events

Notes from the event:

Never lose sight of the business benefit of communicating openly and honestly with employees. That was the clear message at this month’s aspic event, which looked at employee communication during tough times.

For many leaders, it is a natural reaction to close up and stop communicating when the only news is bad. Communicators know this is counter-productive, but how do you convince those above you?

Both speakers at the May aspic event stressed the importance of a communications programme based around tangible business benefits.

James Harkness of Harkness Kennett outlined the changing internal communication landscape. He said that skills levels in the internal communication function have improved hugely, which is providing real opportunity for internal communicators to make a difference, but with that opportunity comes the burden of quality.

[hidepost=1]Make sure every piece of communication adds value, James told the audience, don’t just continue to put out ever more information. Find the proof that your method is working and look for innovative solutions that reflect the culture and personality of the business.

Internal communicators must show value for money and this point comes back directly to the importance of showing the business benefit of employee communication. Look for ways to demonstrate that communication is influencing behaviour and show this to the leaders in your organisation, James concluded.

His advice on top priorities for communicators was to:
•    Build networks and relationships internally and externally.
•    Demonstrate the value and impact of communications.
•    It’s a great time to develop skills.
•    Build wider experience through pro bono work or internally in a business partner role.

The seminar was also presented with a case study of how a major retail bank had so far ‘weathered the storm’ of the global financial crisis. Communicating to 35,000 staff in more than 3,000 locations under intense media scrutiny was a challenge for the internal team. Good foundations had been built two years ago with the restructuring of the internal team to have clear areas of responsibility such as strategy, comms planning, editorial, internal media and event management.

Extensive research ensured that the communications received were what the audience wanted. All channels – the printed magazine, the intranet and TV channel – were integrated to ensure consistent messaging. Raising the visibility of the chief executive had been vital in keeping employees informed and engaged. All this meant that when the storm hit, employees knew where to go for information and trusted what they were told.

A robust roundtable discussion followed in which attendees came to the conclusion that during hard times, communicators must:

STOP
•    Overloading people with information – it’s about quality not quantity.
•    Producing communications that are not cost effective because they fail in their objective. (NB: But do consider how many employees will print out an electronic newsletter if you stop a print publication to save money).
•    Hiding or sugar coating tough messages.

START
•    Researching which channels are right for your audience so you can justify it at all levels.
•    Helping reluctant communicators come out of their shell by finding a channel or method that is authentic to them.
•    Studying the political map of the organisation so you know who you need to influence.
•    Predicting where the flashpoints will be and preparing for them.
•    Considering whether your key messages are still relevant in this environment.

CONTINUE TO
•    Ensure your communications are tightly linked to the business strategy.
•    Demonstrate employees have a voice by gathering feedback and doing something with it!
•    Develop social media platforms. Learn the rules and know when to use different tools.
•    Give people the environment internally to complain so that they don’t have to complain to the outside world.
•    Work with other teams (eg PR) to make sure messages are timely and consistent.