Jack Looks Inside the Box To Boost Employee Morale
Inspiring employees is never easy. And keeping them inspired is even more of a Herculean effort. There's certainly no secret recipe to this challenge, but Foodmaker Inc., the billion-dollar parent company of Jack in the Box restaurants, found success with a unique employee communications effort.
The company launched an internal communications program in September 1997 to inspire its employees during a rapid period of growth while simultaneously improving food quality. And, thanks to the internal communications staff, the company is reaping the benefits of more motivated, connected employee base.
Foodmaker's communications staff believed that generating a steady, consistent flow of company information would serve the desired end of helping employees grasp and appreciate the extent of changes that would have to take place company-wide.
It also was clear that any communications that came out of the corporate organization to the employees had to demonstrate the same commitment to serving employees that employees were being asked to exhibit in serving external customers.
The staff developed entertaining vehicles that spoke directly to employees and fostered a more complete understanding of the company.
Dubbed, "Culture Under Construction," the program sought to unify the management team of an organization that employs 35,000 people throughout the West and Southwest regions of the country.
Originally budgeted with one employee and a $3,000, bi-monthly budget for a print newsletter, the rest of Culture Under Construction is being accomplished virtually, using electronic technologies.
The program integrates its weekly electronic dispatch-SpeakerBox Online-with a bimonthly print publication-SpeakerBox-and culminates in a series of quarterly town hall meetings designed to spotlight major company initiatives and motivate the team as the company expands its national footprint.
The tone of the weekly electronic newsletter, though humorous, is designed to carry hard news and in-depth features on the company and outside issues. Conversely, the bi-monthly SpeakerBox has a much lighter style. The town hall meetings have been used to unveil the organization's core purpose and value statements and to re-enforce those values as the company grows.
"All in all, 2,500 managers throughout the United States receive the SpeakerBox," says Eric Schellhorn, original manager of the Culture Under Construction program and Foodmaker spokesman. "We are in a period of rapid expansion-with at least 100 new stores a year-and we needed a way to encourage employees to pull together and perform their best work possible."
The campaign appears to be working. In a survey recently sent out to managers receiving SpeakerBox, more than 50 percent responded. Even more impressive was the fact that well over 90 percent of respondents felt well-informed about Foodmaker's direction and goals.
As important, the executive suite of the company has credited the publications and internal presentations as primary forces driving employees' success in implementing food quality and service enhancements.
Indeed, as part of the new approach to internal communications, members of Foodmaker's executive management team were asked to become part of an informal internal editorial board, a move that ensured management had an opportunity to offer constructive input and guidance into the message management process.
The internal communications function operates like a news bureau. Key managers and executives are treated as story sources and are frequently consulted for information and kept updated on the status of stories and projects.
This arrangement has ensured a high level of management comfort with the program. "The program helps people to understand the company," says Schellhorn. "The result is a sense of connection to the organization and a feeling of motivation." (Eric Schellhorn, 619/571-2291).
Foodmaker's Communications At-A-Glance
Business Objective
To prepare both management team as well as rankand-file employees for a rapid period of growth. To construct a new corporate culture that supports this objective.
Approach
Develop a series of electronic briefings and town meetings that highlight core messages of the new "Culture Under Construction." Messages have to be made digestible by use of humor, yet provide useful and interesting information on how the company is responding to changing market opportunities.
Results
Readership and responsiveness to the corporate publications is high. A full 90 percent of respondents to a recent internal survey indicated that they were well-informed about Foodmaker's direction and goals.