Internal Communication

Last week Buzzfeed announced that it would lay off 15 percent of its staff—including 43 journalists in its news division, and the announcement hit newswires as a troubling bellwether for digital publishing. The company, which first rose to fame for its viral listicles before later earning legitimacy as a journalistic enterprise, was initially quiet about one detail that was blasted by negative news headlines, tweets, and a protest letter by 400 current and past employees: it would not pay out earned PTO as a part of its severance packages.

The bar is raised when a company prides itself on its open culture and encourages employee feedback. Google is discovering that corporate culture is a living creature that needs care and feeding. Some of the activities the company is alleged to have done seem to run counter to the image Google seeks to create.

There always will be a competitor who can woo your best talent with money. Yet businesses that use only monetary incentives to keep top talent can win that battle for a time, but, eventually, they will lose the war. 5WPR founder Ronn Torossian argues employees who share your company’s vision and values are far less likely to depart. Fortunately, communications is key.

It’s the quintessential image of Santorini, Greece, that of pristine colorful structures hugging the cliffs overlooking the azure blue Aegean Sea. For one small boutique hotel, keeping its exterior a perfect shade of white is… Continued

In theory, communicators should be good at keeping their team informed. Yet internal communications often is a problem. In this first of a series of short videos, Jennifer Mastin Giglio, VP of communications for the Washington Nationals Baseball Club, discusses how she keeps her team informed. The video was recorded just prior to a communications leaders roundtable that PR News and partner PublicRelay hosted.

How well your company retains top talent can boil down to engagement. Here’s a checklist of 10 tips to engage employees.

Diversity and PR are inextricably linked, yet communicators have talked about diversity for years and many issues remain within communications and many other sectors. PRSA-NY president Sharon Fenster offers five ways to bolster diversity in the PR industry and at brands and nonprofit organizations.

It comes up in most conversations and lingers, unresolved: how can I find and then retain great talent? During a panel I moderated recently on the future of PR, this topic was discussed at length,… Continued

One of the maxims of employee communications is to avoid announcing job cuts or restructuring during the holiday season. General Motors ignored that norm with its announcement yesterday. Here are six other takeaways for communicators from GM’s announcement.

Engagement isn’t just for social media anymore. It can be one of the most critical parts of a brand’s ability to recruit and retain the most-talented employees, argues APCO Worldwide’s Kimberly Gardiner. And with budgets tightening, improving employee engagement is a cost-effective way to bolster your employment strategy.