EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF ... · Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others...

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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT STARTS NOW

Transcript of EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF ... · Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others...

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF

ENGAGEMENT STARTS NOW

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Introduction: Employee Communication ChallengesWhen you look back, it’s staggering to think how technology has transformed the practice of HR. Software-as-

a-Service (SaaS) technologies now relieve some of the burden of implementation (although not necessarily

the challenge of user adoption). Everyone has a smartphone. Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and others have

changed how and when your people communicate as well as how you communicate with them. As an employer,

you’ve had to hustle to deliver an employee experience that keeps up with their expectations. And it seems like

no matter how hard you work at it, there’s always more to do.

EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT STARTS NOW

CUTTING THROUGH THE NOISE AND CREATING ALIGNMENT

Reaching your people has never been harder as you

find yourself competing for their attention with all of the

other professional and personal communications they

receive. At the same time, HR programs have become

more complex and are always in flux — making it even

more difficult for employees to keep up. Indeed, such

complexity presents an increasing challenge — and need

— for communication that creates greater alignment to

improve engagement, retention, and productivity.

Finally, the stakes seem bigger as investments in benefits,

compensation, and talent programs increase, with the

corresponding need to make sure employees understand

and realize the value.

As an employer, your communication challenges have never been greater. So, what’s the answer?

IT’S TIME FOR EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0

It’s time to take a page out of marketing’s playbook.

Content not only needs to be compelling, but also

presented in multiple formats to satisfy the preferences

of diverse audiences. And, you need to reach out and pull

these audiences in, not expect that users will seek content

out. Marketers do that by segmenting their audiences

and creating multistep messaging “campaigns” that

motivate recipients to engage with content and take the

desired actions.

Creating great digital content is a good first step. However,

engaging your employee audience also means creating

targeted campaigns using “snackable” pieces of content

available in different formats and at different times on

different devices. That’s Employee Communication 3.0 (EC3).

In this e-book, we’ll show you how to evolve into the EC3

world. Using EC3, you can drive adoption of HR programs,

processes, and technologies, as well as impact culture

and performance in your organization. As a marketing-

minded HR leader, you can couple engaging content with a

technology-driven campaign approach to drive HR program

adoption. Now is the time to change the conversation in

employee communication. Before you begin your journey, it

helps to understand how we got here and the forces that are

driving the urgency to change.

A Brief History of Employee Communication Historically, employee communication has been a top-down

exercise. Whether it was yelled through a megaphone or

posted in an announcement on the shop floor, it didn’t

change much from the dawn of time to the dawn of modern

management in the 20th century. The process was analog —

an executive announcement or a big handbook. The boss issued

an order. The employees listened and complied. And in large,

hierarchical organizational structures, this sort of worked.

This was the Employee Communication 1.0 world.

21ST CENTURY, MEET EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 2.0

The workplace has changed since 2000 and so did employee

communication. Leading companies embraced digital media.

Paper-based communication moved online. This was a

quantum leap from the 1.0 world, as digital channels such as

email and video brought more clarity and value to employee

communication. But in this Employee Communication 2.0

world, at the same time the changes in technology, work, and

communication styles were taking place, employees and their

expectations were changing as well.

GuideSpark, founded in 2008, has been a pioneer in creating

innovative HR content. We also introduced content analytics, and

the results have shaped our understanding of what’s next. We

believe a continually evolving approach is needed today because

employees — their needs, expectations, and work styles — are

very different.

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THE WORLD OF WORK IS DRIVING THE NEED FOR CHANGE

In today’s world, the structure of communication and the nature of work have made it harder to reach employees — work has

changed, information has changed, and along with it, the way we communicate has changed. Employee expectations are now

different in terms of how and when they want to consume information, on what device, in what format, and when. There are

now four generations at work. Teams have also become more dispersed in a post-2008 economy. In this brave new world

of work, people not only expect communication to happen how, where, and when they want it, they also want it in a way that

isn’t overwhelming.

WORK IS CHANGING

WHAT EXACTLY IS EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0?

We believe that employee communication today needs to meet your employees where they are. We know they’re

overwhelmed with information, and getting through to them requires repetition over time. Breaking through the noise

means thinking of employees as consumers and using communication tactics aligned to consumer marketing — continuous,

frequent, sustained, targeted, multi-channel, multi-format, and measured. Communication needs to reach employees when

and where they are ready to consume these bites of information, and in a format that resonates with them.

Employee Communication 3.0 (EC3) is designed to be campaign-driven and deliver “just-in-time” information experiences to employees.

Ultimately, the value is creating a better employee experience that makes it easier for employees to understand what’s

going on and engage with programs. But the impact is greater than that. Employees begin to understand and appreciate the

employer value proposition (EVP) at a time when 59 percent of companies are investing more in their employer brand.

With retention being the biggest talent challenge for companies, we believe effective employee communication can be a driver of strategic business results.

Making the Move to EC3There’s a saying in marketing today: 70 percent of a buyer’s journey is complete before they even reach out to make a

purchase (SOURCE: SiriusDecisions). In today’s online world, customers do their research. They consult review sites like

Yelp. They talk to friends. They consume bits and pieces of information over time to make decisions. Moving to Employee

Communication 3.0 isn’t about creating a new world. It’s fitting in with the way your employees prefer to consume

information and make decisions.

With EC3, you can create a better employee experience that makes it easier for employees to understand what’s going on,

engage with programs, and ultimately take action. How do employees make decisions about HR initiatives? It’s not that

different from your customers.

DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS EXPERIENCESANALOG

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“If information is being communicated to you and you don’t receive it and learn from it, then there really wasn’t effective communication.”

— Keith Kitani, CEO and Co-founder of GuideSpark

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HOW DO YOUR EMPLOYEES CHOOSE? JUST LIKE YOUR CUSTOMERS.

An employee’s decision journey closely parallels how customers make buying decisions. People move through a consistent

journey from Education to Consideration to Decision. Whether you’re trying to get employees to enroll in a 401(k) plan or

complete a performance review, you need to create awareness and align what you’re doing with their personal needs,

so the employee can consider what’s best for their needs when they make a decision. Employees need to see clearly

what’s in it for them.

And not unlike the way your customers make decisions — or even you do in your own life — the decision journey requires

different touch points, small pieces of information over time, in different formats and at different points in time. But getting

employees to take action — and especially the right action — requires understanding that how they consume information

is changing.

STEP 1: Create awareness about a problem

STEP 1: Create awareness about HR/business initiative

EDUCATION

EMPL

OYEE

SCU

STOM

ERS

CONSIDERATION DECISION

STEP 2: Align problem with an issue and create urgency

STEP 2: Align initiative with employee needs and create urgency

STEP 3: Help buyer identify needs in solving problem

STEP 3: Help employee identify needs in solving problem

STEP 4: Align solution with buyer needs

STEP 4: Align solution with employee needs

STEP 5: Make the business case for solution

STEP 5: Make the case for solution adoption

STEP 6: Validate choice and reinforce value

STEP 6: Validate choice and reinforce value

STEP 1: Segment employee groups by interest/need

HR A

CTIO

N

STEP 2: Capture employee attention by segment

STEP 3: Present multi-channel content in context

STEP 4: Enable self-navigation and discovery

STEP 5: Use prominent calls to action to drive decision-making

STEP 6: Measure and iterate

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EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION 3.0: CREATING A CULTURE OF ENGAGEMENT STARTS NOW

HOW EMPLOYEES CONSUME INFORMATION IS CHANGING.

INFORMATION IS CHANGING

• Short-form “snackable” content: For most people,

key messages are not internalized on a one-and-done

basis. More short messages, communicated consistently

over time, are more effective.

• Mobile: Designed to reach employees where they live —

mobile is key.

• Multiple formats: Videos, emails, dynamic landing

pages, infographics, downloadable checklists,

breakroom posters for deskless workers, and more,

provide a far-reaching employee experience.

• Campaigns: A series of key messages and calls to

action are designed and pre-populated for delivery,

speeding up development time. A detailed program

plan and timeline make it easy to track and execute

campaigns.

• Multiple channels: Multiple delivery options (e.g.,

email, poster, or digital channel) make it easy to

reinforce messages, allow employees to choose how

they want to consume content, then measure which

channels are most effective.

SOURCE: IDG RESEARCH

HOW TO TAKE ADVANTAGE? THINK LIKE A MARKETER.

We know what you’re thinking. Wow, this looks like a lot of work. It shouldn’t be. At the end of the day, effective employee communication

in an EC3 world is about working smarter, not harder. It’s not necessary to

master marketing if you’re equipped with the right tool set — that’s where

an EC3 solution such as GuideSpark Communicate Cloud does the heavy

lifting for you.

So, what are some lessons we can take from marketing?

1. Talk to each person, not to “the workforce.” Look at it from the employee’s

point of view. Communication has evolved in the consumer marketing

world to offer users a choice in how and when they want to consume

information. Some employees want to read a guide. Others want to watch

a video. Given that different people consume information in different ways,

employee communication needs to follow the same path and offer employees

real choices.

2. Think of campaigns as engagement and reinforcement. Marketing campaigns use

short messages delivered over time and experiences designed to engage users.

Repetition reinforces key messages and increases understanding. Employee

communications need to do the same thing. Employees need to understand and

connect with the information you’re passing on to them — why it’s important — then

you need to reinforce those messages. Getting business results with your programs

depends on it.

3. Management and measurement make a big difference. Marketers don’t go it alone; they use

technology to schedule campaigns, track analytics, and automate much of the process.

For example, you will usually have many campaigns running simultaneously. Marketers

use automation software — such as Marketo and HubSpot — making it easy to manage the

complexity of delivery and analytics. Measure and iterate with analytics and best practices

that make it easy to gain insight into the effectiveness of your communications and calibrate

as needed.

VERY HAPPY OR EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH EASE OF ACCESS

TO INFORMATION

57%

NE

W H

IRE

S

39%

1-3

YE

AR

S

36%

6-10

YE

AR

S

VERY HAPPY OR EXTREMELY

HAPPY WITH PERSONALIZED HR COMMUNICATIONS

43%

28%

30%

NE

W H

IRE

S

1-3

YE

AR

S6-

10 Y

EA

RS

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4. Segment your audiences for better personalization. Think about your 401(k) enrollment

campaigns. New hires and non-enrolled employees need different messages than

long-term employees. Segment audiences to create targeted messaging that will be

engaging and relevant. Satisfaction with traditional employee communication drops

off the longer people are employed with a company, so keeping communications

relevant over time is critical.

5. Keep your KPIs simple. Measure, iterate, and repeat what works. This is

an important part of EC3. It’s important to track whether people prefer

information on certain devices, which format they want it in, and even

choices based on demographics and location. These are an important

part of optimization. However, just because you can measure something

doesn’t mean you should. Focus on results. For example, if you’re trying

to drive participation in a high-deductible health plan or increase

performance management check-ins, your most important measures

are pretty simple.

Employee communication is a journey rather than a destination. You

will continually be adding capabilities and evolving your approach

to think about communicating with employees as you do with

your customers. Employee needs will change with time, and

communication will need to keep up in a way that enables

organizations to tell their stories and impart company culture.

This kind of approach will keep communications engaging and

reinforce your messages in different ways.

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How GuideSpark Can HelpThe right technology is essential to make the EC3

world a reality. With GuideSpark, HR teams can deliver

communication campaigns and multi-format content

experiences that drive adoption of HR programs and

broader company best practices. For organizations ready

to implement Employee Communication 3.0, GuideSpark

can help you deliver the communication campaigns and

multi-format content experiences that drive adoption of

HR programs.

GuideSpark is the leader in employee communication —

our approach is based on 10 years of experience helping

companies modernize employee communication, beginning

with the introduction of engaging short-form videos,

along with the analytics necessary to measure content

engagement. Based on this data, along with customer

feedback, GuideSpark recognized the need to address two

essential truths.

1. A one-and-done approach will never work, no

matter how good the content. Getting the results

you want means you need to INSPIRE (capture

attention and explain the “why”), INFORM (present the

facts in multiple formats, so diverse employees can

self-select the content most relevant to them), and

REINFORCE key messages over time to aid recall and

drive action.

2. If you build it, they may or may not come. Intranets

and portals may be required tools of the trade,

but they’re not sufficient — employees have to be

reached (more than once) through their preferred

channels. Modernizing employee communications

with microsites, mobile-ready videos, and analytics

is a good first step. However, driving engagement

and program adoption requires even more great

content (such as infographics and downloadable

digital documents) with dynamic landing pages

and targeted calls to action to create user-guided

experiences. With a platform that can manage and

measure campaigns and assets, you have an array

of tools at your disposal to get real results from

your communication.

MODERNIZING EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION

MICROSITES

MOBILE-READY VIDEOS

VIDEO ANALYTICS

DRIVING ENGAGEMENT & PROGRAM ADOPTION

INFOGRAPHICS & DOWNLOADABLE DIGITAL DOCS

CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT & ASSETS

MODULAR MOBILE-READY VIDEOS (SHORT FORM)

DYNAMIC “LANDING PAGE” USER-GUIDED EXPERIENCES

TARGETED CALLS TO ACTION CAMPAIGN & CONTENT ANALYTICS

SOLU

TION

BREA

DTH

EMPLOYEE EXPECTATIONS

Where Can GuideSpark Help?

TOTAL REWARDS • TALENT • CULTURE • CHANGE MANAGEMENT

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The new GuideSpark Communicate Cloud gives HR teams everything they need, including:

Pre-defined communication campaigns and calendars that are easy to edit, update, and manage

Pre-designed (and written) campaign messages that can be easily adapted for delivery in multiple channels

Engaging multi-format content (videos, digital charts, and more) presented within a dynamic user experience

Embedded calls to action (to enrollment sites and other destinations)

Employee navigation tools, including content index and search

Analytics that measure engagement with campaign elements and content

Expert assistance from communication strategists, campaign designers, content producers, and customer success managers

“All progressive companies invest in their employer value proposition in order to attract and retain talent. If employees aren’t connected to that value proposition through understanding all the benefits available to them, that investment can be wasted.”

— Brian Schipper, EVP and Chief People Officer at Yext

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Conclusion: Drive Engagement and Adoption with GuideSpark Employee communication must keep pace with changes in

work, technology, and the way people consume information

today. Employees need to be engaged through campaigns

and experiences — and that requires software.

Employee Communication 3.0 delivers strategic value

because it takes direct aim at one of the most vexing

areas for HR leaders today — user adoption. After all of

the investment in budget, time, and effort allocated to

implementing new HR technologies and initiatives, it’s

impossible to fully realize the ROI without fully optimizing

communication and change management efforts. EC3

is designed to engage your employees and drive user

adoption of your programs and initiatives. In turn, they’ll

become more engaged in their work as they better

understand their benefits, compensation, and how their

roles matter in your organization.

Better communication can also build employer brand. With

talent attraction and retention being such a big challenge

in today’s workforce, progressive companies are investing

in their Employer Value Proposition (EVP) to attract and

retain talent. Employees need to understand and connect

with the information you’re passing on to them — why it’s

important, what it is — then you need to reinforce that

message. Getting the business results you seek relies

on engagement and adoption, and any communication

strategy needs to be driven by those goals to help drive

business results.

GuideSpark is ready to partner with you on your journey

to Employee Communication 3.0. With GuideSpark

Communicate Cloud, you can bridge the employer-

employee communication gap, so your employees can

fully understand your organization’s values and services.

Your HR teams can deliver messaging and communicate

programs without all the extra work.

To find out more about how GuideSpark can add

value to your communication strategy, call us at

800-519-0755.

About GuideSpark Founded in 2008, GuideSpark provides marketing-

minded HR leaders with an elegant employee

communication solution that combines content,

technology, and consultant-like expertise. To learn more

about how GuideSpark can modernize your employee

communications, visit http://guidespark.com.

1400A Seaport Blvd., Suite 500 Redwood City, CA 94063 T 800.519.0755 www.guidespark.com

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