Employee communication materials serve as effective tools for engaging employees in the company's financial success which, in turn, drives profits. Business experts have long agreed that when employees feel that management values their work, they strive harder to achieve maximum levels of customer satisfaction, thereby boosting brand awareness and loyalty. There's no better way to show employees they are valued than to arouse their interest and enhance their involvement in the company through employee communication materials.

These materials take many different forms, depending upon the unique needs of the company. For example, businesses striving to reach out to a more diverse employee population might consider publishing a staff magazine targeting a certain ethnic group as a way of letting employees in that group know that the company values their contributions. Popular solutions for learning about employee communication materials applications and uses include the following:

1. Learn how outsourcing business communication materials like polls and blogs help to arouse employees' interest in your company.

2. Find out why employee communications professionals are using staff magazines as a way of reaching out to all personnel.

3. Design a company intranet that serves as the main employee communication solutions tool for your business.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use employee communications to arouse interest in company events

Polls, blogs and social media forums have become popular uses for employee communications because. Not only will these strategies allow you to find out how your employees feel about the benefits the company offers, but you can also keep employees informed of significant events and facts about the company's financial performance that they may have no other way of learning.

I recommend: Subscribe to Ragan's website to learn how companies use online polls to generate employee interest in the company's enterprise goals. Blogs on Training Time show how internal communications with employees boost their morale and involvement. Management Issues explains how you can use these tools to create the "aha moment". Read Alpha Measure for ideas on how to use employee communication tools to seek feedback on company benefits.

Find out how staff magazines serve as key employee communication strategies

When it comes to employee communication materials applications and uses, few tools have been as successful in engaging employees than staff magazines. Usually produced by marketing or public affairs personnel, these magazines focus on topics they believe are of special interest to employees.

I recommend: Articles Base explains how to use staff magazines to measure the effectiveness of employee communication materials. Read Idea Marketers to find out the different forms these staff magazines can take. Marketing Services Talk describes how some companies use staff magazines to achieve their enterprise objectives.

Create a company Intranet as a more effective way of communicating with employees

A company intranet stands out as a highly effective employee communication strategy: it centralizes key information employees need in one location, thus cutting down on the time they used to spend trying to find the information, time they can now use in a more productive fashion.

I recommend: Read Tech Republic to learn about the benefits of a company intranet and how you can create one. Ennect Survey explains how one company found that it could use a well-designed intranet to boost its production. Access the Intranet Usability Guideline that the Nielsen Norman Group website makes available and learn about the different forms a company intranet can take.

Employee communication strategies are far more sophisticated than they used to be. Whereas a company newsletter or a glossy brochure describing employee benefits was once thought to suffice, current thinking on business strategy has done a "180" in this area. Modern business experts no longer believe that such basic and impersonal forms of company communication are enough to create and maintain a vibrant—and profitable—enterprise.

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all employee communications materials. Customization is in. For many companies, outsourcing business communications has become the order of the day. The following are some benefits your company will enjoy once you've developed and implemented the right employee communication strategy:

1. Greater employee engagement and "ownership" of company objectives

2. Increased loyalty to the company

3. Higher productivity levels

4. Easier transition during periods of change

5. More profitable bottom line

Action Steps
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Understand what a good employee communications program can do for your company

Before you can implement an effective employee communications program, you must know exactly what such a program involves and how it can benefit your company's bottom line. Information on business communication material types and employee communication methods is widely available online.

I recommend: Employee Benefit News helps you measure the ROI (return on investment) you'll gain through your employee communication program.

Find companies that specialize in creating employee communications materials

Many companies offer tools and services to aid you in communicating with employees more effectively.

I recommend: Direct Data Communication and Cammack LaRhette Consulting offer a number of services which can help you develop the employee communication documents your business needs. HR Communications provides personalized content delivery, as well as DIY (do-it-yourself) employee communications materials for HR (Human Resources).

Get your employee communication material as part of a package of other business services

Outsourcing business communication functions can bring added benefits to your business. Many companies provide full-service employee communication solutions, complete with all necessary materials.

I recommend: Cassady Neeser & Brasseur offer employee benefits consulting and brokerage services, which include a number of custom communications options. HumaNext also offers a variety of employee communications services, materials and programs to keep your employees in the loop. Benefit Design Consultants helps you design and manage your entire employee benefits plan, providing all the forms and templates you need.

Use a consultant to help you customize your employee communication materials and program

Employee communications consultants have the skills to personalize your program, helping you create the business communication materials that are right for your company and your employees.

I recommend: Eloquor Consulting offers a number of different employee communication strategies. Emerge Communications also offers employee communications services, along with employee surveys and other employee communication materials to help facilitate understanding and feedback.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When engaging a company to create customized business communication materials, or when outsourcing your workplace communication functions, be sure the company you choose shares--or at least understands--your personal philosophy and can transfer that philosophy into the employee communications it creates for your business. If you aren't sure about this, ask for a sample communication. At the very least, be certain that you'll be directly involved in the development of your company's employee communications materials.

Communicating with employees is a fundamental business function. Therefore, communication materials should be clear and concise. Employee communication leads to effective management, so all your business communication materials should be well thought out. Sometimes, employee communication for beginners has to be outsourced to ensure the business communication material is effective.

Outsourcing business communication is easy. There are any number of public relations agencies that can devise effective employee communication materials and employee communications training material. It is more important that your communication material be effective than produced in-house. Employee communication solutions are not the place to save money.

1. Decide whether your in-house talent is capable of developing employee communication materials for beginners.

2. Consider outsourcing workplace communication if in-house resources aren't up to the task.

3. Developing employee communications training material is an art, and usually requires an experienced hand. You may have to hire a consultant to get that experience.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine what employee communication material you need and if you have the resources to handle it

Different situations demand different employee communications processes. In some cases, you are training new employees. In others, you are training experienced employees on something new; and in yet other cases, you are introducing your company to new hires. Specialists are required for each of these situations, and if you don't have them, you should consider outsourcing.

I recommend: Innovative ideas for communicating with employees can be found at the Articles Base website. This article can help a CEO assess whether he/she has the in-house talent to handle employee communications for beginners. The New Training Ideas site has a page dedicated to employee communications training alternatives.

Outsource if you need to, but do so carefully

If an honest assessment of the task at hand and the available resources suggests you need to outsource, then carefully hold an agency review and find the best fit possible for working with your firm. Make sure you define the agency work plan and assess their professional capabilities and their ability to mesh with your existing culture.

I recommend: Padilla, Spear, Beardsley is an example of a full service agency that specializes in employee communications. This is the type of agency that can get the job done for you. The Marlin Company offers a two-minute video to show an example of an effective employee communications program.

Learn to develop training material and decide if you can do it on your own

Training for beginners is a subset of a general employee communications program. New hires are some of the most important people at any company, and that initial training program will make or break a first impression.

I recommend: A site dedicated to Human Resources Theory discusses in-depth employee communications materials for beginners. This will help crystallize your thinking when it comes to new hire training. David Duncan's article on the positives and pitfalls of new hire training will help you understand the consequences of poor training and the benefits of good training whether or not it's in-house or contracted.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If there is any doubt, hire an expert. Employee Communications is too important not to do well.

If you want your company to stand out from the rest, start at home with the communications materials you’re handing out to employees. Follow the trend toward customization by designing media that is as unique as your brand, from polished brochures chronicling your company’s history, to sober fact sheets detailing your benefits. Whether you outsource the crafting of these materials or prepare them in-house, brushing up on some common terms can point you in the right direction.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Employee benefit documents

Employee benefit documents are the most recognizable kinds of employee communication materials. They explain your company's medical, dental, 401(k) and life insurance benefits.

I recommend: To find out what this term refers to, read DDC’s detailed explanation. You’ll also learn some issues related to preparing these communication materials, such as how to accurately portray the company’s benefits plans and how to customize their look and distribution for certain industries.

Employee handbook development

Media specialists apply the concept of customization to their employee handbook development, as well as the strategy they adopt when preparing the company's employment guidelines, rules and policies.

I recommend: Get a sense for how today’s media specialists are focusing on employee handbook development by checking out the services that firms like Cassady Neeser & Brasseur are offering. Their main goal is to develop a benefits manual that lays out basic information about employee benefits, company policies and general working conditions.

Document review

Take the first step toward improving your employee communications materials by allowing a media specialist to perform a thorough document review, an analysis of contracts and master plans, to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance.

I recommend: Read about a typical document review at Benefit Design where customization takes a back seat to accuracy.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing of employee communications materials has become the norm rather than the exception among today's companies. The process involves designing and launching your company's web site, printing promotional materials and writing human resource documents that explain life insurance benefits, tuition remission and employee professional development programs.

I recommend: To understand what’s involved in outsourcing of these materials, consider how companies like Eloquor Consulting take the lead by implementing a communications development program.

Communication planning for change

Since the business environment is rarely static, communication planning for change usually receives a lot of attention. When companies downsize, merge or undergo real change, their focus is first to develop a communications program for in-house personnel.

I recommend: Decide whether you’ll benefit from a communication planning for change program by considering the discussion at Workwise Communication.

Employee surveys

Employee surveys are the communications materials allowing you to hear directly from the people whose attitudes can impact company productivity. These materials allow you to more accurately perceive how your staff views your company, how they react to organizational changes and how they might respond if asked about the current level of employee morale.

I recommend: Get insight into the critical role these employee surveys play in your overall employee communications program by checking out About.com.