1. Introduction to Public Relations
Chapter 10:
Employee Communication
Copyright © 2012 McGraw-Hill Companies. All Rights Reserved.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin

2. EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
Successful employee communication requires:
A healthy organizational culture
Sound communication policy
Professional implementation
Understanding employee communication preferences and aptitudes
What else?

3. WHAT IS ORGANIZATION CULTURE?
Employees collective perceptions of:
Policies, Rules and Standards
Organizational Structure
Leadership
Values
“The way things get done” and “how decisions are made”

4. TWO TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
Authoritarian cultures - centralized decision-making with the CEO and a few top-level managers
Participative cultures – teamwork drives decision- making

5. PR AND WORKPLACE CULTURE
Public relations contribute to a productive workplace culture in that:
Establishes organizational policy in conjunction with HR, the TMT, BOD, etc.
Helps in designing and implementing organizational change programs
Provides expertise in employee communication for any occassion

6. IDEAL ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
The best workplace culture should provide feelings of:
Confidence
Openness
Candor
Satisfaction
Involvement
Pride
Supportiveness

7. PR AND EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
PR practitioners’ duties in employee communication include:
Promoting understanding and awareness of company goals
Interpreting management and personnel policies
Fulfilling employee information needs
Providing channels for two-way communication
Encouraging favorable attitudes and increased productivity

8. SOURCES EMPLOYEES RESPECT MOST
Employees want to hear information from:
1. Immediate Supervisor
2. Small group meetings
3. Top Executives
4. Annual Reports
5. Employee Handbook
6. Orientation Programs 7. Local employee publications 8. Bulletin Boards 9. Mass meetings 10. Union, grapevine, & mass media

9. PR practitioners use the following internal media:
ORGANIZATIONAL MEDIA
PR practitioners use the following internal media:
Publications
Videos
Television
Intranets
News releases
Events & Meetings
Posters and billboards
Exhibits and displays
Reprints of speeches
Booklets and manuals
Organization Websites
Social Media

10. ATTEND TO EMPLOYEE INTERESTS
Research shows employee interests rank as follows:
Organizational plans for the future
Job advancement opportunities
Job-related “how to” information
Productivity improvement
Personnel policies and procedures
How the organization is doing vs. competitors
How individual jobs fit into the organization

11. CONTENT IN EMPLOYEE MEDIA
There must be a balance between the information employees want and what they need.
Typically, an employee newsletter contains:
50 % about the organization
20 % about employees – benefits, etc.
20 % relevant non-company information about competitors, the community, etc.
10 % personals, trivia and entertainment

12. EMPLOYEES ARE THE MOST RESEARCHED PUBLIC
Companies know more about their employees than any other public.
They know their…
Name
Contact information
Company department
Job Function
Family status
So media and messages can be focused accordingly – but don’t be creepy about it (i.e. too “big brother”).

13. PHASES / TYPES OF EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATION
Job and Company Orientation
On-the-job Working Conditions
Rewards, Recognitions and Promotions
Work stoppage, termination or separation

14. SPECIFIC PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS
Employees must be told first
Must tell the bad news with the good.
Must be timely with info
Must inform employees on subjects they think are important
Use media employees trust (online vs. face-to- face?)

15. SPECIAL INTERESTS: UNION COMMUNICATIONS
Company-union relationships are typically adversarial in nature.
They are governed by Federal and state statutes and regulations. (i.e. “union shop” and collective bargaining laws – National Labor Relations Act – 1935, and others)
These laws and regulations limit management behaviors like discriminating against employees who join unions
Employees unionize when they feel they are being treated unfairly
PR practitioners can help resolve issues with unions and establish and maintain an effective ongoing relationship between unions and management

16. IN SUMMARY Employees are an audience like any other.
But they’re different from other audiences because…
They are more readily identified and targeted
Their informational needs tend to be more complex
More media are available to reach them