sized army of discontented workers who undermine your
efforts to achieve success by spreading their discontent beyond the
office.
An easy and cost-effective way to build an army of "brand
ambassadors" is to inform employees about what you're
doing and why. It's really often that simple.
Employees want to be valued and to have a stake in the
organization where they spend so much time. People take pride in
their work. At a cocktail party, what's the first thing most
people ask each other? "What do you do?" That question
usually leads to a conversation about the speakers' companies
and what is happening at them. Hopefully, your employee is a brand
ambassador, proudly proclaiming where he works and what he does. If
you are communicating regularly, there's less chance the
ambassador will turn into an enemy weakening your
organization's foundation and reputation.
Organizations that don't communicate clearly with employees
run the risk of letting the workforce speculate as to what is
happening. This can lead to employees who are suspicious of
management, do not feel valued, and lack motivation to put forth
extra effort because they believe they have no stake in the
organization. Organizations that communicate have employees who
support management, believe they are valued, and work harder
because they know they contribute directly to the
organization's success.
Here are some of the most common, and best, methods of
communicating.
You Could Try Talking
There are some simple steps that you can take that will go far
in improving morale and building your army of brand
ambassadors.
You can start simply by talking to your employees. Strife and
stress often arise from a lack of knowledge. Almost everyone at
some point has said to a family member or friend, "Just talk
to me," in an effort to alleviate an issue.
Some organizations have implemented a "town hall" style
of meeting. Different management team members can take turns
leading the meetings. Staff members can get their opportunities to
address the group. Everyone learns more about other departments and
people they might not normally interact with in the course of their
workday.
Meetings should become a regular routine and should not be used
only to deliver bad news.
An Intranet
If you have not set up an Intranet, this is a nice way to quickly disseminate information to everyone across an organization. Intranets allow employees to access information, forms, and resources meant to help them do their jobs. Newsletters can be posted to an Intranet. Make it easy for the employees to get the information.
A Newsletter
Newsletters can be very effective if they provide the
information that employees want. Some components of a good
newsletter can include: letter from the president, sections to
highlight employee accomplishments, sections dedicated to
departments or regions, and lots of pictures.
Stay focused on the organization and its people. Share information
about plans, successes, and even failures. An old-fashioned
"suggestion box" section can also be included where
employee questions are answered for everyone.
Nowadays, you can make your newsletter electronic and post it on
your Intranet. That doesn't mean you can't have a printed
version if much of your workforce wants a newsletter they can hold
and take home. Do what fits the organization's culture.
Cautions
Regular and open communications with employees helps set a
company apart from its competition because you are fostering a
happy work environment. You will empower employees to tout your
brand and want to stay with your organization.
There are some notes of caution. To protect trade secrets, you
should make sure employees have signed nondisclosure agreements and
that legal counsel has drafted the document for you.
Anything you say to employees or put in writing has the potential
to be shared with people outside the organization. So, be careful
with proprietary information. If you own a private company, you
might want to use only broad strokes when discussing financial
issues.
Summary
Engaged employees prefer to work for transparent companies and
leaders. These workers want to know what their organization is
doing, why it's doing it, and how their role helps achieve any
goals. Simply by communicating honestly with employees you
demonstrate that you trust them. Then, your brand ambassadors are
at least as valuable as the PR firm you have on retainer.
Keeping in mind your organization's culture and people,
determine which communications methods work best. Likely it's a
mix. No matter what you decide, be honest, be sensitive, be
consistent, and be yourself.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.