Employee communications – the new rules of engagement
Digital and social media has changed everything. How we live, how we work and how we communicate. Businesses have embraced this change when it comes to communicating with customers. But what about employees? Here’s our take.
Employee communication; a two-way street
Traditionally, companies have shared information with employees in a top-down, one-way fashion. However, the internet and social media have changed all that. Today, sharing professional information has become a two-way street. And it’s happened fast. According to Gartner, “The entire social media landscape and operating environment have shifted to something unrecognizable, even when looking back a mere five years.”
Keeping employees engaged demands a communications strategy that makes you a part of their online ecosystem. Here are our tips for how you can to do just that:
1. Leave no-one behind
Avoid creating “disconnected” workers. Make sure everyone is involved – from permanent to temporary employees, office based and remote.
2. More power to the people
Ask your internal teams. They’re the ones who know what will keep their peers and direct reports engaged. Which is why it’s vital to include managers in both devising your engagement strategy and executing it.
3. Let your influencers, influence
Who’s the social media guru in your company? Who’s got what it takes to spread the word? Using these “influencers” will help drive your employee comms.
4. Use the right tools for the job
Understanding each communications tool’s potential is key to creating an effective strategy. Think about how best to use social collaboration tools, email (and not for email’s sake), intranets and desk drops.
5. Make content digestible
Make sure your communications are mobile. And video on demand is also a great way to engage employees over a break, or during a commute as they check their phone.
6. Ensure content measures up
Whichever platform you use, make sure you can keep track of and measure KPIs. This will keep you from wasting time and energy on activities that simply aren’t cutting it.
Companies understand the importance of employee communication. But it’s not always easy to know where to start.