Are your employees in the loop?
When talking about marketing a business, we develop strategic plans, key messages and creative concepts to reach a variety of target audiences. Current clients or customers are certainly on the list of people to reach, as are prospects. Many times former clients are targeted as well. For some organizations, government and legislative contacts are an important audience. Non-profit groups spend time talking to donors and volunteers. Large corporations create materials that speak to stockholders.
One of the most often overlooked audiences is also, in my opinion, one of the most important: employees. These folks who are on the front line of the business, day in and day out, are many times the last to know about business developments, new product or service offerings, policy changes, or advertised specials.
It’s an interesting situation. Business owners and managers usually don’t try to keep their staff members in the dark. Quite the opposite; they often just assume that employees are aware of what’s going on. After all, by the time developments are implemented, they have been researched and discussed—sometimes at great length. How does it happen that anyone on the inside of the organization doesn’t know all the details? I’ve certainly asked myself that question in the past.
As much as I hate to admit it, it’s my fault when the people who work for me are not given the latest breaking news about company developments. I try hard to keep my co-workers in the loop, but sometimes in the hustle and bustle of negotiations, interviews, contracts, promotional strategies, funding options and other elements that go into making new developments happen, bringing the crew up to date gets forgotten.
Fortunately, with my close-knit, committed team, this doesn’t happen very often. In fact, I usually involve them in researching my options. However, in organizations in which management has a chronic problem with keeping employees informed, the result can be disastrous.
Keeping employees out of the loop, whether accidentally or intentionally, sows discontent. It makes people feel unappreciated by—and unimportant to—the business that pays their checks. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been in an office or store asking about an advertised service or product only to find that the receptionist/cashier/ salesperson/manager knows nothing about it. Nine times out of 10, upon learning that he or she don’t know about this latest offering, the employee launches into a mini-rant about how poorly the company leadership communicates. After all, human nature is to pass the buck, and even the most incompetent of employees doesn’t want to look stupid. My guess is—and the employees’ comments usually suggest—that it is a recurring problem based on a number of factors, not the least which is poor communication.
So how does a business ensure that its front-line people aren’t put in this position? Employees are happiest and most productive when they feel empowered to do their jobs and support the company. I think of my employees as ambassadors of the organization. What communication tools can be used to create ambassadors, not detractors?
An organization’s policy and procedure manual many times are a new hire’s first glimpse into the culture of the company they’ve joined. This, coupled with structured training, should be part of an on-boarding process designed to empower and inspire workers. We also use assessments and profiling tools not only to identify the candidates we want to hire but also to recognize communication strategies best used for managing them. (Drop me an e-mail if you’d like me to connect you with my source for assessments.)
Today’s technology offers great opportunities to stay in touch and keep employees informed. E-mail and iChat are two options. Many businesses successfully use their Web sites, sometimes with restricted access areas, to share updates.
But if the technology options are beyond your capabilities for now, don’t worry. The low-tech options still work. A bulletin board, coupled with instructions to check it regularly, can be an effective way to share information with the entire team. At our shop, we have weekly staff meetings designed to get everyone on the same page. Each week we discuss client needs and progress on projects. Often times, we also incorporate a brief educational component. It’s also a great place to publicly recognize special occasions or individual accomplishments.
One-on-one conversations with staff members can be a good source of information for a manager or business owner. They also build rapport and allow leadership the opportunity to proactively address challenges or concerns. Even a conversation with an out-going employee, often called an exit interview, can yield important information.
Our team also uses outside events, parties and staff retreats as ways to build rapport, introduce new information and gather employee input. The good lines of communication built through these types of events reinforce to employees that they are valuable to, and valued by, the organization.
Bigger companies utilize additional means of communication to reach employees, such as paycheck stuffers, newsletters, direct mail, video conferencing and annual reports. Obviously, annual reports are usually created with other audiences in mind. But in today’s world of sustainability, both from an environmental and a community-impact perspective, what better way to share that feel good message than with and through your front-line ambassadors?
The key is not overlooking the audience at hand, your staff. Pick the methods and tools that work best for your organization, and then go out and communicate! Your rewards will be better customer service, higher employee satisfaction levels and longer retention. Not bad for something so easy to do.