As most communications professionals will tell you, developing an employee communications strategy without first getting employee input is a risky business.
After all, how else will you know what your starting points are, which information employees most need or want, whether your messaging aligns with the day-to-day experiences of members or whom employees perceive as their most credible source of information?
And how else will you establish a baseline to monitor and measure progress?
Unfortunately, not all organizations are quick to recognize the importance of surveys, focus groups and other formal feedback mechanisms. Some will argue that it’s a waste of time and money because they already know how employees will respond—and most employees won’t bother to respond, anyway. But these arguments miss the point. Soliciting formal feedback is, as much as anything, about engaging employees and giving them a voice.
Done well, the process will help create buy-in and allow employees to take ownership of the outcome. For example, focus groups or “challenge teams” provide the following:
- a formal mechanism to hear and acknowledge the opinions of employees;
- a forum to explain and enhance the line of sight between employee preferences and business objectives;
- an opportunity to shape the views of key opinion leaders; and
- a chance to convert your potentially most vocal critics into your best program champions.
A word of caution, however. Done poorly, employee research can alienate otherwise engaged individuals. You need to listen to employees and respond with respect. As a guideline, keep the following tips in mind when you communicate with employees:
- Don’t ask questions you are not prepared to address. Asking a question and then ignoring the answer will disillusion employees and seriously compromise your ability to solicit feedback in the future.
- Report back to employees. Sharing the results of a survey or focus group (even at a high level) will demonstrate that you are committed to open, honest communication.
- Respond to the results in a meaningful way and within a reasonable time frame. When it comes to member research, collecting data is only half the battle. Interpreting and acting on that data is the primary challenge.
Given the current economic landscape, it’s more important than ever to develop effective employee communications programs: programs that deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time in order to achieve a desired outcome.
That’s why smart organizations don’t pay lip service to employee feedback. They make it an integral part of their risk management tool kit, and they do it on a regular, formal basis.