CHAPTER 16
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PREVIEW:
is employee communication so important?
 Lay-offs & downsizing have diminished
employee loyalty
 Big gulfs between CEOs’ and employees’
pay have created mistrust
 Globalization and “intellectual capital” are
becoming more valued
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Principles of Effective
Employee Communication
1
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RESPECT
3
Principles of Effective
Employee Communication
2
Honest Feedback
Too bad…
Good try.
Well done!
Great Job!!!
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Principles of Effective
Employee Communication
3
RECOGNITION
Thank you for
all the hard
work!
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Principles of Effective
Employee Communication
4
A Voice
How about…
What if…
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I think…
Maybe…
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Principles of Effective
Employee Communication
5
ENCOURAGMENT
You can do it!
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Benefits of Good Communication*

Willingness to express dissent

Visibility and proximity of management

Internal communication BEFORE external
communication

Attention to clarity

Friendly tone of company

Sense of humor
*As expressed by Milton Moskowitz
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QUICK QUIZ
What is the key to good employee
communication?
CREDIBILITY
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QUICK QUIZ
How can organizations increase
employee trust?
 Communicate early and frequently
 Share bad news as well as good
 Involve employees in the process
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Employee Communication Strategies
Survey Employees
Be Candid
Be Consistent
Be Innovative
Personalize Communications
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QUICK QUIZ
Name two tactics for learning
employee attitudes.
Research
Conduct an internal
communications audit
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When creating an Intranet,
consider:






The context
Your objectives
That it’s a journalistic enterprise
How you’ll market it
Links to outside lives
Establishing active management
commitment
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Let’s Discuss
Employee Newsletters
An editor must determine:
is this publication designed to reach?
kinds of articles should be featured?
is the budget?
is an appropriate format?
is the approval process for the
newsletter?
frequently should we publish?
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Let’s Discuss
Employee Newsletters
An editor must decide how to:
Assign Stories
Format Copy
Enforce Deadlines
Ensure Timeliness
Edit Copy
Assign Photos
Critique
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Desktop Publishing
 Allows a user to control the
typesetting process in-house
 Provides faster turn-around
for clients
 Saves $$$!
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Employee Annual Reports
Include:
East
1st Qtr

Chief Executive Letter

Use-of-Funds Statement

Financial Condition

Description of the Company
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West
2nd Qtr
North
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
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Employee Annual Reports
Also include:
East
1st Qtr

Social responsibility
highlights

Organizational policy

Emphasis on people
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West
2nd Qtr
North
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
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Another Way of Communicating With Employees
Make Them
Change
Them
Weekly
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Motivate
People
Catching
NEWS!
NEWS!
NEWS!
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Must Be Broadcast Quality
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Use supervisors to
communicate with
employees
Rely on the grapevine
to communicate
information
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