A new PR News survey, “Communications in an Age of Transparency,” finds that while 18% of respondents say their employee communications efforts are “excellent,” a combined 43% say their efforts are “adequate, could be better” or “below par, needs improvement.” (See below for the full results.)
In polling a trio of employee comms experts on the survey findings, opinions on standout data varied. Brian Burgess, AVP and director of employee engagement at MS&L Worldwide, says the findings for question 6, “Who owns employee communications?” intrigued him. While a good percentage of respondents said PR held ownership, “the trend among organizations is to deconstruct ownership of key functions that drive success,” says Burgess. “It’s everyone’s job, not one department’s.”
The fact that nearly 80% of respondents are providing employees with a strategic business plan caused a case of heartburn for Natasha Gaffoglio, internal communications manager for Sprint’s prepaid group. “This method may make sense in theory, but in practice it can be a mess if you’re not diligent,” says Gaffoglio. “It’s possible to end up with varying degrees of understanding about where the company is headed. As communicators, we need to ensure that this golden information is being presented consistently.”
The lack of communications to employees via social media (question 8) surprised Wendy Watkins, global VP of corporate communications at Delaware North. “The fact that 68% aren’t using social media to connect with employees is a surprise,” she says. “Social media is a necessary element of any modern-day campaign.” PRN
CONTACT:
Brian Burgess, [email protected]; Natasha Gaffoglio, [email protected]; Wendy Watkins, [email protected].
Employee Comms in an Age of Transparency: A PR News Survey
1. I consider our organization’s employee communications efforts to be:
Excellent 17.9%
Good 37.5%
Adequate, could be better 26.8%
Below par, needs improvement 16.1%
Almost nonexistent 1.8%
2. True or false: During this recession, I’ve found employee communications efforts to be more challenging than when times were good.
True 53.6%
False 46.4%
3. How often do you hold all-hands employee meetings?
Weekly 10.9%
Bimonthly 20.0%
Quarterly 32.7%
Biannually 10.9%
Yearly 10.9%
Only when we have something to report 14.5%
4. Do you provide your employees with the organization’s strategic business plan?
Yes, in writing 39.3%
Yes, it’s communicated by management in meetings 39.3%
No, for executive eyes only 21.4%
5. When was the last time you fielded an employee survey?
1-3 months ago 32.1%
4-6 months ago 7.1%
7 months ago 8.93%
More than a year ago 28.6%
We don’t field employee surveys 23.2%
6. Who owns employee communications at your organization?
PR/Communications 40.1%
HR 12.5%
Combination of PR/HR 28.6%
Other 17.9%
7. How often do you revise your employee communications crisis plan?
Monthly 1.8%
Biannually 7.3%
Yearly 54.6%
We don’t have one 36.7%
8. Do you use social media tools to engage employees in corporate goals and strategies?
Yes, and those efforts have succeeded in engaging employees 14.3%
Yes, but employees are reluctant to engage via social media 17.9%
No, but we are considering using social media for this purpose 42.9%
No, and we are not considering using social media for this purpose 25.0
9. My organization has the following number of employees:
1-100 26.8%
101-300 16.1%
301-500 5.4%
501-1,000 1.8%
1001-5,000 8.9%
5,001-10,000 17.9%
More than 10,000 23.2%