Employee Communication Materials Key Terms

Learn the terminology of employee communications and join the trend toward customization

By Michele Vrouvas

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.

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