1. EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS
The PUBLIC
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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?

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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?

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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 – , homepage, internal video, social media

21. Tasks
See task on page 219 – 222 in chapter 10