A basic human need (after food and shelter) is to understand and be understood.
That applies to your employees as well. But while organizations expend considerable time and effort on external engagement – communicating with customers, stakeholders, prospects – few are as effective at internal engagement.
“Almost every organization has a pain point around internal communication,” said Andrea Gregoire, owner of Vision2Voice Communications. “But employees matter – they are the heartbeat of your organization.”
Employees who are engaged, connected, loyal, happy and productive boost an organization’s performance, provide better customer service, land clients, increase quality and are more innovative. Companies that get this right increase profit, attract the best talent and lower the cost of employee turnover.
How do you create such a workplace? Internal communications is often managed by an organization’s HR department, which may take a transactional and one-sided approach. Or by the marketing communications team, which, while skilled at external engagement, may not appreciate how internal communications can and should differ.
Vision2Voice is unique in that it focuses exclusively on internal communications. Gregoire launched the firm 18 years ago to help mid-to-large-sized organizations in any vertical develop and implement employee engagement and change management strategies that are effective and innovative.
It takes a lot more than office memos or a newsletter. And don’t think that lunchroom foosball table will do the job, either.
Three elements must come together:
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Inform: Employees need more than just the essential information to do their specific jobs, they need to clearly understand what’s going on at the procedural level without having to hunt for it.
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Involve: People need to feel connected, that they have a voice, and that they don’t toil away in a silo isolated from other groups of employees. This is often an issue with organizations that have different locations.
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Inspired. People need to understand that Mission, Vision, Values piece. What is the organization doing? How is it making a difference? What does it stand for and how is that demonstrated? This gives employees a sense of pride and gives their work meaning.
How can all this be achieved?
“The first step is to look at your business strategy,” Gregoire said. “The next step is to understand who works in your organization, what makes them tick, and what values they share. The secret sauce is how you connect your strategy to this deeper level of understanding of your people.”
Understanding what channels and tools are most effective is also important. Earlier this summer, Vision2Voice teamed up with Bonfyre to provide organizations with a modern solution to the challenge. Bonfyre brings the employee experience to life by providing tools that give every employee a voice, a place to build relationships with co-workers and a deeper connection to their daily work lives.
To learn more about how Vision2Voice can help your organization better inform, involve and inspire your people, visit www.vision2voice.ca
Testimonials
“With two months to go until our SAP implementation, I wanted to be sure that our people were ready. Andrea and her team delivered a straightforward solution that helped the team get ready for the change. We really valued their help and advice.”
– Adam Hendricks, Tomlinson Group of Companies
“Canadian Blood Services engaged with Andrea and her team at Vision2Voice for a number of mandates, which speaks highly of the work they did for us. They delivered high-quality results that fully matched our needs and expectations, on time and on budget. Andrea is a pleasure to work with – a great relationship builder who asks the clarifying questions that ensure everyone has a deep understanding of the mandate.”
– Mark Donnison, COO, Coaching Association of Canada, and former Vice-President, Donor Relations, Canadian Blood Services
