Congratulations on Your Engagement. Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage

Transcription

1 BEST PRACTICES Congratulations on Your Engagement Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage A Guide Developed by The Marlin Company, The Workplace Communication Experts

2 WORKPLACE DIGITAL SIGNAGE Highly visual. Highly visible. Highly engaging. Companies everywhere are embracing workplace digital signage as a powerful tool for reaching This highly visual and highly visible communications tool enables managers to educate, inform and inspire their workers. As a one-to-many channel displaying visual content, it has the power to grab workers attention. Workplace digital signage, installed in areas where employees congregate, is particularly effective for reaching those who don t have access to computers or smart phones. And the big screen and high-impact graphics provide a welcome relief for office workers as well. Perhaps the single most important ingredient to digital signage success is employee engagement. After all, if employees are not looking at the screens, they ll never get your message. And that s what this guide offers: practical advice, in the form of 14 best practices, for ensuring that your workplace digital signage program is driving employee engagement. 71 % 71% of employees are not fully engaged. 200 % An engaged workforce performs 200% better than a workforce that is unengaged with their company. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 1

3 1 STRATEGY The most successful workplace digital signage is anchored in a clear communication strategy. That is, why is your company introducing digital signage? Is it to raise safety awareness? To improve productivity? To promote your company culture by communicating consistently throughout the enterprise? Only once you ve defined your strategy can you determine the content to support your goals. 2 ELEVATOR LOBBY LOBBY CAFETERIA MAIN HALLWAY FACTORY ENTRANCE MAPPING Be mindful of where your screens are located, who will be seeing them and what they need to know. In common areas such as the cafeteria, display high-level messages such as monthly sales performance or customer satisfaction scores. For screens on the production floor or in the warehouse, post KPIs that are relevant to workers in those areas. Where do the greatest number of your employees cross paths? Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 2

4 3 4 VISUALS People are 85% more likely to retain information that s communicated visually. Today s attention spans are short and distraction levels are high. Everyone is glued to their cell phones. Your job is to make people look up and see the big screens. So think compelling images. Short video clips. Colorful photos, illustrations, cartoons, infographics and charts. And short copy, not paragraphs. Keep it relevant. LEADERSHIP Whether you re building a culture of safety, wellness or performance, it can t happen without commitment and passion from leadership. The same is true for employee engagement. The CEO needs to articulate the company s vision in a way that s meaningful for employees at all levels. So post video clips of the CEO from town hall meetings, public appearances or informal company events. That enables employees to better understand company goals and feel more connected to leadership. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 3

5 5 RECOGNITION A sure-fire way to attract people to your signage is with employee photos both in the workplace and in their personal lives. Invite employees to submit personal photos (new baby, prom, wedding, etc.). Also post candid shots of executives doing goofy things (Halloween costumes, company picnic dunking booth, etc.). 6 RECOGNITION Generate pride and enthusiasm by highlighting your customers on screens throughout your facility. Create a logo wall each month celebrating new customers. Feature individual customers with pictures, quotes and a brief description of their business. Display social media feeds sharing what customers are saying about your products. Positive feedback from your customers can help inspire continued good effort among your Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 4

6 7 TELEPHONE You ll know your signage is working when people start talking. It may be about something they saw, read or learned that made them think or laugh or even change the way they d normally do something. So encourage it. Post short quizzes, with questions on safety or products or just plain fun topics such as sports or entertainment trivia. And guess what? While employees are checking out quizzes and photos and the like, by osmosis they ll also see the more serious content that s posted in different frames. 8 RELATIONSHIPS A recent Employee Engagement Study by Dale Carnegie Training revealed that a caring manager boosts employee engagement. So consider communicating to employees as people, not just workers. Make room for lively content that will edu-tain them on stress reduction, home safety, healthy eating, exercise and home-life balance. They ll get the message that you care about them as individuals. $11B US businesses lose $11B to employee turnover each year. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 5

7 9 RECOGNITION According to employee engagement trend-spotter BI Worldwide, To maximize results, companies need the right people working together, doing the right things to the best of everyone s abilities. What is recognized will be repeated. Recognizing employees performance is a key part of your digital signage. Are you adopting a new quality initiative? Moving toward agile work teams? Use your screens to announce it and explain the benefits. What is recognized will be repeated. Even better, make and show videos with employees discussing how a new process made their jobs easier or more efficient. Read more about recognizing your employees in Employee Recognition: More than Money on The Marlin Company blog. Examples of Recognizing Employee Achievement of Company Goals employees who successfully complete a training course or obtain an important certification. Broadcast when goals are reached, whether it s in production, the sales force, the call center or the warehouse. Acknowledge people and show the results. Put it into context as to what it means for the company. Celebrate community involvement that ties into your company culture. By recognizing volunteers, you reinforce the message that giving back to the community is a big part of who you are as a company. special projects. As we move toward more project-based work models, it s important to acknowledge the significance of key projects and the cross-functional teams that make it happen. Advertise results of in-house initiatives by showing the stars of your safety, customer service or health & wellness programs. (And while you re at it, use the screens to introduce and promote in-house initiatives so everyone understands the rules of the game.) Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 6

8 10 ONBOARDING 11 Understandably, engagement is often lowest for new So getting them off to a strong start is essential. Workplace digital signage is a great tool for announcing new hires. Create a welcome piece featuring their photo, title and a little about what they will be doing. It ll go a long way to make the newbie feel welcome and minimize first-day jitters. And it gives others a chance to say hello, understand where the new person fits into the organization and wish them well. CORPORATE CULTURE MEET JANET MEET PAULIE MEET SARAH ME 33% of new hires are already job searching when they start. (US Dept. of Commerce) Digital signage is a great platform for employees to see what s unique about your company. Play up your company s culture and values by showing how you contribute to the community a company-wide food drive, a team of employees on a charity walk or bike ride, etc. Make the story come to life on your screens with video, images and quotes. Use digital signage to promote charity events and get more people involved. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 7

9 12 METRICS The democratization of data is here, and digital signage is the perfect platform for visualizing that data. Use colorful, easy-tounderstand dashboards, charts or infographics to show your employees how the company is doing. Display metrics on sales goals, production levels, customer satisfaction scores, call center metrics, automated Days Without Accidents counters, etc. It will go a long way in helping everyone get the big picture. Read more about displaying your metrics in Get it? Got it? Good! A winning formula for your workplace digital signage. on The Marlin Company blog. Companies scoring in the Top 25% for employee engagement have: 37% lower absenteeism 48% fewer safety incidents 41% fewer quality defects 21% higher productivity 22% higher profitability Source: Gallup s 2012 study The State of the American Workplace 13 ANNOUNCEMENTS Most people find change unsettling, especially when they don t know what s going on. Is change happening at your company? Are you moving or remodeling? Acquiring or merging with another company? Adopting a new workflow process such as LEAN, marketing & sales automation or agile? Use your digital signage screens to convey the what, why and how. Keep your staff informed about what s new in their work environment. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 8

10 14 SURVEYS Empower your employees to speak up by using digital signage to promote surveys and polls. Run a survey to find out what your employees want to see on the screens (and of course, use your digital signage to announce and promote the survey). Include a QR code option on the announcement so employees can scan it with their smart phones and link directly to the survey. Also very important: Be sure to show that you ve listened to employee survey feedback. Announce changes made based on their suggestions, and acknowledge the source. One more thing: In the survey, ask employees if they d like to join the content team. The best digital signage has a diverse team of content contributors. Five Tips For Better Employee Engagement Dale Carnegie Training recently conducted a study citing three primary drivers for employee engagement. These translated into five tips for improving employee engagement. 1 5 TIPS FOR IMPROVEMENT Senior leadership must articulate a clear vision to all PRIMARY DRIVERS Relationship with one s immediate supervisor Belief in senior leadership Pride in working for the company Employees should be encouraged to communicate openly and influence the company s vision through their input. Direct managers should foster healthy relationships with their Senior leadership should continuously demonstrate that employees have an impact on their work environment. Managers should show employees that they are valued as true contributors, giving them a sense of empowerment. Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 9

11 The bottom line. The concept of employee engagement has been around for over a quarter century. What began as a theoretical construct, and later became an HR thing, has now become a tangible driver impacting work life and the bottom line. The bottom line? Workplace digital signage like all your communications needs to consider how it will engage workers. With hundreds of digital signage providers out there, how do you choose the right one? Consider this How can you best engage your employees with workplace digital signage? Since 1913, The Marlin Company has led the way in visual communications for the workplace. As the only digital signage provider focused solely on the workplace, Marlin combines the spirit of innovation with the latest technologies. The result: Highly engaging communications strategies for our 8,000 customers worldwide. GET STARTED Congratulations on Your Engagement: Best Practices for Engaging Employees Using Workplace Digital Signage 10

12 ABOUT THE MARLIN COMPANY Since 1913, Marlin has led the way in visual communications for the workplace. As the only digital signage provider focused solely on the workplace, Marlin combines the spirit of innovation with the latest technology to ensure your communication strategy is as effective as possible. From Hilton to Herr s and businesses in between, Marlin s digital signage platform is trusted by companies across the country. For more information about workplace digital signage, visit. Or call us at The Workplace Communication Experts