EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS The PUBLIC EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS

Signet “the greatest continuing area of weakness in management practice is the human dimension. In good times or bad, there seems to be little real understanding of the relationships between managers, among employees, and interactions between the two. When there are problems, everyone acknowledges that the cause often is ‘communications’. So now what?” - Jim Lukaszewski

Preview Effective employee communication results in more satisfied and productive employees, improved organizational goals, improved customer, community and investor relations Employee comes from specific culture Organization should have clear communication policies Successful employee communication is not an easy task for the PR man; but it must be done Employees should not be seen as COGS but as POTENTIAL RESOURCE

Definition Employee communication is a specialization of PR concerned with how PR professionals in corporation and organizations help promote effective communication among employees and between line employees and top management It is also called internal communications or employee relations

The Role It begins before the employee is hired and carried on past when the employee has departed the organization. It creates and maintains internal systems of communication with organizations It helps nullify the pre-boom misconception that ‘the company knows best’ It enables employees participate freely in a two-way exchange of information To enhance employee communications, there is the need to look at organizational culture

The concept of organizational culture Organizational culture refers to the character of an organization such as its history, its approach to decision making, its way of treating employees and its way of dealing with the world outside It is the sum total of the shared values, symbols, meaning, beliefs, assumptions, and expectations that organize and integrate a group of people who work together Primary responsibility of OrgCul belongs to management Two types of organizational culture

Types of organizational culture 1. Authoritarian Culture Features centralized decision making with CEO and a few high level managers Employees follow orders and not innovation Makes employees think that their supervisors are interested in them just as workers Authoritarian OrgCul is closed and resistant to change from outside the organization

Types of organizational culture 2. Participative Culture Feature common value for teamwork Employees feel empowered to make decisions rather than to wait for orders Department goals match overall organizational goals Workers feel valued as people, not just as employees Participative OrgCul is open to ideas from inside and outside the organization What is the role of PR professional in creating OrgCul?

Role of PR professional in OrgCul Strive to establish organizational communication policy based on goal-oriented approach Help in designing and implementing organizational change programs Provide expertise as employee communicators

Establishing Communication Policy Recognize the need for a sincere two-way communication as breakdown in the communication process is often at the first line supervisor Have established stated policies because unstated policies leave dangerous vacuums that rumor, confusion and misinformation can rapidly fill up Goals of communication policy

Goals of communication policies Keep employees informed of organizational goals, objectives and plans Inform employees of organizational activities, problems or accomplishments Encourage employees to provide inputs and feedback to management based on their experiences, insights, feelings Level with employees about negative, sensitive or controversial issues Next

Goals of communication policies Encourage frequent, honest, job-related, two-way communication among mangers and their subordinates Communicate important events as quickly as possible to all employees before they learn it from the media Establish a culture where innovation and creativity are encouraged Urge every manager and supervisor to discuss with each subordinate the latter’s progress and position in the firm

Worker’s preferred information sources Immediate supervisor Small group meeting Top executive Annual report to employees Employee handbook/ other booklets Orientation program Regular local employee publication Bulletin board Upward communication program Mass meetings Audiovisual programs Unions Grapevine Mass media Regular general employee publication

Importance of employee communication Employee want information about their organization from their leaders There is a link between open communication and manager satisfaction with their roles Effective two-way communication is key to addressing new business challenges because employees are more confident they can help move the business forward Employee communication can be critical to maintaining good customer experiences because they convey the brand

Why do communication program fail? Ineffective employee communication results in inefficiency, waste, higher costs, low morale, absenteeism, strikes, turnovers, accidents, poor image, low productivity Reasons include Unclear corporate image Negative organization culture Lack of employee communication policy Lack of mutual trust between employees and management Undue interest in selling just management idea to the employee

Special employee communication situations Unions in the workforce environment PR in collective bargaining Collective bargaining is an institutional relationship between employer and employee on wages, salaries, work conditions Communicating employee benefits Employee benefits are services as organization provides as part of employee compensation, insurance, retirement benefit

Media of employee communication Internal media, video and computers are means for reaching out to employees These serve certain objectives: Helps employee understand their roles in the organization Clarification of management policies Employee well being and safety Help recognition of employee achievements What type of media does your organization need?

Determinants of media for employee communication Frequency of publication Method of distribution Cost of production Quality of information to be shared Access by employees to the source of information

The content First determine what is news worthy Determine if the topic is timely enough to interest the employees Does it affect enough people directly or indirectly? Is it noteworthy or has prominence? Determine the human interest aspect of it Ensure objectivity and tolerance

Occasional and Special media Leaflets, inserts and enclosures Booklets and manuals Printed speeches and reprints Message displays Bulletin boards Posters and billboards Information racks Exhibit and displays Electronic media – email, homepage, internal video, social media

Tasks See task on page 219 – 222 in chapter 10