Looking Towards 2020… Employee Communications 2.0

​There has been a significant shift in the function of internal communications and employee engagement in the last decade. Internal communications is no longer the red-headed step-child of the corporate communications function. It is no longer about checking a box to say your employees are informed and engaged with your mission, without any true visibility or engagement from their leadership.
As society shifted, offering instantaneous curated communications at your fingertips, corporate leaders are charged with shifting their strategy. A new generation of workers were told to choose an employer for more than a paycheck. These two concepts have a significant impact on the types of communications that can be delivered from a corporate entity and what is expected of them.

The intent to engage your employee base will serve as the foundation for employees becoming
informed advocates of what the company stands for, how you are differentiated in your industry, and
what the company contributes to society as a whole. It will also positively shift individual motivation,
loyalty and productivity levels.
 
Since our inception two years ago, Cheer Partners’ mission has been to transform how employees experience work. This company and its mission were born out of the need to change with the times, and that is what we help clients do. At its core, employee engagement is your internal reputation, which leaders and companies often put less effort into cultivating than their external brand and reputation.

Survey the Landscape

• Stratify your employee survey to see if your leadership team and your employees feel the same about the experience you are providing
• Look at how you expect your employees to treat your best clients/customers and then look at how you expect your leaders and your company to treat your employees; is there is parity in the expectations? If not, it’s time to fill the gaps.

Change the Employee Experience

• Pinpoint what differentiates you from your competitors in your employees’ minds
• Ask your employees what is most important in the intangible culture and tangible benefits of working at your company
• Identify culture champions and create avenues for more employees to get involved
• Provide a safe environment for employees to share their honest perspective on cultural obstacles, be transparent about addressing those issues and bring your employees together to brainstorm solutions

Measure and Repeat

• Treat the relationship with your employees like the most important relationship that you have – be genuine, honest and authentic with true empathy
• Provide pathways for employee growth in technical and industry knowledge and leadership and management skills
• Continuously gather data points both formally through surveys and anecdotally through focus groups, informal feedback loops and a comfort level in escalating trending proof points – both positive and negative
• Be purposeful in creating a culture that you and everyone around you wants to be a part of

Employees today want one thing above all else – authenticity in their employer. The culture of an organization is a living, breathing thing, one that needs to be carefully cultivated in everyday communications and bigger organizational initiatives. The only way to move forward and be ahead of the curve in what your employees need and want from you as a leader, and your company as a whole, is to have a consistent, transparent dialogue – so that they feel they are your most important client.

And the truth is, without them, where would you be?

Posted as part of a blog series for Cheer Partners, August 2019