Public relations is a people business, first and foremost. Along the same lines, an organization is only as strong as its weakest person, be that person an unhappy/unproductive
employee, a dishonest senior executive or an isolationist team leader.
Likewise, human resources is a people business, albeit of a different ilk. And believe it or not, these executives do more than field resumes and enforce dress codes. So, given
that both functions manage people and how they communicate with constituents, who says PR and HR shouldn't collaborate? Scratch that. Who says the organization's business won't
suffer if PR and HR don't collaborate? Hopefully, the answer is no one.
But that is not necessarily the case, judging from statistics that convey a relatively minimal overlap between the two practices. For example, the Public Relations Society of
America/Bacon's Information 2006 "State of the PR Profession" survey polled more than 1,400 communications executives to reveal that only 2% of their work time is spent on human
resources activities.
Is this evidence of a turf war, a la the PR/marketing divide of yore ("yore" being a hopeful term, as many companies are now beginning to embrace integration)? Perhaps, but
remaining divided leaves many employee-relations challenges unconquered: those of communicating policy changes, issues of staffing, compensation or diversity, or streamlining
messages to coincide with those coming from HR managers. So, what's a communications executive to do?
Get Organized
Despite widespread gaps in strategy, however, there are organizations that are doing it right, and they stand to offer best practices for unifying the two complementary
functions. Take Honeywell, for example. The company's aerospace division, which employs more than 40,000 people worldwide, uses a new organizational strategy (instituted about two
years ago) to integrate its communications efforts across all business functions. Specifically, a communications manager is assigned to every functional aspect of business, from
finance to integrated marketing/product management to ... that's right, human resources.
Steve Krum is the communications leader who is assigned to work directly with HR, and he cites a number of benefits of the open lines of communication between the two
departments.
"There are all sorts of internal, tactical drumbeats - benefits and policy changes, for example," Krum says. "While they are largely driven by the HR function, we [PR
professionals] have the communications sensibility to identify challenges in new messages, and to speak to what employees' major concerns will be."
It may be a well-oiled machine now, but there are certainly strategies that make it so. Krum recommends the following best practices to breaking down the HR/PR silos:
- Don't mind your own business. Communications may be your thing, but you have to be multi-lingual if you are going to make the employee relations connection work between
PR and HR. That means learning the language of human resources and being well-versed; that is the only way to ensure that you are included in the conversation when strategies are
developed and challenges are brought to the table.
"It behooves me as a communications professional to make sure I really understand the HR profession," Krum says. "When I can hold my own with human resources executives when
talking about HR philosophy, it goes a long way in establishing credibility."
- Speak your mind - and their minds, too. It's not just a PR thing; human resources executives have to reach employees scattered all over the country - and, in some cases,
the world - to communicate changes that apply strictly to internal business.
Therein lies another opportunity for collaboration: Communications professionals (should) already have channels in place for reaching various internal audiences, either through
intranet portals, e-mail distribution lists or online forums. By working with HR to make these platforms available for their needs, both sides benefit. HR spreads the word, and PR
gains access to valuable employee information (just think about all the details the HR department has about employees, from names and titles to contact information to salaries and
reporting relationships). This information, in turn, can be used to sharpen the focus of the PR department's future internal communications efforts.
- Develop messaging together. Sure, there is messaging that is specific to PR, especially when it involves external communications: branding, reputation management,
stakeholder engagement, etc. But employees should be groomed to be an organization's greatest ambassadors, and messaging that frames the corporate culture and identity is made all
the stronger if HR and PR combine forces.
Think Outside The Box - And The Organization
The aforementioned corporate culture that is cultivated by the PR/HR team can be dressed up and taken out for a spin. The two functions should work together when it comes to
recruiting efforts, as well. For example, collaborative teams can create video clips that reflect the corporate culture and work environment, and then post them on the corporate
Web page that lists job openings.
These glimpses into life in the organization will attract candidates that identify well with the messages. Enterprise uses online videos for recruiting efforts, and to great
effect. In one clip, the CEO talks about how he started his career behind the counter at a local outpost. What better way to demonstrate the potential for upward mobility?
Define Business Objectives Together
This ultimately comes down to integration - or, as you'll see in next week's feature - a concept like integration that represents the connectivity of communications efforts
with other functions. No good is achieved when each function defines their own organizational goals and messaging; employees will be especially confused and disillusioned if they
receive conflicting information about their company's brand identity.
According to Atalanta Rafferty, executive managing director of RF|Binder Partners (and participant in the March 29 PR News/VMS Thought Leaders Roundtable in New York City),
"People look to PR to find a way to get people to work together." Consider that empowerment to connect with HR executives to align business objects and messaging, and then
communicate these priorities to employees in an aligned way. It's a matter of good management, good relationship-building and good representation of what public relations is
capable of.
After all, as Krum puts it, "'Go tell the story' doesn't acknowledge the deeper
responsibility of organizational development and relationship management."
(For more on integrated communications, look for next week's feature in PR News, which will cover the March 29 Thought Leaders Roundtable that took place in New York City and
focused on the challenges and opportunities presented by integration.)
CONTACTS:
Steve Krum, [email protected]; Atalanta Rafferty, [email protected]