Workplace Communication

Corporate communicators know this. Determining ROI in employee communications is a tricky calculation. Whether you're investing in new technology like digital signage or launching a brand new intranet, some people will always ask, "What's the ROI?"

Now here's your answer.  Just this month, Watson Wyatt released their 2009/10 communication ROI study. You might be wondering who took part in the survey. Well, 328 companies from around the world representing nearly 5 million workers. Pretty impressive. Straight from the report:

• Effective employee communication is a leading indicator of financial performance and a driver of employee engagement. Companies that are highly effective communicators had 47% total higher returns to shareholders over the last five years compared with firms that are the least effective communicators.
   
• Measurement is critical. Companies that are less effective communicators are three times as likely as highly effective communicators to report having no formal measure of communication effectiveness.

Now these are just a few key findings but let's tackle first bullet. 47% total higher returns? That sounds great. But keep in mind that these numbers are in comparison to the LEAST effective. And if you are reading this blog and researching tools, you are not part of the LEAST. You might feel like it, but you aren't. However, this third-party report should help you build support for making investments in new employee comm tactics.

And to measurement, we've heard it all before. It's hard work to measure employee comms but clearly it's a key component to any effective corporate communication department's activity. This is where our ROM (Return on Message) approach can help measure the effectiveness of digital signage hardware and software for internal networks.

Themes running through the report are courage, innovation and discipline. I love seeing almost heroic terms applied to internal comms. Employees need companies to tell it like it is and make attempts to not just stick with status quo when it comes to workplace communication.

There is so much great information in this report I'll break it out into different blog posts over the next few weeks.

I'm going to take a side step from my usual digital signage discussion and focus on the most basic and primal of internal communication: the employee newsletter.

Sure we live in a digital world and employees are bombarded with messages in and out of the workplace. But I feel the people who say the employee publication is dead have actually never put one together themselves. It can be a huge pain in the ass, but it's also a labor of love.

Think about the value the employee publication provides. It is the one true mobile communication platform that is free of any technology constraints. Employees glance at it between meetings. They might throw it in their bag and take it home to show the family (if their name and picture are in it). And we know they take it to the bathroom, too.

Digital signage is great. Intranets are great. Town halls are great. And yes, employee newsletters are great. But each tool's greatness is dependent on the content and the creativity that goes into it.

Now maybe the problem is that newsletters may appear to be "old school" where as technology is shiny and glittery. And communicators aren't given the publications the necessary focus. But that's at the fault of the communicator, not the employees.

Many of the organizations I talk to ask me if digital signage will replace printed communication. It might replace some, but I hope it doesn't replace all. Eliminate posters? Yes. Banners? Yes. Flyers? I hope so. But employee publications? Never.

A well-written and designed employee publication delivers a tremendous amount of value to the organization. Don't kill it off just because it's not shiny and new.

Feels good to get that off of my chest.

For internal communicators, this is easier said than done. Due to time limitations or technology constraints, communicators tend to broadcast messages across the board through newsletters and emails. And many times, workplace communication should be broadcast across the board, so to speak, if the message hits everyone.

But there are times when you need to better define your message audience and even dictate when that message "appears." With MediaTile digital signage, you have the ability to broadcast to large groups of screens at once, create various sub-groups based on individual departments or various geographies, and even schedule directly down to a specific screen.

During a time when corporate communication departments need to maximize efficiency, time is a valuable resource. The better you can target your messages will not only improve efficiency but should also improve your ability to this the target. In this case, employees.

I'm out at MediaTile HQ in Scotts Valley, CA, this week so I'm a bit tied up in meetings. I thought it was a good time to pull together another list of my "clicks that click." These are a smattering of news items I've picked up over the last week or so that are related to communication in the workplace, social media AND/or digital signage.
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At last June's IABC World Conference, I was asked about the trends I was seeing in corporate communications and what did I see around the corner. My response was that eventually communications would switch into recovery mode and that companies would have to respond to keep employees around. With a nice Labor Day theme, Jeanette Paladino agrees that companies should be ratcheting up their communications. (She mentions intranets, newsletters and face-to-face, but not digital signage. I'm sure it's just oversight.) Jennifer Bull over at Good Company shares our sentiment.
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Global business communication is often a tough nut to crack, but Dave Meyer provides 10 tips for global communicators on his Communication Nation blog. All 10 are solid global communication tips, but I especially love #1 (get outside your fish bowl) and #6 (engage). I'm not sure if Dave did his graphics or not, but they are great.
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Though I'm headed to the circus this weekend, I'm not what you'd call a big fan of clowns. But allegedly you can use scary clowns to improve employee engagement. Go figure. I'd put up the photo but I'm going to stick with the fish.
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Has the employee-employer relationship permanently changed? Yes.
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Apparently, more and more companies and organizations are looking at Twitter to help during crisis communication. Communicating to employees during a crisis has long been a challenge. Digital signage can help on site, but Twitter could become a huge resource for those employees who are off-site or remote. All they'd have to do is follow the corporate account.

I've been writing posts for this blog for more than a year now, but I've hardly seen anybody else writing about digital signage for employee communications. But there's hope out there.

Mark Allen, like me, is convinced that companies are scrambling to keep employees in the loop. In his post, Mark goes through a variety of helpful lists regarding content and hardware to make sure you're properly evaluating a solution.

So many digital signage products out there have one main server that "pushes" content to the screens. But what happens if this server goes down or is there an error? Black screens, yikes. Mark recommends one media player per screen. This is precisely what our Digital Sign in a Box provides.

He goes on to support the use of a variety of networking options (LAN, Wi-Fi, etc.), but specifically points out the importance of cellular. THAT'S WHAT WE DO! And we're the first to do it. It's like this guy is writing an ad for MediaTile. Download our networking data sheet to learn more.

I hope to see others in the industry, like Mark and me, pop and support the use of digital signage for communication in the workplace.

Last month, I wrote about how Melcrum was looking to find out who "we" thought was the most influential internal communication expert today. Here's where the vote stands:


I'm not at all surprised the "Other" is leading the way. I know I've voted for a few who AREN'T on the list. If you want to add in your two cents, the voting is still open. I'm not sure when they plan on shutting it down.

It's certainly an interesting question to ask, but is prone to a lot of critical comments. I've seen some comments on Twitter indicating some confusion over creating such a list. But I don't think it's all bad. I believe they are also putting together a Top 50 list, which seems a bit more relevant to me.

Employee communication is often overlooked and I think it's great that Melcrum is sparking some debate over who the experts are. Now more than ever, inspiring communication in the workplace is so, so important.

I remember when I started this blog last year that I was excited the first weekend to see that a whole six people read the blog. Six! And that number could probably be attributed to my family.

Now several months and more than a 100+ posts later, I thought it would be interesting to see which posts were the most popular according to the readers.

Here's the Top 6 visited posts:

1. The cost of poor internal communications (March 3, 2009)
2. Security is important, with or without zombies (January 29, 2009)
3. Do you rely on line managers for employee communications (March 9, 2009)
4. Who is the "THE" in digital signage (January 27, 2009)
5. Download today's USA Today supplement on digital signage (March 20, 2009)
6. Fill in the workplace communication gap (March 27, 2009)

Looking at the dates, I must have been on a roll in March and January. In a future post, I'd like to highlight my favorite posts, which I'm hoping will at least differ slightly from the list above.

Happy Tuesday!

Attending last week's IABC World Conference provided a wealth of content. Here's the rundown...

Monday, June 8
Day 1 recap from the IABC World Conference
Day 1 is about to officially come to a close and it's been a strong first day. Though it shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that it is a world conference, much of the content and sessions is focused on communicating to a global audience. Global communication is a challenge for any organization with people scattered about time zones and geographies. Just when some employees are showing up to work, others are going to bed.

Tuesday, June 9
Discussing trends in employee communications
I'm really honored to take part in this morning's "expert" panel on employee communications at the 2009 IABC World Conference. Though I feel the expert label is a bit of a misnomer and widely overused, hence the quotation marks. I'm not expert (though others on the panel may be). I'm an enthusiast. I love everything involving employee communications.

Employee communications a hot topic at IABC
I feel like a lot of internal communicators get stuck in their own worlds sometimes. Our audiences are the people inside the four walls so sometimes we don't look outside for help, or maybe just don't realize where help is. At least I never did. We've heard we all need to be better story tellers, and sometimes are stories are the ones best told. I'd like to thank everyone for sharing their hard work.

Wednesday, June 10
ROM for Corporate Communications is a game-changer
It's quite timely that just as we wrap up a successful IABC World Conference, we've announced a special new version of our ROM (Return on Message) Methodology for corporate communications. In my biased opinion, this is a game-changer. The topic of measurement came up again and again at the IABC World Conference.

Friday, June 11
What role will communicators play during the recovery period?
For the employee communications expert panel at this week's IABC World Conference, I was asked to talk briefly about a communications trend I've seen recently. Aside from the obvious one (social media), the only thing I've seen is internal communicators getting beat up on a daily basis.

And here's a few others that peaked my interest...

• Talk your way to employee engagement
   
• Communicators split on digital implementation, impact
   
• The key to fast and effective communications

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Photo credit, bingbing

For the employee communications expert panel at this week's IABC World Conference, I was asked to talk briefly about a communications trend I've seen recently. Aside from the obvious one (social media), the only thing I've seen is internal communicators getting beat up on a daily basis. For the last six months they have been in crisis mode because announced layoffs, business cuts and other fun news.

So what I presented to the group was more a curiosity that I had. I'm really interested to see that as the economy moves from recession to recovery, what key role will communicators play?

One of the Canadian attendees provided some fantastic insight. She said what the US is going through now, several Canadian provinces went through in the mid 90s. In the down economy, employers held the balance of power. There were no jobs, so employees simply hunkered down. Once the economy rebounded, employees held the balance of power and could basically make demands of their job that they couldn't before. She said, for example, that Starbucks workers were making $16-20 an hour.

Though I doubt we'll see something that dramatic here in the US, it is possible that the power will shift to employees. I know of people who like to leave their job, but simply can't. And when the economy improves, they will have options.

So companies must engage the employees they want to keep, the good guys. It can be extremely damaging to a business to lose talented workers. So corporate communications professionals will play a vital role in adding this value and must continue to improve workplace communication. Proof that I'm not the only one thinking about this, I found this post from Melcrum this morning titled, "10 questions to ask leaders as businesses emerge from the recession."

It's a great read for those interested. One particular contributor cited the need for communicators to get out in front of the recovery period and begin communicating before it's too late.

In a future post, I'll talk about how and why communicators should begin now making plans as part of this recovery period, such as making investments in new tools (like digital signage) or updating existing vehicles.
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Photo credit, Doublep1

I'm really looking forward to heading out to San Francisco next week to attend the IABC 2009 World Conference. (For those of us not from the Bay Area, scenes like this one never get old.)

As an exhibitor, the show will give MediaTile a chance to show off what our digital signage technology can do for corporate communication professionals.

And out of my own selfishness, I can't wait to attend many of the sessions listed. I will without a doubt be Twittering from the show (how can I not?) so I'm working to embed my Twitter stream into this blog. In the meantime, you can follow much of the pre-conference conversations taking place through the hashtag #iabc09.

Shows like these are great because they attract communicators from nearly every market segment imaginable. I particularly like talking to the employee communications staff who are working inside a challenging environment. But then again, I guess most communication in the workplace is a challenge these days.

IABC shows tend to attract the cream of the crop and I'm looking forward to rubbing elbows with some of the best communicators in the world.
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Photo credit, David Paul Ohmer

Earlier this year, we officially launched our Return on Message (ROM) Methodology and it's now really starting to gain attraction based on the inquiries and interest we're hearing.

As the digital signage marketplace continues to mature, more and more are looking to establish return on the technology. ROM provides this. You can download the full report if you like but I wanted to highlight the 7 key vertices that make up ROM Methodology.

1. Content
2. Relevancy
3. Interaction
4. Schedule
5. Placement
6. Refresh
7. Attraction

Evaluating a network across all 7 provides a comprehensive viewpoint of a digital signage program and can recommend any necessary improvements.

But what I really like is that these 7 vertices can apply to practically any communication in the workplace. Take newsletters for example and go back through the 7. All apply.

ROM can be a great way to not only determine the success of an internal network but also how this network would play with other employee communication vehicles you are using.

"But that just sounds like one more thing I'll have to do."

Whether I'm meeting one on one with someone or with an entire group about digital signage, somebody inevitably says the previous statement. I should write it on a post card before the meeting and then reveal it as it's said -- sort of a sad attempt at a magic trick.

Employee communicators are constantly juggling the right tool for the right message. Corporate communications departments have newsletters, intranets, town halls, videos, social media sites all at their disposal to deliver messages to employees.

And for that inevitable someone, digital signage is just another tool. It's just one more vehicle they have to pay attention to. But typically for that someone, each new task or assignment is just one more. Like it's a chore.

But it's those who see the possibilities made available by using digital signage are the ones who get it. They see digital signage as "one more" but it's one more effective communications tool to deliver important messages to all employees no matter where they are or what access they have.
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Photo credit, jin.thai

Here's this week's rundown...

Tuesday, April 14
Never waste a good recession
I read a lot of articles about employee engagement and employee communications. And with the recent hard financial times on most small and large companies, writers are focusing on the impact the financial crisis is having on employees.

Wednesday, April 15
What does your company think you look like?
For those corporate communication professionals who are responsible for communication in the workplace, you're likely sending out messages left and right. And by doing this message push, how are you viewed internally at your company. Simply put, what does your company think you look like?

Thursday, April 16
What's your success been with digital signage?
If you've used digital signage at an employer, has it been a blessing or a curse for your communication activities? Did your corporate culture support it or rally against it? Was it a lot of work to keep your content fresh or did it fit into your natural flow?

Friday, April 17
Digital signage success is in the numbers
I'm not a big numbers guy. Never have been. Maybe never will. But some people need numbers and statistics to validate buying actions. They aren't a "go by the gut" crowd and I can respect that. There is a sense of comfort knowing the numbers will back them up.

And here are a few other articles I thought you might find interesting:

• Camps split on the aims of internal comms
   
• Taking a gamble is the way to work
   
• Four vital perspectives on employee engagement
   
• Are you the manager who cried wolf?
   
• Stepping up employee communications

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Photo credit, laffy4k

For those corporate communication professionals who are responsible for communication in the workplace, you're likely sending out messages left and right.

In addition to your weekly newsletter and quarterly magazine, you're also sending out the twice-a-week enewsletter along with quick-hit email reminders of upcoming events. And of course, just in case people don't see those, you're printing up posters and flyers everywhere employees look.

And by doing this message push, how are you viewed internally at your company. Simply put, what does your company think you look like?

For Easter, we gave my three-year-old daughter a Colorforms game (remember Colorforms?) where you create faces. You spin the wheel and it tells you whether to add hair, eyes, nose, mouth or ears.

I told my daughter to make a face that looked like Daddy. Here is what she created.

Curly hair? Check.
Crooked nose? Check.
Lopsided ears? Check.
Off-center smile? Yep.
Flair for fashion? You betcha.

This is how my daughter sees me. I take it as a compliment. But how does your company see you?

It's time to take risks. Doing things just because "that's how they've been done" simply does not cut it any more. I find it more and more that corporate communications departments are gaining tremendous street cred by installing digital signage networks.

Anytime you can change the appearance and visibility of your messages, you are going to attract attention. And as you increase your own visibility internally, you're guaranteed to look better than I do. And that's better for everyone.

I read a lot of articles about employee engagement and employee communications. And with the recent hard financial times on most small and large companies, writers are focusing on the impact the financial crisis is having on employees.

I borrowed this post's headline from a Forbes article. Never waste a good recession.

What a phenomenal spin on how recessions are typically viewed. Treat your employees well through these tough times and they will come out more loyal and engaged on the other side. That I can buy into.

I'm all for treating employees with care and respect, but I'm also not naive enough to believe that an ice cream truck parked behind your office will cure all engagement ills.

While we are so focused on those employees leaving organizations, we must not forget those that are still around. Go beyond the ice cream truck. It's important to invest in workplace communication. Re-focus your newsletter. Add some interactivity to your intranet. Drop some resources into digital signage (hint, hint).

So don't lose touch with those employees who are still around. And, oh yeah, never waste a good recession.
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Photo credit, roadsidepictures

Here's this week's blog rundown...

Monday, March 23
Are you going to be at GlobalShop 2009? Keith Kelsen is.
Digital Signage Man of the Year, also known as MediaTile's Keith Kelsen, will not only be at GlobalShop 2009, he's participating on one panel (the first one listed below) and moderating another (the second) on Tuesday, March 24.

Tuesday, March 24
Are you pushing out "cookie cutter" internal communications?
I've seen it way too often. Corporate communicators responsible for employee communications receive direction from above that they must use certain communication vehicles, because well, "that's what you're supposed to do." This direction could originate from company execs or various communication groups.

Wednesday, March 25
Previews you'll want to check out
With the launch of Mediacast 4.0, we added a new feature that's going to be huge for all of our MediaTile customers, including those running employee communications networks.

Thursday, March 26
Add some MediaTile magic to your existing LCD screens
When I speak to many prospective customers on the phone about our Digital Sign in a Box solution, I then hear one of these statements:"But we already have an LCD sign in our lobby," or, "My company bought plasmas a year ago. Can we use them?"

Thursday, March 26
Globalshop observations from The (Digital Signage) Man (of the Year)
As I mentioned earlier in the week, our very own Keith Kelsen took part in two different panels at this year's Globalshop in Vegas. Here's what he had to say.

Friday, March 27
Fill in the workplace communication gap
Of the employee respondents to a Threshold Communications survey, only a frightening 29% feel their line manager takes time to talk through company plans with them. This means that seven out of 10 employees who rely on managers do not feel they are getting the information they need.

And here are a few other articles I thought you might find interesting:

• Inexpensive video solutions
   
• Effective communication is critical to boosting employee confidence
   
• Outsourcing: the hidden communication dangers
   
• Boosting employee productivity
  
  
• Punch line first, please (This is a great post reminding to communicate first what employees want to know.)
   

I read this week on Melcrum's Internal Comms Hub that a workplace communication gap between line managers and employees is widening. Of the employee respondents to a Threshold Communications survey, only a frightening 29% feel their line manager takes time to talk through company plans with them. This means that seven out of 10 employees who rely on managers do not feel they are getting the information they need.


Much of my experience in internal communications has been working with line managers on their communication skills and giving them the right tools to be successful. But at the end of the day, unfortunately communicating to their workers can easily fall to the bottom of the to-do list. This is no fault of their own, but demonstrates how demanding their job is every single day. And many simply haven't been trained on how important employee communication is.

You need a reliable consisent vehicle that can delivery dynamic messaging right where your employees work and meet. This is what digital signage can do for you and your employees. You can be confident in knowing that your message is being delivered.
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Photo credit, CarbonNYC

With so many companies eliminating offices and going to an open office environment (i.e. Cubicle World), noise in the workplace can be an issue. It's already distracting enough to hear coworkers personal phone calls and conversations, must they now also listen to your digital signage network?

Sound is something you absolutely must consider when installing a employee communications network. There are two ways sound, or lack thereof, can be your enemy.

I would not want to be the employee your coworkers give evil looks to because you're pumping sound into an already noisy environment. I would also hate to be the guy or gal who spent thousands of dollars (if not more) installing a network without sound capability and then have a CEO say, "Hey you corp comms person, I like to hear myself talk. Play this video for everyone at noon so that we interrupt their lunch hour. They love me."

You will get requests "similar" to that, so you need to be prepared to offer sound, but I recommend that your daily content not have any need for sound. This way, even if you're putting it in areas where sound is okay, like break areas, cafeterias and possibly lobbies, your content will play the same everywhere.

The MediaTile Digital Sign in a Box technology has a variety of sound options for you. Our 19", 26" and 32" DSBs automatically come with speakers. But just because they come with them, doesn't mean you need to use them. Speakers are optional on our larger 42" and 47" DSBs, but I recommend to anyone get the speakers anyway just in case.

And then, if that CEO asks you to play his favorite video, your digital signage system can comply. . . though possibly at the angst of your fellow coworkers.

And now enjoy Simon and Garfunkel's "Sound of silence." Because the sound of silence may be your ally.

If you've ever been through an OSHA audit at your workplace, I feel your pain. I've been there. One of the many things they evaluate, including your various safety procedures and guidelines, is how you're communicating health and safety information to your employees. "Are you keeping employees aware of potential hazards and issues?" That sort of thing.

Companies are "required" by law to put up various posters and fliers that are often times 5-10 years out of date and include aged photos and clip art. Plus, cheesy headlines like mine above are the centerpiece.

The problem is that they become such a part of the environment that employees stop noticing. Nothing changes and nothing is up to date. Health and safety communication should be much more than just a "check in the box" because you're really talking about life and death in some cases.

If you currently use a digital signage network for employee communications, are you pumping it with various health and safety messages? If not, you're missing out. Again, it's much more than just an audit victory. You're delivering vital, up-to-date information right where employees work.

And you can get much more creative about it than just static messages. Have employees create videos demonstrating proper safety behavior. Get them involved in the act and employees will be much more likely to watch and take notice. Make them the stars!

Continental Airlines is a MediaTile customer and they use their digital signs to deliver a considerable amount of health and safety information. And, better yet, they have data to support it. Since installing the network, they've seen a 30% reduction in safety incidents.

30%! That's huge! This data means more and more employees are now safer in the workplace and are returning home to their families.

There's simply no dollar figure or investment greater than one that keeps employees safe and healthy.