© 2017 Edelman
CONNECTIONS
An Edelman perspective on making meaningful employee connections that deepen engagement, build trustand accelerate business performanceAmidst fitness, financial and other personal resolutions, the start of a new year is also the perfect time to evaluateyour internal communications approach. Whether
you’re
focused on reaching your employees more effectivelyor need ways to make your communications more engaging, we have a few ideas to get you started. Based onour work with clients and overall industry trends, here are a few simple resolutions you can make
–
and keep!
–
tostrengthen your internal communications and employee engagement programs in the coming year.
Resolution 1: Adapt to the Changing Political Landscape
The recent U.S. election has caused uncertainty acrossall industries.
It’s
important that employees feelsupported during times of change so they can remainfocused on what really matters. Here are a few tips tohelp employees navigate during periods of volatility:
•
Accept uncertainty
. The last six months have beenmarked by a flurry of legislative changes with directimpact on companies and employees: potentialU.S. Department of Labor overtime changes, newtax implications for multinational companies andnew antitrust enforcement guidelines. But it isunclear whether any of those changes will behalted or reversed under the Trump administration,leaving many companies wondering how toproceed. While you
can’t
predict the future, youcan remind employees that amidst all theambiguity, your company and its mission and vision
aren’t
changing. Remain true to your values andreiterate that your purpose is still the same.
•
Focus on open communication
. Now more thanever,
it’s
essential to keep the lines ofcommunication open and create an environmentwhere employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and concerns. Employees want to feel thattheir voice is being heard, so be sure to build insufficient time for listening as well. Equip key groups,like HR colleagues and managers, with theresources they need to have productiveconversations and answer tough questions.
•
Go back to the basics
.
Don’t
forget about basicchange management principles
–
they apply to avariety of situations. Be planful, do your best to stayon top of trends and anticipate changes on thehorizon. This will help your organization feel moreprepared for
what’s
to come and stay nimble whenthe need to course correct arises.
Resolution 2: Reward and Recognize Your Employees
While many companies have annual awards or salesincentive programs, sometimes little acts of recognitionhave the biggest impact on employees. There aremany ways you can infuse recognition into a dailyroutine.
•
Encourage peer recognition
. Receiving praise fromyour manager is always welcome, but sometimespeer recognition is just as fulfillin
“pay
it
forward”
recognitionprogram, which encourages employees toacknowledge a coworker who has gone aboveand beyond in their job. That person receives twosmall tokens of appreciation
–
one to keep and oneto pass on to someone else to continue the cycle ofrecognition.
•
Feedback, feedback and more feedback
.
It’s
nosecret that employees, especially Millennials, cravefeedback . Real-time recognition is an easy way toinfuse positivity into the workplace and boostmorale.
January 2017
RETHINK YOUR RESOLUTIONS
Three practices internal communicators should commit to in 2017
By Mollie Scott, Account Supervisor, Employee Engagement
© 2017 Edelman. For more information, contact us at employee.engagement@edelman.com.
About Us
Edelman Employee Engagement helpsorganizations accelerate business performance,delivered by highly engaged and trustedemployees. We do this by making meaningful, trust-building connections
—
connecting employeeswith the company, with each other and with theoutside world.Our global network of employee engagementspecialists develop engagement strategy; deploythe tools and processes to deliver it; create themultimedia channels and content that support it;and design the insight mechanisms to measure it.For more information, visit us at ee.edelman.com,follow us on Twitter at @EdelmanEE or email us atemployee.en
don’t
have to wait for a one-on-one meeting or formal review process to recognize colleagues.Instant, positive feedback will make people feelappreciated in the moment and beyond. And
don’t
forget about constructive feedback as well
–
it allows people to course correct, leading to moreopportunities for growth and development.
•
The magic words
.
We’re
often so busy andwrapped up in our work that we forget toacknowledge a job well done. Remember that asimple
“thank you”
goes a long way!
Resolution 3: Celebrate the Milestones
Be it an anniversary, a new product launch or acompany milestone, major events deserve a littlecelebration. Besides being fun, celebrating these keymoments in time can help increase engagement andbuild pride throughout the organization.
•
Remember the past
. Anniversaries are a great wayto commemorate your
company’s
history andremind employees where it all started. Ifapproaching a major milestone
–
25, 50, 75 years
–
consider a year-long campaign with build-upcommunications, exciting launch events andongoing engagement activities to keep thecelebration going. One immersive way to do thiswould be to create an experiential timeline thatemployees can physically walk through to learnabout key dates and company achievements. Atthe end of the timeline, invite employees to writetheir own proudest moment on a dedicated wallspace to make it personal.
It’s
also important toacknowledge other types of anniversaries
–
as thepace of merger and acquisition activity continuesto accelerate, M&A anniversaries are emerging asan opportunity to unite employees and recognizeprogress. Celebrating a year together as a newlycombined company will help employees see howfar
they’ve
come and what
they’ve
been able toaccomplish together.
•
Celebrate the present
. When celebrating amilestone, remember to use all communicationchannels available
–
everything from videos anddedicated intranet portals to manager toolkitsand promotional materials. This is an easy andtangible way to keep the content top of mind for employees. Consider including a hashtag or tagline to help curate and promote content. Thiscan serve as a rallying cry for employees and canbe used throughout communications to createconsistency and a sense of collaboration.
•
Look to the future
.
It’s
also important to keepemployees excited about
what’s
ahead for thecompany and how they can contribute. For example, creating a virtual time capsule, whereemployees can write emails to their future self,submit a piece of work
they’re
most proud of or post pictures with colleagues, allows employeesto tie their personal accomplishments to the futuresuccess of the company.
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