Why now, when money is tight, are more and more employers turning to outside help with communication? At a basic level, the reasons are simple enough: lack of resources and lack of internal expertise.
1. A lack of internal resources. A combination of cutbacks and outsourcing has trimmed many HR departments to the bone. Those left behind are struggling to keep up with their day-to-day workload and have no time or energy to take on a communication initiative.
2. A lack of internal expertise. Employee communication isn’t as straightforward as it used to be. Employees live in a connected world and have higher expectations. Like it or not, social media and mobile technology are here to stay—and it takes a certain mindset and skill set to integrate them into a strategy. Moreover, the subject matter is getting more complex. And, in an increasingly litigious environment, the consequences of getting your communication wrong are greater than ever.
But there’s more to it than that. In the quest for that all-important competitive edge, there’s growing recognition that an engaged workforce can have a major impact on the bottom line. We know that employee engagement is driven by a multitude of variables, including career opportunities, employee rewards, company reputation, workplace culture, community, innovation and, of course, leadership. But we also know that while each of these factors is important on its own, “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” The magic is in the mix—and effective communication is the glue that binds those parts together.
For this reason, a project that may start off innocently enough to address a single communication need can quickly move beyond the scope of in-house capabilities. Say, for example, you want to improve outcomes for members of your DC pension plan. After all, this plan represents a significant payroll cost, so it’s important that employees understand how the plan works and appreciate the true value of their pension. More importantly, it’s critical that employees have the information they need to make informed pension and investment decisions.
The obvious place to turn for help is your DC recordkeeper. But you can’t meet your DC communication needs in a vacuum. If you don’t already have an existing and proven communication infrastructure, there’s little point building one for your DC plan alone—and you can’t expect your DC service provider to address your broader employee engagement challenges and unique organizational culture. Moreover, when it comes to pension education and financial literacy, it can be difficult for financial services providers—who typically have a financial interest in the plan—to avoid real or perceived bias.
In a world in which pensions and benefits, compensation and training, employee engagement and business success are all interconnected—and communication is the link—successful organizations are taking a holistic approach to internal communication efforts. This means developing an integrated program that allows you to deliver:
- the right message,
- to the right audience,
- at the right time, and
- using the right media
to achieve your stated objectives—whether that message relates to your pension plan, your wellness plan or a new business initiative, and whether it’s delivered in person, on paper or via mobile technology.
Given the increased demands on HR staff, the growing complexity of communication needs and technology, and the consequences of getting it wrong, it’s no wonder that a growing number of organizations are looking for help to get the job done right.