Safe to Say Employee Communication Strategy Julianne Jack and Grant Bastedo Information Services Corp. (ISC) Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

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1 Safe to Say Employee Communication Strategy Julianne Jack and Grant Bastedo Information Services Corp. (ISC) Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Need/Opportunity / I just don t feel it s safe to say what I think around here. Imagine more than two-thirds of employees in your organization saying that! Unfortunately, that s the challenge Information Services Corporation (ISC) faced following a January 2008 employee survey. While there are many historical reasons why ISC s employees felt this way, the communication team knew it was time to address the issues. The team also knew it had the skills and passion to make a difference in coworkers perceptions and experiences. Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, ISC was known for many years as The Land Titles Office a provincial government department recording land and housing transactions with a nonprofit mandate. In 2000, a huge shift occurred when the organization became ISC a provincial profit-driven Crown corporation, with a new focus on innovation and modernization. Several years of transition followed, with numerous corporate reorganizations. This was a time of uncertainty for employees, in a corporate culture where they didn t feel secure, informed, or empowered to voice their ideas or concerns. ISC administered an employee survey in January 2008 with the assistance of an outside consultant (TWI Surveys). The response rate was 80 percent. While the results were largely positive and showed employees believe ISC is a good place to work, two low results related to cultural alignment were identified: percent of employees feel it is safe to say what they think percent of employees say the chief officers clearly communicate plans and priorities To address culture challenges, the communication team focused on the two lowest scoring survey areas. The appointment of a new president in June 2008, promoted from within ISC, also provided an excellent opportunity to encourage changes in employee behaviour focused on providing more opportunities for dialogue, enhancing the communication skills of managers and encouraging face-to-face communication. Intended Audience(s) / Primary audience all employees. Any real change in culture must have consistent messaging and experiences for all employees, regardless of position. The majority of ISC s 282 employees (73 percent) are represented by unionized frontline and data entry workers who serve customers at ISC s eight customer service centres across the province. ISC also has a head office location where executive and professional services employees are located, which frontline workers perceive as the golden palace. An us versus them mentality exists based on building location and lack of opportunities for employee interaction. ISC also has a high percentage of Baby Boomers eligible to retire within the next 10 years (62 percent of employees). Past research and experience have shown they prefer face-to-face or communica- _ 185

2 tion, and are slow adopters of new technology who do not trust online communication as a dialogue channel. The January 2008 employee survey also shows that older employees feel less safe to say what they think than younger employees: 30 years and under (47.8 percent), years (30.0 percent), years (24.1 percent), over 50 years (21.1 percent). Secondary audience all managers and supervisors. Of the 24 management positions at ISC, 15 are women (62.5 percent) who have an average age of 44 years. They generally recognize their role as communicators, although their skills in this area vary. The managers and supervisors are busy meeting corporate business goals, and indicate they would appreciate assistance with staff communication. In particular, managers commented that they often felt kept in the dark about corporate direction and were just as surprised by major corporate announcements as other staff members. Solution Overview / The results provided in the January 2008 employee survey, combined with the appointment of a popular new president in June 2008, provided a great opportunity to tackle ISC s culture issues. The strategy of the communication team was based on two-way dialogue at all levels consistent corporate communication with regular feedback opportunities, supported by face-to-face communication at the manager/employee level and a commitment to reporting results to feedback providers. Report Back Employees want to be heard In order to build trust in communication, it was important to fully report the January 2008 employee survey results. The first stage was to present the full results to each of ISC s business units (April/ May), followed by a six-part series of articles published on the corporate intranet (June August). Particular focus was spent on Safe to Say issues, and communications took the additional step of conducting informal interviews with a diverse group of 12 employees. Themes from the interviews were communicated to staff through the final article in the series. Provide Consistent Feedback Opportunities Employees want to be heard often The survey made it clear that employees wanted regular contact with executives and consistent opportunities to provide feedback. The following feedback opportunities were created as a first step toward a more open and inclusive culture at ISC, where feedback is accepted and encouraged. 4 Quarterly town hall meeting (first held 15 October) Opportunity for informal dialogue between employees and ISC s president Ability to participate through live web streaming if at another office Location 4 Monthly lunch with the president (began in November) Opportunity for a group of six employees to have personal interaction with ISC s president each month _ 186

3 4 Monthly one-on-one employee feedback sessions (began in October) Six one-on-one informal information gathering sessions each month for employees to share their thoughts on the work environment at ISC 4 Bimonthly facilitated group sessions (began in December) An external facilitator hosts focus group sessions with employees to generate a discussion on ISC s culture and ideas for improvement Regular intranet articles linking corporate actions with feedback were received Managers as Better Communicators Employees want to be heard by their boss The role of the manager is critical; they give context after corporate communication and align it with the job. The following initiatives were implemented to support and improve the skills of managers as key communicators: 4 Leadership summit, October: a three-day retreat for managers/supervisors focused on communication skills and culture change. 4 The 411 managers-only intranet site launched 24 November provides advance notice of key announcements and initiatives, as well as materials to assist with individual employee discussion following announcements. Measure Results Is ISC providing what its employees actually want? A combination of quantitative and qualitative feedback was used to form the strategy and measure its effectiveness. Informally, interviews, one-one-one and group discussions, and employee comments guided the direction. Formally, ISC measured results through an evaluation form at the Leadership Summit event, and a corporate mini-employee survey in December Each provided extremely positive evidence that the strategy delivered the results that were sought. Goals and Objectives / By providing consistent executive communication, and implementing numerous employee feedback opportunities, the team supported ISC s corporate people goal: ISC attracts, retains and invests in diverse, high performing, talented people who will lead the company s success. ISC also supported the corporate balanced scorecard measurement to achieve an overall rating of employee engagement, satisfaction and cultural alignment of 3.85 in the 2010 Employee Survey. Specific strategy goals were to: 4 Create greater understanding of corporate priorities through consistent and clear communication. 4 Implement new channels for two-way corporate dialogue with employees, and support manager/employee two-way dialogue on key corporate issues. 4 Leverage new leadership at ISC to incorporate fresh messaging and communication approach- _ 187

4 es to tackle culture change, Safe to Say issues and business strategy. By the end of 2008, the team aimed to achieve the following objectives: 4 Increase the percentage of employees who feel it is safe to say what they think by 5 percent from 28.2 percent to 33 percent in the December mini-survey. 4 Increase the percentage of employees who say chief officers clearly communicate priorities by 10 percent from 28.7 percent to 38 percent in the December mini-survey. 4 Eighty percent of respondents to the Leadership Summit evaluation form rate the overall event and event organization as either excellent or good. Implementation and Challenges / Planning began immediately following the 2008 Employee Survey results in March, and was refined with the appointment of a new president in June The communication team worked quickly to deliver a number of well-received initiatives with in-house talent and resources, from September to December, and met the time line goals. Taking summer into consideration, the communication team decided against launching new feedback channels when most employees were on vacation. In addition, the team did not introduce all the feedback channels at once, in order to highlight response to feedback as a corporate priority over several months. Budget The majority of the initiatives were part of regular communications resourcing, with minimal outside collaboration and cost the exception being the Leadership Summit. The Employee Survey and facilitated group discussions were funded by the human resources department. CDN$55,682 CDN$400 CDN$0 CDN$22,500 CDN$900 CDN$79,482 Leadership Summit (facilitator, accommodations and catering for 60 participants) Lunches with the president (two CDN$200 lunches) Town Hall and The 411 (internal technology and resources used) Employee Surveys (January 2008: CDN$17,500; December 2008: CDN$5,000) Group feedback session (facilitator) TOTAL Challenges A new president has a short honeymoon period, and the communication team needed to introduce all new initiatives quickly which posed a very challenging time line. In particular, the three-day Leadership Summit required a very intensive and focused plan in order to implement the program in two months. Communications set the agenda and produced all materials and worksheets cutting costs but adding a time crunch. The event also grew from an initial culture agenda concepts to include teambuilding entertainment evenings (video games and the development of an ISC Jeopardy-like game). The additions added to the budget of the event, as well as the effort to coordinate and deliver it. _ 188

5 Measurement/Evaluation / The team asked employees to complete two formal surveys to evaluate the results of the strategy: 4 Leadership Summit Evaluation Form to measure effectiveness of the event 4 December 2008 Employee Mini-Survey to measure effectiveness against January 2008 survey results Objectives Increase the percentage of employees who feel it is safe to say what they think from 28.2 percent (January 2008) to 33 percent in December 2008 (up 5 percent). Increase the percentage of employees who say chief officers clearly communicate priorities from 28.7 percent (January 2008) to 38 percent in December 2008 (up 10 percent). Eighty percent of respondents to the Leadership Summit evaluation form rate the overall event and event organization as either excellent or good. Evaluation The percentage of employees who feel it is safe to say what they think increased to 38.2 percent in December 2008 (up 10 percent). The percentage of employees who say chief officers clearly communicate priorities increased to 47.3 percent in December 2008 (up 18.6 percent). Of the 60 attendees, 46 surveys were returned, representing a 76 percent response rate. An overwhelming 100 percent of respondents rated the overall event and event organization as either excellent or good. Of course, informal feedback that points to changes in perception and behaviour is especially meaningful in evaluating the campaign. The following comments are representative of the positive feedback received. Lunch with the president: I personally found the experience so rewarding, as I was able to ask questions and gain insights and new perspectives on life, career paths and ISC. It was really great to make a personal connection with the president and fellow ISC employees. Town hall: I just wanted to say congratulations to all of the people involved who put on the first ever ISC town hall. In my opinion, it was an interesting, effective and innovative way for ISC staff to interact with our executive. The 411 managers-only intranet site: To those who conceived of this idea, great idea, thanks! It is something that will have great value to me in working with my peers and staff! ISC Leadership Summit: This was the first time I have really felt comfortable with my peers. The interaction between everyone was great. Perhaps co-workers will feel more comfortable working with each other now that they have gotten to know each other better. I enjoyed the opportunity to introduce/talk about some tough topics as a team who has the ability to change things. Consistent and candid messaging. It exceeded my expectations. This has been the best leadership training/team building event ISC has ever had. _ 189