Effective Employee
Communications
(5-part series)
#5: WHAT TO COMMUNICATE?
EVERYTHING!
You’re sold on employee communications. Management
is on board. Budgets, objectives and metrics are set.
You have a comprehensive communications strategy and
everyone’s psyched. But what, exactly, is your employee
communications going to be? What’s the format? You may
be asking, “What are my choices?” What channel of
distribution makes sense for your budget, your business?
The best answer is: Integrate as many of the following
as possible in your communications strategy package:
• Print publications
• Posters/bulletin boards
• Email
• Voicemail
• Video (tape or transmitted)
• CD-ROM
• Pay check notices
• Manager meetings
• Town meetings
• Intranet/Extranet
• Focus groups, surveys and suggestion boxes
Once you’ve determined what vehicle(s) you will use,
commit to releasing your employee communications
consistently and regularly. Whether you’ve chosen to
produce a weekly e-newsletter or online intranet-based
newsletter, a monthly newsletter or quarterly magazine,
or combination of vehicles -- whatever you’ve budgeted
for, everyone’s psyched!
Now you’re ready to roll out your first Employee
Communications. Oh – wait! Panic strikes. “What are we
going to write about?” Relax. There’s a wealth of
valuable topics and information you may consistently
include for regular publication:
• Performance (financials)
• Compensation and benefits issues
• New products/services
• Market trends and how you’re involved
• Successes and failures (lessons)
• Competition
• New directions/structures
• Safety/loss prevention issues
Whatever employee communications features you choose,
there are some critical elements or “must haves” that
should be part of your strategy and your communications.
First and foremost, communications should be honest and
believable. If the information seems incomplete,
patronizing or doesn’t ring true, your employees will
know and lose your respect.
Built into your communications strategy should be a plan
for publication and distribution frequency of your
communications. Daily? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? That
will depend on your budget, your resources and manpower
you are willing to commit to as much as anything else.
The important thing is to maintain a consistent program
with full endorsement and participation of management.
The rewards of getting and keeping the attention of your
employees with a communication of high-perceived value
will contribute most favorably to your bottom line.
PART ONE:
You've got the power!
PART TWO:
Reversing unfavorable
vibes
through communication
PART THREE:
Effective communication
drives
business
performance
PART FOUR:
How to build an
effective
employee communications
strategy
PART FIVE:
What to communicate? Everything!
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