Spending time and money setting up a great benefits package, designed with the needs of an employee audience in mind, is just the beginning. Fail to communicate it properly, and employers might as well not have bothered.
Poor communications mean wasted money, wasted time, and not to mention a singularly wasted opportunity to engage the workforce and enhance perceptions of the employer brand. They can also lead to wasted working hours: unwieldy communications left hanging unread in inboxes, cascades that start off in the right direction and get stuck midpoint, or messages lost in translation.
Communications need to be developed based on what the employer knows about their staff, and what motivates them. Organisations can then align staff with the brand by using the right tone of voice, thereby driving trust and engagement. They need to lead with what the benefits can do for employees, and close with a clear call to action.
Employers should think about being creative in terms of media and channels, particularly those specific to their working environment. Manufacturing, construction or logistics businesses might consider making use of ‘mobile billboards’, with messages on hi-vis vests, hard hats and the like. In the more corporate world, employers should aim to target the captive audience with mirror stickers, or messaging on stairwell walls and even staircases and escalators.
In among all this creativity, it is also important to remember the power of face-to-face communications: engaging line managers is key, as is the peer-to-peer impact of employee champions.
There is a cost to getting it wrong, but get it right and both employer and employees will reap the rewards.
Jo Moffatt is strategy director at Engage for Success
Read more...
How to help employees manage their take-home pay when in a salary sacrifice scheme
UK Power Networks clearly communicates salary sacrifice rules to employees
