In today’s market, in which survival depends on retaining talent
and delivering high levels of customer satisfaction, no organization
can afford to fail at understanding how to communicate effectively to
its employees. If those market imperatives weren’t enough, one would
think that the broadest array of communication channels in human
history would provide a sufficient incentive for organizations to take
this topic seriously.
That’s why I must give our client credit for his honesty. He was
prepared to say what many of his colleagues would have avoided. Like
many executives, he’s attempting to address a proliferating range of
business issues with fixed resources. In other words, in a world in
which he can’t keep up with the “important and urgent” tasks, he is
attempting to contain a few items in the “important and not urgent”
category. He knew it was important to understand what his employees
thought about corporate communications, but for the sake of time
management didn’t want to discover he had yet another urgent task by
initiating a line of inquiry.
His thoughts about staff communications changed dramatically after
I shared these stats with him:
- An estimated 22 million workers are “actively disengaged” or
extremely negative in their workplace, resulting in a $300 billion cost
to the U.S. economy annually.
- A study found that negative employees can scare off every customer
they speak with — for good
- The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative
interaction (Source: Donald O Clifton: How full is your Bucket?”)
- A 2004 IABC Survey states “Better employee communication leads to
increased employee morale, loyalty, faith in management and
productivity”.
Like my client, if you were doubting the importance of employee
communications, I hope you’ve now put those thoughts behind you and are
primed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the many
communication channel options available to you. Even though the focus
of Prescient’s business is web-enabled
communications, we always counsel our clients to be aware of the
complete media mix available to them. There’s never been a broader
array of channels available, and each one complements the other. Your
task is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and, after
assessing your audience requirements, key communications goals and
available budget, find the right balance of channels.
The following table helps put the communication channels into an
at-a-glance perspective:
Channel
|
Pro
|
Con
|
Print:
corporate and unit periodicals, brochures, letters, bulletin board
postings and newsletters.
|
- It is one of the most effective channels for in-depth, complex
communications
- It is portable - print can go everywhere
- People find print easier to read, therefore are more inclined to
read in its entirety, than electronic
- It is a permanent record
- Lends more credibility to content
- You can write on it … annotate … comments, underline, circle
- You don’t need any peripheral equipment or technology to access
information
|
- It generally takes a fair bit of lead time for production
- It may not be as timely as electronic publications – cannot be
updated on the fly
- Not environmentally friendly
- It allows for easy to share confidential information with outside
sources
- Can be costly
- According to Towers Perrin Communication Effectiveness Consortium,
Toronto, Aug 2004 study, Print is the 4th place that people
go to for information.
|
Audiovisual:
closed circuit broadcasts, mass voicemails, videos, 800-numbers to
dial for company news updates, audio-tapes and vlogs
|
- Great face-to-face option for remote employees (e.g.: manufacturing
plants) – it gets information to all employees at the same time,
- Compelling … people are inclined to watch the entire production (if
short enough) to get all the information
- Can be edited – unlike a live presentation
- A combination of audio and visual makes for better information
retention
|
- Can be expensive to produce
- Generally single language production
- Need the necessary technology to supply/support effort
- Often encounters resistance from senior management to
participate
|
Face-to-Face:
this includes discussions with supervisors, managers, senior
leaders, water cooler/coffee room, staff meetings, town halls,
colleagues, external customers, vendors and other outsiders.
|
- Most preferred method of communications
- Impactful
- Perceived well by employees
- Can be formal or informal
- Ability to qualify and clarify information for audience … clear, no
misinterpretation
- Boost employee morale, a part of a team
- Many different formats to choose from depending on topic and
audience
|
- Perception/interpretation of non-verbal cues
- Often time consuming
- “Broken telephone” effect post-meeting discussions with those not
in attendance
- Not as “easy” as electronic communications
- Logistically challenging with an often geographically dispersed
employee base.
|
Electronic:
intranet, mass-emails, electronic newsletters, company website,
blogs, wikis, corporate portal.
|
- For the most part … easy access to information
- Quick, up to the minute, delivery of information
- Global in nature – information, at the same time, to employees
around the world
- More
collaboration between employees
- Cost effective
- Multi-faceted: audio, video, text, graphic, … electronic channels
capable of delivering them all
|
- Often used instead of face-to-face interaction
- Replaces print … which is easier to read and perceived as more
credible
- Keeping up with technology
- Does not build morale or sense of community within company/between
employees
- Impersonal
|
When choosing the right channel(s), you must consider the message,
the audience demographics (level within the organization and/or
geographic location), the channels available and target audiences’
mindset. Communicating an important message only through one channel,
for example, the intranet, may not be the best method as your audience
may be mostly on the shop floor, in a different time zone or speak a
different language.
The most important stage when assessing your channels is to ask
for employee feedback. Don’t avoid this task because you’re afraid of
what you might learn, and don’t ignore the input you receive. As many
of clients have discovered, managing their employee communication
channels is an integral component of managing every other aspect
of their business: from sales channels to delivering customer
satisfaction.
A Senior Internet Business Consultant and a regular writer and
speaker,
Carmine Porco is the Vice-President of Prescient
Digital Media. For more information on Prescient’s CMS Blueprint
service, or for a free copy of the white
paper “Finding ROI”, please contact us.
Related Whitepapers