Employee communications is the way a business informs, listens to and equips its staff, and it shapes PR results because employees are the link between a company and the public. Strong programs keep employees in the loop, give them real input, treat them as ambassadors, choose the right messenger, reach remote workers, and measure retention, revenue and reputation.
| Practice | What to do | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Keep staff informed | Share the mission and direction on a standard schedule | Employees who understand the plan can explain it correctly |
| Give real input | Create a venue for feedback and show that leaders listened | People who see their input used stay engaged |
| Use two-way channels | Let teams such as tech and sales explain what they are working on | Cross-team understanding replaces rumor |
| Choose the messenger | Let immediate supervisors deliver important news, in the right order | Employees prefer to hear it from their manager, and ordered release limits leaks |
| Reach remote staff | Assign each tool to one purpose and hold regular virtual gatherings | Remote workers miss office chat, so they need more information, not less |
| Enable advocacy | Publish a social media policy and share content worth passing on | Employees speak with credibility that advertising cannot buy |
How do you keep employees informed and give them real input?
Keep employees informed by communicating openly and honestly about the company's mission and direction, and give them real input by listening and showing that you heard. A business that does both makes employees feel like an important part of the team.
Standardize internal communications so employees feel secure and included. Employees should not only be able to express their views, they should also believe that their boss listened and understood. A leader who is attentive and fair-minded is more likely to be accepted.
Treat internal communications strategically and across departments. Provide a venue for two-way communication about what is happening in the organization, and let teams explain their work to the rest of the company. The tech team can explain what it is building, and the sales team can do the same.
Who should deliver important news to employees?
An employee's immediate supervisor should deliver important news, because employees generally prefer to hear it from the person they work with every day. Release the information in the right order so that leaks and misinformation have less room to spread.
Treat employees as ambassadors by leaving no big question unanswered and never glossing over bad news. Frequent, clear communication about policy and direction increases the chance that what employees tell the public is accurate.
How do you communicate with remote employees?
Communicate with remote employees through a deliberate mix of email, text, voice and video, and assign each tool to a specific purpose. Remote workers are isolated from day-to-day office chat, so they need information more than in-office staff do.
Frequent virtual gatherings help build a cohesive workforce. A strong internal strategy also makes collaboration with remote staff easier.
How do you fix disengaged employees?
Fix disengagement by showing employees you care about their development and by building a working relationship with each one. Employees who feel uninterested and disconnected from a company are less likely to give it their full effort.
Start with career development. Ask each person what they want to do in the years ahead, set up a development plan (some businesses do this during onboarding), and check progress regularly. Then learn what motivates each person, which guides rewards and engagement ideas. Managers do not need to be friends with their team, only to understand what makes people tick. Honest criticism helps in a disengaged workplace when it is constructive.
For the leadership habits behind this, read How to Lead a Team Well.
How do employees become advocates on social media?
Employees become advocates when the culture is open enough that they want to speak well of the company and the company gives them clear guidelines. Employees who praise a brand rank next to glowing customer reviews for credibility, because they hold insider information consumers do not.
Check the culture first. A culture that is open, candid and empowering gives an ambassador program a much better chance than one run top-down with little employee voice. Be aware that once employees are set loose, the brand does not control what they say.
Publish a social media policy that states the brand's goals and a short list of do's and don'ts, including how to respond to positive and negative comments. Then roll out the program, with marketing sharing tips on building a network and which platforms to use. Share timely content regularly so employees can pass it on, ask them to relay reactions they see, and spotlight an employee or two in internal communications to recognize good work and encourage others.
How do you measure employee advocacy?
Measure employee advocacy on three outcomes: retention, revenue and reputation. Set a benchmark for each before the program starts, then track them regularly so changes can be made.
| Outcome | What to track |
|---|---|
| Retention | Employee turnover, and customer turnover among accounts employees touch |
| Revenue | Leads and sales traced to employee-shared content |
| Reputation | Employer reviews and the tone of social mentions |
Share progress with employees as well as with customers and the community. Marketing should also confirm that the brand's purpose carries across social platforms and is shared with HR, so employees can state it accurately. For the wider discipline, see the reputation management pillar and media relations.
Ronn Torossian is the founder and chairman of 5W AI Communications. He is the publisher of Everything-PR and the author of two best-selling editions of For Immediate Release.