Download our free How to Guide on the same topic here: http://bit.ly/2QRQY6B All too often, when reviewing critical objectives, employee communications is not one of them from the C-suite’s point of view. This is a serious oversight, and there is an abundance of data, and real-life case studies that support both the value and need for an effective communications strategy. HR executives, then, must ensure that a well-thought-out employee communications plan is given the importance it deserves. How then to ensure employee communications is not only a core HR objective but that it is embedded in the overall business plan? We present "10 Steps to Position Communications as a Core HR Objective" - a 5 minute must-read deck for every HR professional. --- We know that every organization faces different communication challenges. Call us now if you’d like to discuss yours with one of our IC experts. Intl. +353 21 242 7277 UK 0800 904 7955 US 781 443 7600 or visit Poppulo.com

1. How to Position Employee
Communications as a
Core HR objective

2. Most business leaders understand
that HR has several core objectives:
But many leaders
don’t realize that
HR has another
critical objective:
employee
communications
• Talent management
• Compensation and benefits
• Learning and development
• Compliance and safety

3. And poor communications
can be disastrous
One survey showed that companies
with over 100,000 employees cited an
average loss of $62.4 million per year
due to inadequate communications to
and between employees
Source: David Grossman, “The Cost of Poor Communications”

4. • Lack of engagement
• Inefficiencies and
ineffectiveness
• Low morale
• “Survival of the fittest”
mentality
• Poor performance
• Increased conflict
• Lack of understanding
of company strategies
and concerns
• Lack of teamwork and
trust
• Voluntary resignations
of key employees
Just as troubling are these outcomes:

5. Inappropriate tweets from Elon Musk led to executive departures,
fines, loss of market value, and Musk’s own exit as chairman of
Tesla’s board
Yahoo’s failure in 2016 to disclose a massive security breach
they’d known about for two years generated deep ill will
Takata hid a fatal airbag defect for over decade, resulting in
17 deaths and 180 injuries. Takata ultimately filed for bankruptcy,
was broken into two firms, and had its shares delisted
We’ve seen real-life examples of poor communications
affecting a company

6. HR executives must ensure that
a well-thought-out employee
communications plan is given
the importance it deserves—
and is embedded in the overall
business plan.
Here’s how to get started …

7. Building a Proposal
for Executive Review

8. Step 1:
Research and validate
the value of employee
communications

9. Highlight successful companies that have
embraced the value of employee
communications
Share strategies
from companies
your executives
are familiar with
to make the value
resonate even
more.
Introduced a brand advocate program called Coca-
Cola Ambassador, which trains employees to better
communicate with internal and external stakeholders
Has an “internal Nielsen group” of 200 employees that
helps them gauge the effectiveness of company
communications
Created a Career Success Center as a direct result of
feedback from employee surveys, signaling to the
workforce that their concerns are important to
management and HR

10. Highlight past communications successes
(and failures) in your own organization
• Be honest about why communications
were successful—or why they
missed the mark
• Explain how past misses
would be better-handled
in the new process
Speak with
industry HR
counterparts
to gather even
more ideas and
approaches

11. Step 2:
Gather relevant
statistics

12. Gather surveys and reports from
HR and industry leaders
• Society for Human Resources
Management (SHRM)
• Harvard Business Review
• Forbes
• LinkedIn
• Others

13. As you’re gathering data …
• Select articles and data from a few
trusted resources
• Use the most recent statistics you can find
• Choose metrics that are relevant to your
company and industry
• Focus on a select group of metrics
and strategies
• This will allow you to interpret the data
in a more thoughtful, accurate way

14. Step 3:
Catalog the elements of
an effective employee
communications
strategy

15. Outline what the
company KPIs are,
how they align to
strategic corporate
priorities, and how
they will be
implemented and
monitored
Be precise about how
employee communications
can affect these

16. Step 4:
Define the desired
outcome

17. ?
?
?
Address key questions
• Are there certain communications concerns
or gaps that need particular attention?
• How can HR highlight the value of
communications?
• How will effective employee communications
be interpreted, measured, and
communicated back out to the workforce?
See how you can do this with Poppulo!
• What KPIs will be used?
Outline your recommendations, emphasizing
that employee communications should be
included as a core HR objective
?
?

18. Step 5:
Include unique
considerations for the
organization

19. • Think about questions executives
might ask you, or special
circumstances they may need help
addressing
• Speak with your counterparts in
Marketing and Communications to
gather their ideas
• Review past climate surveys, focus
groups, and other employee feedback
to build a comprehensive list
What special factors should
you build into your
particular plan?

20. Step 6:
Review the presentation
with your supervisor or
executive sponsor

21. • Assemble your statistics
and discussion points
and review them with
your supervisor and any
key stakeholders
• Incorporate any feedback
and revise your
presentation as needed

22. Step 7:
Schedule and host
an executive
presentation

23. • Present your findings, recommendations,
and framework
• Share your long-range vision for how
the communications roadmap will
benefit employees by building
engagement and trust
• Address any concerns around
incorrect information/lack of
trust in data
• Discuss the need for clear and
consistent communications
• Determine frequency
End with an
assurance that
any and all IC
needs will be
expertly handled

24. Step 8:
Work with a
dedicated employee
communications
team

25. If you have a team in
place, reinforce the
value of the ongoing
communications
strategy ꟷ and its
new role as a core
HR objective.
If you are building a
team, look for
employees who are
• Effective
communicators
• Understand the need for
empathy, ethics, and
clear communications

26. Consider partnering with Marketing,
PR, or other Communications teams
in your organization. If you do:
• Ensure communications employees understand
how adding an IC component to the overall
strategy impacts the business
• Make sure everyone is crystal-clear on the
purpose and importance of the effort,
and how it will be achieved
• Create specific goals and assignments
to ensure coverage and understanding
• Meet regularly to answer questions
and clarify approach

27. Additionally:
• Agree on one tool for all teams, that allows the
right governance, use and measurement of your
employee communications
Poppulo is the perfect Enterprise
Communications Solution! Click here to find out
more.

28. Step 9:
Set an action plan and
commence roll-out

29. As you get started:
• Reinforce the message that because
employee communications is so critical, it
has been added as a defined HR objective
• Solicit feedback throughout the roll-out and
moving forward
• Make any necessary changes to improve
the process
Once your approach has been approved and
your team established, you’re ready to go!

30. Step 10:
Gather regular feedback
from a diverse sample
of the workforce

31. • Include feedback not only from
executives, but from clients in
all levels, locations, and
disciplines
Poppulo’s survey functionality
allows you to easily gather this
feedback! Click here to find out
more.
• Ask for specifics about what is
and isn’t working, and what
they’d like to see instead
• Feed this information back into
your plan
This generates
excitement and
reinforces to
employees that
their opinions
matter!

32. The results

33. • Executives will begin to use and stick with your new framework,
lessening miscommunication (and the risk of litigation)
• This will protect the integrity of the company and assure
shareholders, clients, and advertisers of the mature
business judgment of the management team, HR,
and the entire workforce
• Goals tied to company priorities will be met by engaged and
inspired teams … which will in turn drive business success
This renewed
importance will
supercharge
HR’s visibility
With dedication and a strong, deliberate approach,
HR will evolve the effectiveness of employee
communications—and cement its place as one of
the organization’s most valuable efforts
How’s that for
adding value
from an HR
perspective!

34. About the author
Julie Cookson is President of Cookson Management Consulting.
She is an ACC-certified coach, credentialed through the
International Coach Federation. Ms. Cookson specializes in
Career and Life Coaching, and she combines her coaching
expertise with over 24 years of executive HR experience in the
entertainment/media industry. She obtained her Professional
Human Resources (PHR) through the HR Certification Institute.
For more information visit her website.

35. Poppulo is the global leader in employee communications software. We
work with many of the world’s most successful corporations.
Contact us today
Poppulo Mobile
Reach all your employees anytime, anyplace, anywhere. With Poppulo Mobile connect all employees to
company news, wherever they work.
Poppulo Email
Transform your employee communications with attractive, engaging emails that are highly personalized,
interactive, and can be targeted to specific audiences.
Poppulo Insights
With quick and easy measurement across all your internal digital channels, you can understand and
improve the impact of your employee communications and prove value to senior management.
Poppulo Platform
Poppulo is the complete one-stop
solution for engaging employee
communications. To solve the
challenges of the rapidly changing
workplace, we’ve created a multi-
channel solution on one powerful
platform. Interactive and targeted
email, instant mobile app connection,
video, social and intranet. Plus, of
course, the smartest performance
insights in the business.

36. Want to learn
more?
Download the Guide
How to position employee
communications as a core
HR objective