Internal Communications Strategies for Web-Savvy Employees
ByCEOs don’t always walk the talk when they claim that employees are the company’s most important asset. If that were the case, employees wouldn’t be using social communities on the web to find what’s going on in the company. So here are several strategies to focus employees on the company’s goals through the company’s own communications network.
1. Build a world-class, global employee communications function aligned with business strategies and goals to oversee the development of a culture of communication. Make the director part of the management team.
2. Create a Champion Program to ensure that the CEO is the visible leader of communications with employees and to ensure that senior management embraces and lives employee communications through appropriate rewards and incentives.
3. Create communications processes that ensure two-way communications and that embed culture changes throughout the company.
4. Provide training, tools and support for managers, who are the key influencers and drivers of success (or failure) of the company’s plan. Nothing is more important than consistent communications between managers and their direct reports.
5. Put in place measurement systems that track employee satisfaction with internal communications. And see what employees are saying about the company on social networks so that you can adjust your communications strategy and messages.
Above all, speed is of the essence. Nothing moves news faster than the internal grapevine. So keep information flowing regularly and get news out quickly, feeding the grapevine with the company’s own version of events.
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The top-down, command-and-control style of leadership is over. If executives want to survive in a more horizontal, collaborative economy, they need to have real exchanges with employees! Two-way, internal communications leads to innovation. I hope CEOs heed your timely message.