As we begin the slow return to workplaces, as some primary schoolers are reunited with their teachers and even coffee shops thankfully reopen their doors; the UK - and other countries - are gradually emerging from lockdown. Whilst it's tempting to imagine we're back in business, the truth is home working is working. And it's here to stay. So, rather than going back, we're moving forward into a totally different world of work. One that requires new rules of engagement, fresh ways of working and innovative approaches to engaging and communicating with employees. Just how do you keep a dispersed, multi-locational workforce informed, engaged and motivated beyond short-term emergency measures?
As we shift gear into the next new 'normal', working from home continues for the majority of office-based workers. Even those who are expecting to pick up the commute again in September are not expecting to return full time to office-based routines. Many are already renegotiating contracts to include more working from home days. Some are contemplating remote work as a permanent state. The pandemic has transformed the way we work - for good. But what does that mean for internal communications?
When it comes to engaging with a remote workforce for the long term, leaders and communicators need to ask whether emergency employee communications measures taken at the beginning of lockdown will stand the test of time. Even if you have a plan and continue to execute on it, it?s unlikely to be fit now in the way it was at the beginning. The situation is still changing on a daily basis but these crisis communications now need to evolve into a long-term, robust employee engagement strategy that is fit for a dispersed workforce.
Whether you're responsible for employee comms and engagement across an organisation or focused on a specific change or transformation programme, it's time to revisit comms plans forged before or in the heat of crisis. Make a new plan, establish fresh habits, build on what you've started, then listen, tailor comms and engage like your company depends on it - because now it truly does.
These are the six essential features we've identified of employee and change communications in the next phase of the crisis. And possibly the next phase of our working lives...
Event-based communications need to become cadence-based. We still need to keep the former but make the latter an ongoing habit. What do people want and need to know now? How and when will you engage them? Which new and emerging channels will support easy, regular communication with a digital workforce? Maybe you have a crisis dashboard that highlights the themes and information nuggets people want. Now that needs to evolve into a business-as-usual dashboard with ongoing highlights and narrative. As a new routine emerges, use more alerts and reminders - such as instant messaging and LinkedIn Notifications - to keep everyone in tune at all times.
People are still suffering from information overload; not knowing what is real and what is fake news. Stem the panic and uncertainty by considering how the situation is affecting and has affected different audiences, then tailor and target messages to your audience groups. The first phase was mercifully rapid and clearly focused, but this new phase will be longer and more nuanced. So, communicators need to take care to translate what's happening into the simplest, shortest and most personally relevant forms possible. Above all, we need to demonstrate the kind of empathy and understanding that will support and maintain productivity in a transformed and stressed workforce. As the immediate urgency subsides, it?s time to introduce the personal angle when re-articulating the company, brand or project vision, or re-stating organisational goals. The employee lifecycle has huge relevance here; articulate the organisational narrative in different ways; to attract potential talent, to appeal to recent joiners, to light the way for mid-termers or to maintain motivation for long-termers.
We're all proficient now with Zoom or MS Teams or whatever video conferencing solution we're using - now it's time to lean in to these new channels, to make them better and smarter. In recent weeks physical meetings and events have become virtual events. We've even seen a proliferation of video diaries, recorded webinars and free content. Borne of necessity we all grasped the basics, but we can do so much more. Mature your use of these channels (and others, such as portals and internal productivity apps) by really leveraging the technology, establishing clear rules of engagement and clarifying roles. Optimise the online agenda* and - for those essential companywide events or webinars - bring in a strong facilitator to direct Q&A and frame the narrative. Then monitor and measure response to different channels so you can evaluate what works, and continue to up the impact where it's needed with new digital communications functionality.
* I recommend this great article on making virtual meetings work by Executive and Leadership Coach Yasmin El Dabi.
Even as social distancing measures ease, people are still nervous and unsure what this means in the world of work - particularly for remote workers. This way of working will persist, so we all need to lift the veil on what works for us individually and share experiences. This includes making leaders accessible, and authentic. So, encourage them to share their own experiences in lockdown; how working from home is working for them, what their priorities are now, their key challenges going forward. Sharing stories across the whole organisational spectrum will not only forge the connections that make people more human, it will foster best practice and inspire the future. Here lies another opportunity: to re-examine your corporate culture. Culture isn't a project or a goal, but the sum of our behaviours. You are what you do. So, take some time to consider how your culture will shift as digital working becomes the mainstay and encourage leaders to role model the behaviours you want to see in the new world.
Now, more than ever, online channels are vital for engagement. Intranets have been a lifeline for many and now that lifeline needs to become a vibrant destination and meeting point. Time to establish a communications hub - and it had better be digital. Look at ways to enhance what your intranet or company portal offers. Make it mobile with an app. Add a strong search functionality. Link your hub with other internal systems - particularly HR - to provide information and updates tailored to an individual's role or stage in their employment lifecycle. Connect your communications hub to your collaboration and community tools to create a digital ecosystem that will promote productivity by supporting online approvals and process flows, for example. Introduce social media to foster lively debate and trusted voices. A strong hub will also serve to equip employees themselves to communicate - internally and externally - in turn building trust in your brand.
If the last weeks and months have taught us anything about communication it's to appreciate it as a value-adding strategic function. Lack of investment has come back to haunt many companies. Now more than ever we are relying on our change and comms teams as a lifeline and need to appreciate these people and functions accordingly. Give communications a seat on the management board - or at least representation at the leadership table. Introduce change and comms coaching and mentoring for those in leadership roles. Increasingly, customers put their trust in purpose-driven brands and in organisations that treat their employees well. Investment in engagement, and holding change and comms in higher regard, are solid first steps on this journey.
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