Employee conversations with the company: how and why?

For the year, we, the internal communications department of ICL Services, were asked to make a “red button” three times on the internal information portal: a separate e-mail or monthly web call for direct communication with top management. Three times we sat down to think about this need and each time we disagreed with a lack of understanding: “But do we really have no such thing?”

Our "red button"

Textbooks on internal communications say that one of the primary tasks of a specialist communicator is to ensure that employees can communicate with management. For example, to organize reception hours or offer a "director" mailbox. But is it critical for most modern IT companies, where the entrance to the director’s office is not protected, and the directors are available online?
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Despite 1200 people and 7 offices, we also have such directors: open to a constructive conversation. And since 2012, 3-4 times a year, we are holding Strategy Updates - meetings with company directors open to all employees (now this is a personal meeting + broadcast + publication of materials, answers and recordings).

It turns out that our employee has several opportunities to talk with a top manager.

1. Strategy Update - you can ask a question before (including anonymously) and during the meeting. Directors answer the question personally; and some of it is passed on to the experts.
2. Write to the corporate e-mail "HowThingsAreInGDC @" by contacting the director. The addressee must see the letter.
3. Send e-mail personally to the director.
4. Book a meeting with the director in the corporate calendar.

What prevents colleagues offering the "red button" to use one of the items? What is not open enough: information about opportunities or personal culture of an employee? Or behind-the-scenes comments that executive answers were not always about what the employee asked? Well, communication is a two-way thing. Responsibility for success on both sides. Not understood? Ask again! Did not understand your question? Reformulate! Want to remain anonymous? Well, if you think that this is a constructive.

15 ways to tell the truth

Conversations with top management are definitely helpful. But a large company is a multitude of individual centers of competence, including on general corporate issues. And often, center specialists can answer the employee’s question much more extensively than the CEO.

Here are the opportunities our colleagues have to talk with the company:



And this is how it works:



All channels, except the most popular - “talk directly with the responsible colleague”, are automated and have process SLA. This means that the employee is available information about how his message will move and in what value it can convert).

Reaction to requests is made in the form of:

• e-mail to a personal address;
• oral comments by directors during the Strategy Update;
• publications on the portal;
• changes in processes, systems; corrective action plans.

Only last year, 2 new channels appeared: “Change of processes” and “Business ideas”. The company invites an employee to collaborate.

And at the end of 2016, the satisfaction survey with the services of supporting services (iC-SAT) was reworked: now you can evaluate them at any time, without waiting for the end of the quarter. Also in the process of preparing a public page with the results of a general survey of employee satisfaction: problems, causes, action plan - for each unit.

In addition, the company has a BARS-assessment tool (Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales), which allows any employee to evaluate the professional results of colleagues, including managers.

Your opinion

Changes, development, plans ... In our wish-list a corporate blog and “likes” for news on the portal have been hanging for a long time. It seems to us that these services will allow employees and management to better understand each other. In the corporate blog, experts will publish their opinions and lead the discussion. "Likes" will tell us about the mood of the staff. And now, in addition, the proposal of employees about the "red button" to communicate with management.

In order not to give out the desired by us for the desired staff, we asked the opinions of colleagues. The result coincided with our expectations. More than half of respondents:

• are interested in an expert blog (read, write, discuss);
• want to use not only “likes”, but also “dislikes”;
• Satisfied with opportunities to communicate with management

In free comments we were told:

• about the lack of personal communication between the employee and his immediate supervisor (“1-on-1” meetings);
• the desire to have more visual and other accents to highlight important information in a huge flow;
• what kind of good fellows we are, reminded of opportunities.

Well, the work plan emerges.

Form and content

Channel support for timely and high-quality information and feedback is the minimum that an internal communications specialist should guarantee. If your company does not have a dedicated employee on its staff, then it is important to remember its functions and tasks. Regardless of the size of the organization.

So, we set up channels and formulate and teach the rules of the game. How exactly to use them: what to ask and evaluate, how to respond and on the basis of which to make decisions is the responsibility of employees and, especially, managers at all levels.

And remember about the huge opportunities for personal communication - not a single automation. Even if you are the coolest IT company.

And how is the feedback organized in your company? How often do you communicate with directors? Or is it not about business at all?