FEVS Breakout Session Notes from "Developing a Communications Plan for the Year Ahead"
1. FEVS – Nathan
Issues and Challenges
Participation
Trust
Open to suggestions
Confidential
Leadership buy-in
See negatives as opportunities
Compare to others
Ultimate goal: Improved employee engagement
How?
Friendly competition
Follow up on question results – why is this low?
Separate survey
Stakeholders
Social/volunteer
Play to strengths
Directors of lines of business
Individual employees
Resistance:
Past results
Lack of action
What happened last year
Difficult leadership not a problem
Objective: increase employee engagement
Target pulse follow ups
Stakeholders:
Restraints: leadership
o Need for change, what happened last year, lack of action
How to communicate?
o Leadership buy in, focus groups, change position description
Time constraints, priorities
Communication objectives
2. Internal POC
Early communication
Be strong with answers
Train the workforce
Educate leadership
Management by walking reminders
o Make sure it’s done
Objective: Increase employee engagement through target pulse surveys, leadership buy in, internal POC
Strategic Approach:
Committees – in person – summary
Not just emails but get in the room
Focus groups without leadership
Meetings – in person
Confidential: combination of engagement, leadership, formal and informal
Tactical plan:
What’s the message? On intranet
Channels?
o Senders?
Short video communicating the message
o Administrator
Newsletter, handouts
Graphics – branding – dates!
Marketing
Supervisor encouragement
Recurring meetings
Lunch brownbag
FEVS – Amanda
Historical Issues
Anonymous?
Political appointees
How was data used? What will/did change?
Passive communication
Survey fatigue
Is it about level of participation or level of engagement?
Lack of trust in management (will our voice be heard?)
3. Objectives
Raise satisfaction
Raise productivity
Employer-of-choice
Raise employee engagement, create a culture of engagement
Outputs
More participation in survey
Objective: Increase employee engagement
Stakeholders:
Top execs managers, supervisors, SES front line employees
HQ and Field: Employee engagement needs are different for different field offices
Former and prospective employees
Engagement council
Unions
Channels – email
Behaviors:
Knowledge: what will happen with results?
Analysis of data
Transparency
FEVS – Brandon
Challenges:
Ineffective
Disconnect with business goals
Perception: reality vs myth
o Won’t affect change
o Really anonymous?
o Are data valid?
o Leadership is “choosing” or selecting outcomes from data
o Spinning data to agency’s advantage
o Who takes the survey? Mostly dissatisfied? Nonresponse/response bias
What is goal of results?
Results will make a difference
Outcomes
4. o Get people engaged
o Address concerns/make improvements
o Productive workforce
Stakeholders analysis
1. Employees
2. Middle management (career and political)
3. Senior leadership (career and political)
Challenges:
Turnover/political changes so conveying results is a moving target
Misuse of data/scores
Need buy-in
Outputs/tools: metrics, e.g. fewer sick days
Middle management = Bermuda triangle of internal communications
What challenges affect outcomes? Definitions of success?
Attitudes, cynicism
Soft skills are harder to measure – need data to drive behavior change
Defining the business proposition – what’s in it for me?
What motivates the outcome you want?
Connecting mission to output and the individual
Authenticity from leadership in delivering and living the message
Moving from formal – only comms to engagement and leadership comms
Lack of leadership follow-through on an annual basis – lack of credibility
Internal comms strategy to include specific, targeted outreach
What strategies push the success needle?
Make internal comms part of strategic plan
Formal, consistent comms that are implemented regardless of political vs career
Connect with people – beliefs and passions
Leading from the top
Tactics – what messages?
It’s important, it’s valuable – for near future
“we heard you – we’re listening”
We hear you – we’re going to act
Behavioral change – suggestions, open hours
Channels:
Who are key influencers?